Colorado Sake Company opened Denver’s first local sake brewery and tasting room this past September, making them part of an elite group of pioneering American sake brewers and one of only eight local tasting rooms in the United States. The tasting room is located in the RiNo art district and serves up six diverse and seasonal sakes Thursday – Saturday from 4pm to 9pm.
Brewing traditional Junmai Ginjo sakes like their American Standard and Horchata Nigori, Colorado Sake Company uses traditional Japanese pressing and brewing methods to create a clean, undiluted premium sake. The owners even had their fume press custom made by a metal fabricator in Denver because the Japanese do not export presses (they clearly want to keep their sake a secret). Traditional Japanese sake procedure is only taken so far before Co-Owner and Brewer William Stuart breaks the norms and gets creative with his sake formulas and flavors, because what’s the fun if you can’t make it your own unique creation? After spending 12 years in the restaurant industry, experimenting with brewing beer at home, and having friends with close connections in Japan, “All the pieces were in place for me to give sake brewing a try,” says Stuart.
Little did he know how complicated his new endeavor would turn out to be. After a year-long battle with the Department of Revenue, legislators, and lawyers to amend liquor laws and obtain proper licensing, Stuart and his team were finally allowed to start making and selling sake. Their sake is a blend of Japanese and American yeast which produces a sweeter, less boozy taste ideal for crafting uniquely Colorado flavors that highlight Stuart’s creativity.
Their proprietary blend named American Standard will always be available and is known as a Junmai Ginjo, the most premium type of filtered sake. In Japanese, Junmai means no additional alcohol is added, and Ginjo references the type of rice, which in this case has the highest level of polishing. Sake rice is always polished to some extent to eliminate its coarse outside, leaving just the sugary, starch center. Drinker’s tip: since sake is made mostly from rice, no gluten, sulfites, or added sugar is used, which leaves you feeling better after drinking it compared with other alcoholic beverages!
The brewery’s two other staples on tap are the Dry Hop, a hopped sake made with beer lovers in mind and the Horchata Nigori, which blends the complementary flavors of the Mexican vanilla, cinnamon rice drink Horchata with the traditional Japanese rice-based sake. The current seasonal sakes are a Pineapple Habanero, a Blueberry Hibiscus and Sparkling Raspberry.
It’s clear Colorado Sake Company is passionate about changing the notion that sake is meant to be enjoyed only with Japanese cuisine. “Having the tasting room allows us to start a dialogue with customers about the myriad ways we can produce sake and that they can enjoy sake – it’s the new rose, the original craft brew and a versatile mixer for craft cocktails.”
Their sake is available by the glass, flights of four, and mixed in a cocktail of the week, or you can take home growlers for only $12! You can also find their sake served at Mister Tuna, Mizu Izakaya, Proof Wine, and possibly local Whole Foods in the coming months.
Next time you’re looking to try a new local brew, expand your horizons and give Colorado Sake Co a shot, we promise you’ll learn a lot.
https://www.coloradosakeco.com
By Tiffany Candelaria @TCdoesFnB