A brewer working koji rice by hand in the Brooklyn Kura koji room

About the course

Elevate your sake expertise with deep sake study and hands-on brewing experience at Brooklyn Kura.

Elevate your sake expertise with the Advanced Sake Studies Certification Course — a comprehensive two-day program designed for hospitality professionals, beverage educators, and passionate enthusiasts who want to deepen their sake knowledge and earn an advanced credential in Sake Studies.

Held over two consecutive Mondays at Brooklyn Kura, this course blends classroom study, guided tastings, and hands-on brewery experience to provide an immersive journey into the world of sake.

Timothy Sullivan teaching sake theory to the Advanced class in the Brooklyn Kura taproom

Steam rising from the rice steamer at Brooklyn Kura

Advanced students working a mound of steamed rice by hand during the brewing day

Sake theory topics covered

Sake ingredients. Deep dive into rice, water, yeast, and koji, and how each shapes the final brew.
Sake rice varieties. Explore the traits of Japan's leading sake-brewing rice (shuzokotekimai) such as Yamada Nishiki, Omachi, and Gohyakumangoku.
Sake classifications. Understand the grading system, milling rates, and labeling requirements.
Sake production styles. From kimoto and yamahai to sparkling and aged sake — how style influences character.
Sake history. Trace sake's cultural and historical evolution across centuries.
Service, sales, etiquette & hospitality. Professional standards for service, storage, and customer experience.
Tasting & blind tasting practice. Build your palate and sensory analysis skills through structured blind tasting — 30 sakes tasted across the course.

Hands-on brewing — only in our program

Unique to this course, participants engage in actual sake production work inside the Brooklyn Kura brewery, experiencing firsthand the techniques and traditions of sake brewing. You'll train hands-on with our brewers — an experience available nowhere else.

Prerequisite

Students should have successfully completed the Sake Server Certification or an equivalent sake course (Sake Adviser, Sake Professional, etc.).

Examination & certification

To achieve certification, participants complete a final in-person exam at Brooklyn Kura, scheduled at a day and time convenient to students:

Theory questions covering course content
Short-form essay responses to demonstrate applied knowledge
Blind tasting assessment to evaluate sensory and analytical skills

Successful candidates are awarded the Advanced Sake Studies Certification and lapel pin, recognizing advanced-level knowledge and professional competency in sake. Employers can verify any certificate online.

Meet your teacher — Timothy Sullivan

Director of Education and lead instructor at the Sake Studies Center. Sake Samurai, JSA Sake Diploma International, WSET Sake Educator, and veteran of a 12-month brewing internship at Hakkaisan Sake Brewery in Niigata — the hands-on brewing components are taught from real production experience.

Good to know

Do I need the prerequisite before enrolling?

Yes — completion of the Sake Server Certification or an equivalent course (Sake Adviser, Sake Professional, etc.) is required so the whole class starts from a shared foundation.

What's the cancellation policy?

Full refunds (minus a credit card processing fee) are available up to one week before the course. No refunds within one week of the start date.

When does the exam happen?

The exam takes place in person at Brooklyn Kura after the course, scheduled at a day and time convenient to students.

“Tim is just an outstanding instructor. He is responsive to questions, moves the class along at the right pace and is patient with student questions. His knowledge of sake and sake-making is just outstanding.”

— David R., Hoboken · advanced student

Advanced Sake Studies Certification