Lexington brewery to produce a spirit that has never been made for Kentucky market
Kentucky is well-known for bourbon. And the state has a thriving craft beer industry. But now a new spirit is moving in, one that will put Kentucky in rare company.
Brandon Floan, who is one of the brewers at Ethereal Brewing, and Justin LeVaughn, who also is at Ethereal, have teamed up with Joe Rice to open The Void Sake Co., Kentucky’s first sake brewery.
The name The Void is a nod to writer H.P. Lovecraft; all three are fans of cosmic horror as well as craft beer. In fact, Floan thinks they will be the only commercial company to come at it from a craft beer background.
According to the Sake Brewers Association of North America, there are only about 20 commercial brewers in the U.S. that make sake, an ancient fermented drink that originated in Japan.
Although it is often called a rice wine, it’s actually made more like beer, according to Floan.
He said that it was beer that brought him to sake in the first place.
“A few years back, we did a Japanese beer-inspired event and that was my first experience with koji, the mold you use to make sake,” Floan said. “From there we started making small batches of sake on the side. We’re all fans of fermentation in all its forms. ... It’s kind of interesting. It’s rice, water, koji and yeast.”
Floan said that they expect to open the brewery and begin serving by the end of February. Sake takes about a month to make, he said.
“We’re excited to explain and we’re definitely going to have tours and nerd out about the process,” he said.
He said that while there isn’t a huge demand for sake at the moment, “it’s growing in the last decade by double digits.”
And Central Kentucky, which is home to a Toyota plant in Georgetown as well as automotive parts suppliers, has a significant Japanese population and many restaurants that the brewery hopes to sell to.
Several different styles of their own sake as well as more traditional version will be available at the brewery’s taproom.
The Void Sake Co.
Where: 949 National Ave., Suite 190
Phone: 859-567-9423
Open: Expect to open the taproom by the end of February
