Berlin is a place where the ghostly carapaces of old edifices find new life. This is especially true in Mitte, the city¡¯s historical and cultural center, where former department stores and factories have been converted into offices and residences.
Some tenants aren¡¯t entirely conspicuous, though. In the basement of a long, monochromatic former bowling alley tucked in a corner of Gerichtstrasse Street, Germany¡¯s first sake brewery, Reigen, is quietly brewing a Germanized take on Japan¡¯s national drink.
Opened in August 2024, Reigen is the brainchild of Sebastian Mrohs, 44, a Berliner who first became interested in sake when he tried a bottle of Daigo No Shizuku, a doburoku (unpressed or unfiltered sake) from Chiba Prefecture¡¯s Terada Honke brewery while he was living in Japan.
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