Coedo Brewery Releases Limited Kawagoe Beer for Kawagoe Chamber’s 125th Anniversary
Coedo Brewery has released Kawagoe Beer, a limited-edition Czech lager created for the 125th anniversary of the Kawagoe Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Inspired by the question of what a brewery in Kawagoe might have been like in 1900, the beer combines decoction brewing with Czech Saaz hops.
Hop BroHere’s a limited beer that makes you want to toast in Kawagoe: COEDO Brewery’s Kawagoe Beer arrives!
MugiWhat? A beer for the Chamber of Commerce’s 125th anniversary? That’s a celebratory limited brew!
Hop BroExactly. Its brewer imagined a brewery in Kawagoe in 1900, creating a 5% Czech lager.
MugiDid they recreate an old beer exactly? It sounds like a time-travel beer!
Hop BroNot an exact recreation—a modern interpretation grounded in history. The key is decoction brewing.
MugiWhat’s that? It suddenly sounds like a spell! What is decoction?
Hop BroPart of the malt is boiled, then returned to the mash. Heating it to 100°C brings out gentle toasted malt notes.
MugiWow, “boiled malt” already makes me hungry! What about the hops? Is it too bitter?
Hop BroCzech Saaz hops provide dry bitterness and herbal character. The aim is balanced richness and bitterness—and it won bronze at International Beer Cup 2025!
MugiI want it with eel rice balls or soy-sauce dumplings in Kawagoe! I’m ready for a Kawagoe toast now!
Inspired by Kawagoe in 1900
Coedo Brewery, based in Higashimatsuyama, Saitama, has brewed Kawagoe Beer as a commemorative beer for the 125th anniversary of the Kawagoe Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Brewer Ozaki researched historical documents and brewing practices from around 1900, using the question “What if Kawagoe had had a brewery in 1900?” as the starting point for the beer’s design.
Kawagoe Beer is a Czech lager with an alcohol content of 5%. It is brewed with malt and hops including Saaz and Merkur, and is packaged in 350ml cans. At the 2025 International Beer Cup, it received a bronze medal in the Bohemian Style Pilsner category.
Reconstructing history through brewing
According to Ozaki, the beer is not intended to be a literal recreation of a beer from 1900. Instead, the brewery drew on the history of the Kawagoe Chamber and the ideas of being “classic,” “innovative,” and “dynamic” to shape both the process and the flavor.
The defining technique is decoction brewing, in which part of the mash is boiled before being returned to the main mash. Raising part of the malt to 100°C helps create a gentle, toasted malt character. Generous use of Czech Saaz hops adds dry bitterness and herbal notes, balancing the malt richness in a polished yet highly drinkable profile.
Pairings rooted in Kawagoe
The brewery recommends pairing the beer with foods that carry the savory aroma of soy sauce. Its malt depth and bitterness are suited to Kawagoe’s eel dishes, as well as local street foods such as eel rice balls and rolled eel omelets. For a simpler pairing, soy-sauce-glazed dango offers another distinctly Kawagoe combination.
The beer is available from liquor stores in and around Kawagoe, as well as COEDO KIOSK near the west exit of Kawagoe Station, where Ozaki serves as store manager. Kawagoe Beer connects local food and history with Czech brewing tradition, turning a historical “what if” into a contemporary limited-edition lager.
Information may be inaccurate. Please refer to the brewery’s official channels for the latest details.
Hop BroHere’s a limited beer that makes you want to toast in Kawagoe: COEDO Brewery’s Kawagoe Beer arrives!
MugiWhat? A beer for the Chamber of Commerce’s 125th anniversary? That’s a celebratory limited brew!
Hop BroExactly. Its brewer imagined a brewery in Kawagoe in 1900, creating a 5% Czech lager.
MugiDid they recreate an old beer exactly? It sounds like a time-travel beer!
Hop BroNot an exact recreation—a modern interpretation grounded in history. The key is decoction brewing.
MugiWhat’s that? It suddenly sounds like a spell! What is decoction?
Hop BroPart of the malt is boiled, then returned to the mash. Heating it to 100°C brings out gentle toasted malt notes.
MugiWow, “boiled malt” already makes me hungry! What about the hops? Is it too bitter?
Hop BroCzech Saaz hops provide dry bitterness and herbal character. The aim is balanced richness and bitterness—and it won bronze at International Beer Cup 2025!
MugiI want it with eel rice balls or soy-sauce dumplings in Kawagoe! I’m ready for a Kawagoe toast now!
