Photos by Michael Piazza

When a dispute between business partners forced the sudden closure of Dovetail Sake in 2018, just two years after selling its first batch, co-founder Todd Bellomy wasn’t sure what he’d do next. He just knew it’d involve sake.

Three years later, Bellomy—a Maine native who’s arguably become the chief educator and cheerleader for New England–made sake— plans to open the doors to Farthest Star, a new sake brewery and taproom in Medfield. He’s applying lessons learned on his journey through dozens of Massachusetts kitchens, eight years working for Boston Beer Company and of course his founding (and dissolving) of Dovetail. Bellomy has raised hundreds of thousands of investor dollars (privately and through the crowdfunding website Mainvest. com) building out what will be just the continent’s 20th, New England’s second and the Commonwealth’s only sake brewery. And that funky name and branding? Those are derived from the science fiction stories Bellomy consumed voraciously as a child.

“I wanted the brand to be more of an expression of me,” Bellomy says. “A little more fun, inspiring.”

Farthest Star will follow a traditional brewing method for the Japanese beverage. A basic sake starts with rice, which Bellomy will source from farms in Arkansas and California. (“People are not growing that much rice in New England,” he says.) The microorganism koji is added to the rice, converting its starch to sugar. From there, the addition of yeast ferments the sugars into alcohol, which is then filtered or left cloudy and served either warmed or room temperature.

But that’s just your plain-Jane sake. With his new taproom (which Waltham-based Dovetail did not have), Bellomy is pumped to experiment with sakes infused with tea, coffee and hops, and will even roll out a variety brewed with maple water.

“We will slow-build a stable sake market in New England by releasing some core styles and really treat our taproom like a playground,” Bellomy says.

In an era of physical distancing and economic turmoil, few markets are stable, however—a reality Bellomy acknowledges. But he remains optimistic, pointing to the advantages his Medfield facility will afford: ample outdoor space for safe patio drinking; cooperation with the brewery and a distillery that share the building; and a brewing time of up to a year for sake, at which point he hopes the pandemic is in the rear-view. Meanwhile, the retail alcohol market remains strong, he says, as are opportunities to pair Farthest Star with meal kits, curbside takeout or food truck cuisine outside the taproom.

Speaking of food, while many Americans first experience sake alongside sashimi or a spicy tuna roll, Bellomy is determined to demonstrate the drink’s culinary diversity beyond just sushi. His favorite pairing is sake and tacos, but he points to many meals he thinks New Englanders will eat up with their sake—from pizza to lobster rolls to clam chowder.

“When you drink sake in a pub in Japan, you’re eating food that’s a little more hearty and, for New Englanders, more familiar: grilled meat, deep-fried vegetables, pickles,” Bellomy says. “We want to bring a little bit of awareness of that kind of culture to New England. Once we have very accessible local sake, people will have many more chances to pair sake with food they’re already eating.”

fartheststarsake.com

This story appeared in the Winter 2021 issue.