Coedo Kyara is a 5.5% India Pale Lager. Coedo recently changed the recipe of this beer- or rather, they moved the name to a different beer. The old Coedo Kyara bears zero resemblance to the current incarnation.
Back when we started BeerTengoku, Coedo had a funny way of marketing their beers. They were all named after a colour, and every one of them was labelled “Super Premium Malt Beer” in English. There was also no indication as to what the beer was, unless you were prepared to guess what the colour meant. Sure, the Kyara label was brown and was a brown ale, but what about the Ruri with its bright blue label? I don’t know if you know, but we have a bad relationship with blue beers.
A year or so back, Coedo decided to rerelease their beers and update their packaging to make it a bit less cryptic. So the first time I saw the brown Kyara can was an “India Pale Lager” I thought, that can’t be right. When did that change? I checked our review and yes, there’s Rob in 2014 banging on about a brown ale. I wasn’t going mad! It’s 2017 and now Kyara has undergone a transformation that renders its name somewhat meaningless. Although “Kyara” is “Aloeswood” in English, which is a type of fragrant wood used in perfumes, so maybe it reflects this beer’s hoppy and woody nose. Anyway, new beer, new review!
Coedo Kyara Nose and Taste
Coedo Kyara pours out a light gold colour with a fluffy white head. It smells slightly malty but strongly of fresh hops, with bright citrus notes (It’s this that set my alarm bells ringing as I remember Rob talking about a strong malty taste and there really isn’t one here).
It tastes very dry and hoppy, with crisp and fruity notes of peach and pineapple. It’s very hop-forward, and I will be very surprised if this has not been dry-hopped. It’s just like a West Coast IPA, really, except lighter and not as sluggish.
Coedo Kyara: The Bottom Line
A very refreshing IPL, crisp and hoppy. I love it! I drank this all summer.
2 comments
We lived in Kawagoe, so Coedo was the first Japanese craft beer I stumbled across. Kyara was as close to an IPA as I could find for awhile and was a welcome break from the Big 4, but the Shikkoku black lager was my favorite from the line. Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Yeah it was great! I don’t think I’ve had the Shikkoku, I think I’ll go and pick up a bottle today.