Moromi Brewery: Hand-Crafted Soy Sauces
Moromi, a North Stonington brewery producing hand-crafted soy sauces, was founded by Bob Florence, James Wayman, and Debbi Michiko Florence in 2020. When Bob decided to study the craft of shoyu making, he reached out to several small breweries in Japan. One of the respondents was Kyosuke Iida, fifth generation owner and president of Chiba Shoyu. Iida-san, intrigued by an American so passionate about shoyu, generously offered mentorship, and a friendship was born. Bob has been to Chiba Shoyu several times since.
In March, Iida-san visited the Moromi brewery for the first time. Bob and Iida-san focused on koji growing, the mold that is the heart of shoyu making. While the koji comes from Japan, Bob sources the rest of the ingredients locally whenever possible, such as organic rye from Maine Grains. When they entered the koji room, Iida-san said, "Yes, this is how good koji should smell." After tasting the various Moromi sauces, Iida-san was particularly impressed with the maitake soy sauce and chili Moromi sauce. The visit ended with a delicious dinner at The Shipwrights Daughter in Mystic.
Bob looks forward to returning to Chiba Shoyu soon to continue his studies on soy sauce brewing. And we look forward to hearing all about it with thanks to Debbi Michiko Florence.
