WHOLESOME TIMES WITH SAKE & CO.

WE SPENT OUR LAST MONTH OF SUMMER ENJOYING BEER, KOMBUCHA & COCKTAILS PAIRED/MIXED WITH… SAKE!

Of course, we love sake all by itself, but we’ve had such a sweet & fun time lately collaborating with our friends and exploring their crafts. We’ve also been spending time uncovering how our sake can play into interesting & delicious cocktails (thank you, Delaney), & even just pairing our brews with some of our favorite bevies side by side.

Here are a few of our favorite moments recently & we’d love to hear where sake fits into your world too!!

DELANEY’S COCKTAIL LAB

Delaney has been concocting some unbelievably delicious cocktails since we opened the taproom a few years back. With a creative mind and a deep understanding of flavor & techniques, he’s built our cocktail program into what it is today- we’re constantly in awe of (and delighted to taste) his creations.

Lately, he’s even been exploring collaborations to bring more exciting beverages to life- for instance, a dashi-themed cocktail with Kayanoya he’s working on for an upcoming release. He’s also taking some of his program on the road, doing another bar-takeover at Hard To Explain this fall! (Stay tuned on our instagram for updates about both).

I could go on forever just raving about him, but one of my favorite parts of working together is getting to peak into his process and taste the elements of what eventually fit cohesively into a new drink & I think you’ll just have to come see what i mean for yourself.

Our “Cocktail Lab” program allows you to do just that! Whether it’s a flight of different parts of his process, a new foam or frozen to test, or even the final tuning on his next cocktail release, the cocktail lab is a chance to taste, discover & ask Delaney about his process! Again, stay tuned on our social media for the next one :)

OUR NEIGHBOR, KCBC

Since moving in next door, the brewers at KCBC have been the best neighbors, friends & mentors you could possibly imagine… and now, they’ve made the beer of our dreams, “Our Neighbor, Shinobu”- A rice lager made with rice from The Rice Factory.

Here’s a note from Shinobu:

When I moved to Brooklyn, my plan was simple (maybe naive): open a sake brewery. I had no friends, no connections, no community - and Ayako was still in Tokyo, then Seattle. Those first years were rough. KCBC kept me sane.

I’m an introvert (though it may not seem so) and usually hate going to bars alone - except when there’s good craft beer, something I can nerd out about for hours. Beer breaks the ice. It gave me reasons to talk to bartenders and regulars, to meet people, and slowly build a community. I spent countless hours at KCBC’s counter - sometimes with a book, sometimes with a notebook of sketches, or just endless questions for the staff. They always welcomed me - with answers, with tours, with amazing beer.

Eventually, KSW moved into the building right next door. I worried it might look like stalking… but it was the perfect space in the perfect spot. Over the years, KCBC has helped us in countless ways - connecting us with the right people, helping with installs, lending equipment, sharing knowledge, even shipping sake to Japan. Endless thanks to KCBC for the support and friendship you’ve given me and KSW.

-Shinobu

KOMBUCHA + KAPPU = MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN

A couple weekends ago, Maxine and I took a little weekend trip up to Troy to hang with our friends Adam and Yiyi at Yesfolk. We spent time at their brewery dreaming up our next collaboration, floated down rivers, shared meals, nerded out at a fermentation potluck, and made so many incredible new friends (Hi, Zizo!).

If you’ve tried our first Botanikaru release, you already know how special Yesfolk is to us- they’re the ones who shared the beautiful magnolia oolong we brewed with. Getting to dream up something new together this time was such a joy, especially given their deep knowledge of infusions & herbalism- plus exploring their beautiful gardens!

We cannot thank Adam and Yiyi enough for being such incredible hosts (and for making sure we didn’t float away on the river). We left feeling inspired, happy, and very ready to bottle all that joy into something delicious soon. Can’t wait to share what’s next!

In the meantime, you can try out their kombucha & our current Botanikaru at the taproom- see you there :)

PS- In case you weren’t quite sure of just how excited we/Shinobu were about the “Our Neighbor, Shinobu” brew from KCBC… here’s a pic of Shinobu dressing up for the part :)