Coedo Brewery Information

2.9K

Coedo : At a Glance

• Opened : 1996
• Japanese name : コエドブルワリー
• Location : Kawagoe, Saitama / Production brewery in Higashimatsuyama, Saitama
• First beer : Sweet Potato Lager, the predecessor to Beniaka
• Head brewer : –
• Homepage : https://coedobrewery.com/

Coedo : Background

Coedo’s story begins not with beer, but with agriculture. Its parent company, Kyodo Shoji, started working with organic agriculture in the 1970s, with a focus on producing safe, good-quality food and supporting Japanese farming. The company was closely connected to Kawagoe in Saitama, where traditional farming included planting wheat as green manure to improve the soil. Rather than harvesting the wheat, farmers would plough it back into the fields.

The idea of turning some of that agricultural produce into beer eventually led Kyodo Shoji into brewing. Coedo Brewery was established in 1996 after the 1994 relaxation of Japan’s brewing regulations triggered the country’s first craft beer boom. One of its early successes was a sweet potato beer made using Kawagoe-grown sweet potatoes. That beer eventually became Beniaka, one of Coedo’s best-known beers.

Like many breweries that started during the ji-beer boom, Coedo had to deal with the industry’s early problems, including inconsistent brewing quality and the perception that local beer was mainly a tourist souvenir. Coedo took a different approach, looking overseas for brewing expertise. In 1997, German brewmaster Christian Mitterbauer, a fourth-generation brewer, was invited to Japan. Coedo’s brewers spent five years learning traditional brewing techniques and, just as importantly, the attention to detail and craftsmanship that would become central to the brewery’s philosophy.

In 2006, the company formally positioned Coedo as a craft beer brand rather than simply another local ji-beer. The idea was to show that Japanese brewing could produce carefully made, balanced beers that stood alongside international examples. The brewery adopted the phrase Beer Beautiful, reflecting its emphasis on colour, aroma, flavour and drinkability rather than simply chasing maximum intensity.

Coedo’s production brewery moved to Higashimatsuyama, Saitama, in 2016. The site was chosen partly for its natural surroundings and became the base for a more sustainable approach to brewing. The brewery uses well water from the site, treats its wastewater, and has worked with farmers and researchers to turn spent grain and yeast into animal feed. More recently, Coedohas expanded its focus on circular agriculture and its own organic farming projects.

Today, they produce a broad range of beers, from the crisp Shiro and Ruri to the darker Shikkoku and the distinctive sweet potato-based Beniaka. While the beers have become internationally recognised, the brewery’s roots remain firmly connected to Kawagoe and agriculture.

That combination of Japanese ingredients, traditional brewing knowledge and a distinctly Japanese sense of balance is what has allowed Coedo to move beyond the old image of ji-beer and establish itself as one of Japan’s best-known craft beer brands.

Coedo : Beer Reviews

The following are some of the beers we’ve had:

• Coedo Beniaka – A 7% Imperial style sweet potato amber, brewed using Kawagoe’s traditional red sweet potato.
• Coedo Kyara – A 5.5% Indian pale lager brewed from six different malts;
• Coedo Marihana – A 4.5% session IPA that uses Cascade, Amarillo, Simcoe, and Mosaic hops.
• Coedo Ruri – A 5% German pilsner that takes its name from “Ruri-Ruri” with its crystal clear characteristics.
• Coedo Shikkoku – A 5% German schwarzbier brewed from eight different malts, including two dark malts
• Coedo Shiro – A 5.5% German hefeweizen brewed named for its supposed fruity and creamy taste.

Coedo : Limited & Seasonal Reviews

The following are some of their limtied and seasonal beers that we’ve had:

• Coedo / Coronado / Ichiro’s Coedonado Barrel Aged – an American style black ale;
• Coedo Chocolate Dunkel – A 5.5% Dunkel uses cacao nibs to increase the chocolate aspect of the beer and uses imported Aurora, Merkur, and Saphir hops.
• Coedo Gattsu Pozu – a 10% double IPA, produced as a collaboration between Coedo, based in Saitama, Japan and Fieldworks Brewing Company.
• Coedo Imperial IPA – a double IPA.
• Coedo Kosancha Saison – A 5% saison brewed using locally sourced Sayama tea leaves.
• Coedo Matsuri Ale – A 5% Japanese pale ale contains rice sourced from the Iwate region of Japan and uses Sapphir and Tettnanger.
• Coedo Regista IPA – 6% American IPA brewed with Simcoe, Mosaic, and Motueka hops.
• Coedo Strawberry Wheat – A 5% wheat ale brewed using strawberries from Higashimatsuyama City.
• Coedo Sumatera – A 6% lager beer brewed with Horiguchi Coffee providing the coffee beans.
• Coedo Tsuyu Saison – An 8.5% strong saison brewed with American Jarrylo and New Zealand Motueka hops and infused with Ume plum and red perilla leaf.

Coedo : Articles

The following are some of the articles we’ve done:

• Coedo Brewery Tour
• Coedo Beniaka Renewal Event
• Coedo Restaurant in Kawagoe, Saitama
• Coedo Kiosk in Kawagoe, Saitama

Coedo : Details

• Address : 385-10 Kamitome, Miyoshi-machi, Iruma-gun, Saitama, Japan 354-0045
• Phone : 049-259-7735
• Homepage : https://coedobrewery.com/
• Online store : https://coedobrewery.com/collections/
• Social Media : Facebook / Instagram

Coedo : Location