At ICC Summit Kyoto 2026’s Crafted Catapult session, seven makers took the stage with themes ranging from tea and architecture to travel, art, non-alcoholic drinks, sweets, and beer. COEDO Brewery’s representative, Shigeharu Asagiri, was among them, and the brewery placed second overall behind VUILD.

Asagiri described the presentation as a pitch about the future of Japanese beer. In the Instagram post, he said the project combines koji, Japan’s national fungus, with a new brewing method that COEDO frames as something the beer world has not seen in 500 years. The company also positions the project as an effort that can contribute to the environment, not just to flavor.

COEDO has long been associated with the idea of "Beer Beautiful" and with brewing rooted in local agriculture. Based in Higashimatsuyama, Saitama, the brewery has also highlighted products such as Beniaka, made with sweet potatoes grown in Kawagoe. In this latest initiative, COEDO says it is starting from barley farming and imagining a brewery that sits beyond a field of golden grain.

The company says the technology has already been developed, while the final taste will be refined through open innovation and customer feedback. That is why the project was launched on Makuake: to invite supporters into the process and co-create what comes next. For beer fans, it is a notable next step from one of Japan’s most established craft beer names.