WE’re TURNING 5 YEARS OLD!
5 years. Can you believe it?? 5! Feels like we opened our first set of doors on Central Ave. just yesterday, but looking around at our team and the wonderful community surrounding us on Troutman St., it’s so cool to think about how much we’ve grown over the last several years. Please join us next week on Friday (4/4) for our limited Anniversary 5 bottle + t-shirt drop, and Saturday (4/5) for music, food, bingo prizes and a toast or two as we celebrate our fifth year.
Here’s a rundown of the weekend, come by for any or all of it!
Friday, 4/4/25 (Open 4-10pm)
Anniversary 5 bottle and T-shirt release: this year’s special-edition sake is subtly floral with a hint of a bitter finish, featuring an infusion of one of our absolute favorite ingredients used to elevate a dish or beverage. Bottles will be first-come first-served so pick one up ASAP before they’re all gone! And while you’re here, check out our limited Anniversary 5 t-shirt to go with the bottle :)
We’ll also have a special, cloudy pour of the Anniversary style sake on draft, so that we can toast with it together at the taproom while supplies last.
Raffle tickets will be handed out with purchases all night, for a fun draw around 8:30pm.
Plus! Jazz/funk by The Grautet (@the_grautet) starting at 7pm
Saturday, 4/6 (Open 12-10pm)
All day party!!!!
From 2pm-sold out – Food Pop-Up w/ Makan Fusion! @makanfusion
7pm- A special musical performance by The Knickerbocker 5!
1-4pm- Our brewers will be hanging on the production floor to pour you Jikagumi directly from the tank. Order with the bartenders and they’ll give you a ticket to bring on back to the brewers!
You can redeem your bingo card any time throughout the day, just show it to the bartenders for your reward!
ANNIVERSARY BOTTLE DROP ON FRIDAY!
Boy, we’re excited to share this bottle. So many of you told us how much you loved the Sichuan Peppercorn infusion last year, so we wanted to continue in that realm, exploring something extra special to offer this year for our 5th year celebration. I won’t give it away just yet, but here are a few pictures of us behind the scenes of this limited release. We can’t wait to share it with you and see what you think next weekend!
5 YEARS OF R&M Design <
The KSW brand design is very close to our hearts here at the brewery. In the process of bringing it to life, we got to connect with two of the most talented & kind people you could ever meet, Ryan & Michelle (@r_and_m.co). I’ll let Shinobu tell you a little bit more about their story and our story below, but I also invite you to check out their new website and sign up for their newsletter, if you love looking at incredible art, font exploration, and thoughtful, interesting design content. Also! As you’ll see in the pictures, their designs are currently on display at the brewery as a perfect tribute to this five-year celebration!
A note from Shinobu:
Right before the pandemic hit, Michelle came across an article about Kato Sake Works on Bushwick Daily (@bushwickdaily). At the time, the small brewery on Central Ave was almost ready, and Shinobu was patiently waiting for the liquor license from the NYSLA.
Michelle’s mom is Japanese, from Kobe, so sake was already familiar to her. Seeing a sake brewery pop up in her own neighborhood was an exciting surprise, so she reached out to Shinobu to see if she could visit. One evening, Michelle and Ryan stopped by the brewery, and the three of them ended up drinking sake and chatting—not in a formal work meeting, but just talking about everything from brewing to brand design. Right away, Shinobu appreciated Michelle and Ryan’s thoughtful, methodical approach to design.
The brewery eventually opened… and then shut right down again, thanks to the pandemic. For the next couple of months, the three of them held Zoom meetings, brainstorming and defining the brand. Questions like, “What is KSW?” and “Why does KSW exist?” (Zen moment: answer—“We exist to provide local sake, enjoyed genuinely”) helped shape the vision.
From there, all the graphic design elements started to come together. The core of it? A custom font called KATO MONO that Ryan designed and a circular Mon (a traditional Japanese family crest) stylized with the three letters—KSW. The color scheme was inspired by classic Japanese color palettes.
In October 2022, Michelle and Ryan got married, and we collaborated on a special wedding bottle for them. The bottle of our KSW sake, designed by them, was shared with their family and friends—a perfect way to celebrate.
Working with Michelle and Ryan has been one of the best things to happen in KSW’s (so far) short history. And we can’t wait to create even more cool things together in the future.
PS- Speaking of sichuan and delicate infusions… we’re working on an exciting new series that we can’t wait to share with you all!