Former Boochcraft and Cutwater brewer/distiller Koo Miyake launches his first San Diego beverage brand
When Koo Miyake moved from Japan to the United States for college, he brought with him a deep-seated cultural appreciation for craftsmanship and attention to detail—something he thinks is falling to the wayside in American-made products.
“You see a lot of drinks, something on Instagram, you don’t even know who owns it or where it’s coming from,” he explains. “It’s just another capitalism product.”
So, he decided to do something about it.
Next month, Miyake will open his first beverage line in Miramar, in the former Kové tasting room. Dubbed Koobrew, he’ll offer a core series of functional spritzers made with fermented teas, wine yeasts, and different botanicals, plus a few classic European-style beers like pilsners and witbiers. By tying together Japanese attention to detail and California’s spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation, Miyake hopes to help resurrect that sense of craftsmanship that once earned San Diego the title “The Capital of Craft.”
He has the experience to do it, too—Miyake has made hard kombucha at Boochcraft, distilled spirits at Cutwater Spirits, and was head of product and a partner at Kové until it closed earlier this year. He’s also a prodigious homebrewer and former beertender at Mikkeller in Tokyo, and he plans to use all of his beverage-making skills at Koobrew. For the soft opening this October, he’ll have around six different beverage options on draft before expanding to packaged bottles and kegs of around four different beers and around 10 “better for you” beverages. He’ll (eventually) need some help, but for now, Miyake says he wants to keep it a solo show to ensure everything is to his standards.
“I want to be grounded, put my soul and energy into what I’m making—because after I produce my product, it will be released from me,” he explains. “But until everything comes together, I want to try to make everything by myself so I understand everything, and then [I can] feel like I actually own the product and the space and the philosophy behind it.”
Koobrew opens at 9030 Kenamar Drive, Suite #309 this October. Follow @koobrew.co for more updates.
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Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
