Courtesy of Wetlands Sake
Wetlands Sake, 634 Orange St., Suite B
Wetlands Sake in the Lower Garden District, the first sake brewery in New Orleans, will celebrate its grand opening on Tuesday (Feb. 8).
New Orleans natives Lindsey Beard and Nan Wallis are at the helm of the project that serves different sakes brewed at their taproom on Orange Street.
Wetlands Sake has been three years in the making. Wallis traveled to New York City and noticed that sake had become a staple of many restaurant menus. Over dinner with Beard, she casually suggested that someone in New Orleans should start a sake brewery. Louisiana is, after all, known for its rice production.
From there, Wallis and Beard began to research which rice results in the best sake and what it would take to grow it here. Louisiana rice is typically long-grain rice, ideal for jambalaya. However, sake is made from short-grain rice, which isn’t as readily available in the state.
Thanks to the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station in Crowley, Wallis and Beard found a variety of Louisiana rice that had the right profile. They bought 7,000 pounds of it. Fortunately, it turned out to be the perfect rice for their sake.
“This was an important step because they wanted to use local products and Louisiana rice,” said Katrina Matthews, director of marketing for Wetlands Sake.
Wetlands Sake comes from Beard and Wallis’ love of Louisiana’s environment. They are both multi-generational New Orleanians, and it was essential to give back to the state that had given them so much while they were growing up.
In addition, 2% of the brewery’s profits go to wetland conservation, and people can donate to the cause directly through the company’s website.
The company also strives to be as low-waste as possible. Wetlands Sake is canned rather than bottled because cans are easier to recycle in New Orleans. Even the spent grain and rice from the sake production are sent to a farm to feed heifers.
Wetlands Sake’s taproom is meant to be an experience where people try different types of sake.
Unlike the sake that many people are familiar with, Wetlands Sake is served cold and not warm. “This is premium sake,” Matthews said. “It’s the lower quality sakes that are usually served hot.”
The taproom offers a selection of filtered and unfiltered traditional sakes and sake with hops, sparkling sake, and “cocktail-inspired” sake infusions created from shrubs, a vinegar-based syrup. Matthews said that the infusions are like drinking a cocktail, but there’s no other alcohol added to the drink.
A batch of the sake takes five weeks to brew. While many people might think of sake as a member of the wine family, Matthews said that it’s closer to beer in the way that it’s brewed.
“Sake is grain-based and naturally sweet,” she said. “There are only four ingredients in sake: rice, water, yeast, and koji, which is a food-grade culture added to rice.”
Unique sake flavors include Beet Jalapeño Sake, Blueberry Lemon Glitter Sake, Blood Orange Sake, Passion Fruit Sake and many more.
When it came to finding a space for the brewery and taproom, Beard and Wallis thought the space on Orange Street was perfect. The taproom shares the building with The Commissary, a specialty food spot from the Brennan family that has been open since 2020. Wetlands Sake patrons craving something to eat can purchase meals from The Commissary.
“There’s a good amount of space and there’s room to grow here,” Matthews said. “When you’re in the taproom, there’s a large window that looks into the brewery.”
The location also includes ample outdoor space for parties and events or just enjoying a pleasant New Orleans day.
The brewery’s grand opening on Tuesday will take place from 4 to 9 p.m. and will include a crawfish boil, Campfryer pop-up, The Commissary pop-up, live music from Soul Brass Band, and a special sparkling king cake sake.
Wetlands Sake
634 Orange St., Suite B
504-442-0432
info@wetlandssake.com
www.wetlandssake.com
Instagram: @wetlandssake
Facebook: @wetlandssake
Hours: Wednesday and Thursday, 4-9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 4-10 p.m.; Sunday, noon- 5 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
Reporter Marielle Songy can be reached at mlsongy@gmail.com.
