Coedo Beniaka - Coedo Brewery (Kyodo Shoji Koedo Brewery)

Not Rated.
Coedo BeniakaCoedo Beniaka

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66 Ratings
no score

(send 'em beer!)
Ratings: 66
Reviews: 31
rAvg: 3.4
pDev: 16.47%
Wants: 12
Gots: 2 | FT: 0
Brewed by:
Coedo Brewery (Kyodo Shoji Koedo Brewery) visit their website

Style | ABV
Happoshu |  7.00% ABV

Availability: Year-round

Notes/Commercial Description:
Imperial Sweet Potato Amber.

Because of the use of sweet potato as a secondary ingredient, Japanese laws classify Coedo Beniaka as a Happoshu (malt beverage).

(Beer added by: Westsidebuddha on 05-07-2010)
View: Beers (10) | Events
Beer: Ratings & Reviews
Ratings: 66 | Reviews: 31 | Display Reviews Only:
Reviews by doktorhops:
Photo of doktorhops
3.68/5  rDev +8.2%

Happoshu - A brew I've never tried. So I wrote you a Haiku, it goes:

Happoshu good brew
sparkling spirits lead me
clear tasting

Yeah I wont quit my day job. [I'm a Haiku writer by day].

Poured from a 330ml bottle into a nonic pint.

A: Deep copper red body, with a light tan lacing on top.

S: Interesting notes of soy sauce send me off kilter in that Japanese out-of-place kinda way, like that cos-play girl dressed in a schoolgirl outfit yet at the same time being of ample bosom and well-rounded ass which sends mixed signals to my brain, this brew adds it's own Japanese oddness to the mix. Sweet potato and malt also adds to the aroma however that soy note is odd, very odd.

T: Highly intriguing... a tad on the sweet side but there are some decent characters; toasted malts, sweet bread, chestnuts and caramel. It's similar to some English Christmas flavoured beers like Theakston Old Peculier and Hook Norton's Twelve Days, but with that classic Japanese oddness sitting quietly in the corner katana on lap, I'm just waiting for it to jump at me and cut off my head in a swift sweep of refined bladed steel.

M: Flat and borderline syrupy.

D: It's got a bit going for it: alcohol content [check], flavour [check], drinkability [check]. The only thing holding it back is that old devil: the price. At $9AUD RRP a bottle it is indeed in the realm of a "special occasion drink" or "something to try once", which I did: try once [check].

Food match: it's a bit of a given - Japanese beer = Japanese food, so I'll refrain from the obvious. What I will say is that I could see this pairing well with a good old fashioned American Thanksgiving dinner replete with turkey, mashed yams, cranberry sauce, corn and the obligatory pumpkin pie slice for dessert.

More User Reviews:
Photo of wethorseblanket
3.43/5  rDev +0.9%

A: Pours from a 333ml bottle a clear amber under a thin (1/4") off-white head which fades slowly to the rim and leaves some splotchy lace.

N: Definite sweet potatoe, grainy/malty, ABV noted, slight caramel sweetness.

T: Bready malts, sweet potatoes, yeasty, overripe plum/raisins and slightly grassy/herbal.

M: Semi-moderate body and light carbonation. Finishes with a bit of boozy, malty, and vegetal.

O: A mildly sweet, boozy, and interesting style. First for me.

Photo of kuishinbo_tantei
3/5  rDev -11.8%

Photo of Jaysicles
3.5/5  rDev +2.9%

Photo of ant1
3.75/5  rDev +10.3%

Photo of ehammond1
3.23/5  rDev -5%


Thanks for the tick/gift, UCLABrewN84!

Dark copper color with very minimal light tan head. There's not a lot of visible carbonation and this leaves the glass nearly clean.

The aroma is a combination of caramel, bread, a bit of spice character, and vegetables (celery and tomato?).

The flavor is malty with some spice character to it, along with moderate bitterness and some celery flavor as well. Drinkable.

Medium bodied with low carbonation. I think the body of this beer brings the rest of it down.

Drinkable, but unexciting. It's nothing I'll revisit.

Photo of Brenden
3.44/5  rDev +1.2%

This one is a sort of medium-dark brown with a hint of violet in the body and some ruby in the very thinnest edges. The head is off-white, pretty small but fairly firm at the layer that stands up for the duration. Lacing consists almost exclusively of light spotting, but some little legs go out here and there.
There's some caramel in the nose, seemingly from the malts and a little sweetness. The potato itself is evident. There is an unfortunate, though not heavy, vegetal note.
The flavor pulls together nicely; malts form a good backbone with some caramel sweetness, the sweet potato makes a good showing, and there even seems to be a bit of alcoholic sweetness as well. I'm not sure what the yeast content is, but it seems to be contributing a different sort of earthiness and light sweetness of its own. It's pretty bready in the malts, too.
The body is lighter than some might expect, though it reaches a firm medium. It's a bit too carbonated, but it holds the malts well. It's lightly crisp and decently smooth, keeping up almost entirely to the end.
Maybe there are better Happoshu beers out there, but from how little seems to be out there, probably not. Then again, I've never been to Japan.

Photo of ironchefkook
3.5/5  rDev +2.9%

Photo of cyrushire
3.25/5  rDev -4.4%

Photo of CrazyDavros
3.28/5  rDev -3.5%

Pours coppery brown with a small head.
Sweet potato is quite prominent in the aroma, but also some sweet malt. very interesting.
Lots of sweet potato as a flavour too. A hit of booze ruins things a little though. Again, quite sweet.
Body feels a bit flat, need a lot more carbonation to cut the sweetness.

Photo of mdillon86
3.5/5  rDev +2.9%

Photo of mrcraft
3.5/5  rDev +2.9%

Photo of smakawhat
3.38/5  rDev -0.6%

So this is my first Happoshu. Not sure what to expect here, this sweet potato concoction, but here goes. Poured into a nonic pint glass. Heard some horrid things about Happoshu, however this is Codeo and have managed to enjoy at least their Hefeweizen.

Out of the bottle is watery sounding pour, a bit of slap slap as the beverage enters the glass. Deep amber plum like red body, highly murky and cloudy. Barely makes half a finger of tan head, to fall to a filmy puck. Manages to maintain at least a tan collar that is about three millimeters thick and resembling at least a beer.

Sweet malts, kind of maraschino sticky cherry, and alcohol fussel like heat and warmth. Really not much else going on, but definitely sweet and getting into malt liquor like realm.

Surprisingly very light bodied, nearly crisp. Sweetness comes with a minimal subdued mouthfeel, but there's some hint of crackling toast and grains here, maybe even some caramel sweetness. Once again, jarred sugar cherries and plum like fruit, but kind of cheap tasting.

The most interesting thing, is I thought this was going to be an alcohol malt liquor sugar bomb but it's actually well hidden and drinks real easily. Most of the happoshu I've heard about is a canned cheap swill beverage, but this is a little different even if it's not really looking that appealing.

Photo of Satishgupta
5/5  rDev +47.1%

Photo of metter98
3.35/5  rDev -1.5%

Bottle at Samurai Mama, Brooklyn, NY

A: The beer is clear dark reddish amber in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with just a few bubbles on the surface and a very thin ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass.
S: There are light aromas of sweet potatoes in the nose; these become a little stronger as the beer warms up.
T: Similar to the smell, the taste has lots of flavors of sweet potatoes and a slight amount of sweetness.
O: This beer style is definitely unique and sweet potato is more interesting as an adjunct malt compared to corn and rice. It definitely tastes a lot more flavorful compared to Japanese rice lagers.

Photo of eric5bellies
3.65/5  rDev +7.4%

Drank from my Stella Artois tulip.

A - Pours a very dark amber colour, with a yelloy coloured large bubbled head that disapperas in less than two minutes.

S - A light slightly sweet aroma and maybe some sort of dark fruit.

T - Slightly sweet throughout, with a little caramel and dark fruit, alcohol is so very well hidden.

M - Light to medium body and medium carbonation.

O - Quite an unusual brew, and very enjoyable, I would definitely have another one

Photo of atigerlife
3.3/5  rDev -2.9%

Pours a tea color with a small off-white head which dissipates rather quickly.

Aroma is somewhat winey...not much else.

Taste is rather sweet with some wood, earth, sweet potato, apple cider. Some other stuff there...but hard to figure.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, lightly cleansing and slightly cloying.

Overall, pretty easy to drink and worth a try. Drinkable, but not your typical beer profile. Good to try as a curiosity.

Photo of DarthKostrizer
2/5  rDev -41.2%

Photo of silverking
3.5/5  rDev +2.9%

Photo of DaveHS
3.48/5  rDev +2.4%

A-Dark ruby color with a thin light tan head.

S-A hint of fruity tartness, like artificial cherry syrup. Nutty, bracingly sweet.

T/M-The addition of sweet potatoes is interesting. It conjures a flavor comparable to maple syrup, and has an earthy character most likely attributable to potato skins. Not bad, but it gets old fast. Medium bodied with low carbonation.

O-The best I've had from Coedo. Wish it had a little more going for it other than the sweet potato.

Photo of fipoceilz7
3.83/5  rDev +12.6%

There is initially a sweet and tart fragrance with herbal hops, caramel, and an earthy undertone; there's some almond and cocoa after a couple minutes. The light khaki head is short-lived; the body is reddish-brown with orange highlights (resembles Lipton tea). It's quite flavorful but peculiar—it has the spicy, fruity taste of a lager, but the sweet potato, which is subtle but detectable, contributes its characteristic starchy sweetness and lingers noticeably in the finish. Its body is medium-light; the carbonation is fairly low but lends considerable crispness; the 7% ABV is very well masked.

Flavorful with a visually appealing hue, this is a rather welcome variation on an otherwise unremarkable style. The flavors and aromas are only a step up from par, but it's far from bad. And as an ingredient in the popular variety of sake, shochu, the sweet potato contributes an interesting Japanese twist.

Photo of ygtbsm94
2.5/5  rDev -26.5%

Photo of dbrauneis
3.78/5  rDev +11.2%

Served in a bottle at Samurai Mama in Brooklyn, NY

A: Pours a crystal clear dark amber in color with some very light amounts of visible carbonation. The beer poured with no head and there was no lacing observed.

S: Definite sweetness in the aroma but a more pleasant smell from the sweet potato than what I find in a corn/grain/rice adjunct malts. Pleasant and inviting but not overly strong.

T: Very sweet, almost to the sweetness levels I associate with a quad. The sweet potato flavor comes through along with some more traditional malts.

M: Medium bodied with light carbonation. Smooth.

O: A very elusive style that I am psyched I found and tried, the use of non-corn/grain/rice as the adjunct malts definitely makes it a unique experience. I very much enjoyed the beer and felt it easy to drink, one you could have many of in a session. Matches well with sushi. Some definite complexity to the aroma and flavor. I would get this one again.

Photo of Thorpe429
1.93/5  rDev -43.2%

Bottle thanks to drabmuh. Served in a taster glass. Pours an orange-copper color with a tiny head of bubbles that falls quickly. The nose has some sweet potato and a touch of caramel. Flavor starts off with caramel, sweet potato, and bread, but then is taken over by a strange off dryness. Very odd. Body is light and off kilter. Not a big fan.

Photo of railcaider
1.6/5  rDev -52.9%

True to its name, this beer has a nice burgundy color that's complemented by an off-white head. The head itself was pretty small and soon dissolved, leaving only a small ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass. The bouquet is mostly sweet strawberry and raspberry smells with a little vanilla, and is dominated by a strong vegetal odor not usually present in beer.

According to the label, the main ingredient is Japanese sweet potato. In Japan, sweet potatoes are also used to make a clear liquor called shochu, so there is some precedent for using them to make alcohol. They have a heavy vegetal flavor and a very mild sweetness, which is a strange combination of tastes for a beer. When I first took a sip, I was surprised by how the balance of the taste is the opposite of the smell. The main taste is vegetal, and only the aftertaste had any real bitterness. There is some fruity sweetness, but it's quite muted, like dark chocolate. The viscous mouthfeel goes well with the sweet notes, but the heavy alcohol content and strange vegetal taste overpower the mild flavor profile.

This lack of balance really hurts the drinkability. Normally I don't like to waste beer, but in this case I was actually tempted to just pour it down the drain and be done with it. Coedo produces some very good beers, which makes this one all the more disappointing.

Coedo Beniaka from Coedo Brewery (Kyodo Shoji Koedo Brewery)
78 out of 100 based on 66 ratings.