COEDO Brewery The Restaurant

COEDO Brewery is one of the essential names when talking about Japan's craft beer scene. Its parent company, Kyodo Shoji, had been handling organic agricultural products since the 1970s, and brewing began as an effort to make use of barley grown by farmers in Kawagoe to address crop rotation issues, as well as sweet potatoes that had been rejected by size standards and about 40% of which were being discarded. That was in 1996.

Exactly, and that first beer was "Beniaka." It was made with Beniaka sweet potatoes, a Kawagoe specialty, and it still remains a regular product today. Then in 1997, they invited Christian Mitterbauer, the fourth-generation brewmaster from Germany, and COEDO's craftsmen spent five full years being rigorously trained in authentic brewing techniques.

The founder, Shigeharu Asagiri, was born in Kawagoe and began introducing the concept of "craft beer" to Japan in 2006, rather than "jibeer" or local beer. He set out to take on the world with beer that competed on quality, not as a sightseeing souvenir. In 2007, all five of its entries won awards, including the Grand Gold Medal at Monde Selection, and since then it has continued to collect honors at the World Beer Cup and European Beer Star.

The core lineup has six beers: the pilsner "Ruri," the sweet potato beer "Beniaka," the IPL "Kyara," the black lager "Shikkoku," the Belgian wit "Shiro," and the session IPA "Marihana." Each one has a Japanese color name, which is a stylish touch.

Exactly, you know your stuff. They also put a lot of effort into domestic hops, sourcing a muscat-scented variety called "HKTS02" from Kobayashi Hop Farm in Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture. They also make beers like the DDH HAZY IPA "Hazy Gate," and they have a fresh hop series too.

That's exactly the core of COEDO. The brewery in Higashimatsuyama has an experimental farm where they grow barley, and in 2023 they even built a biomass plant that generates electricity through methane fermentation from brewery wastewater. They also export to countries all over the world, including the United States, Australia, France, and Singapore. It's a brewery that has gone from Kawagoe to the world.