While it's chock full of every prepared and processed foodstuff imaginable, the annual Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) Show - which Sheryl wrote about in detail earlier this month - features surprisingly few alcoholic beverage producers amongst the hundreds of companies on hand to present their products to the many food and drink industry folks in attendance. I'm not sure why this is the case, but the rather expected result is that the few breweries and import agents who do bother to get a booth to pour samples are very popular places to be over the course of the event.
Yet even with this dearth of breweries on hand, I've somehow managed to come across new beers in each of the three years I've attended. Well, in 2008 it wasn't quite a beer, but rather a couple of "near beers" - Labatt Blue De-Alcoholized and O'Doul's Amber - only one of which I found even remotely palatable. Last year's finding was markedly better, as Amsterdam Brewing used the show to launch their Big Wheel Deluxe Amber.
This year, though, held the most exciting beer geek discovery. Tucked into a corner booth in a section of the show dedicated to Japanese products was Sakagura Canada, an import agency best known for their selection of sake and shochu. But on this occasion, they put the spotlight on their newest client, the Japanese craft beer brand COEDO.
The COEDO brand was launched by Koedo Brewery of Kawagoe, Japan in 2006, a decade or so after the brewery was first established. Drawing heavily on German brewing traditions, the five beers in the line-up have won numerous awards, not only for the quality of the beers themselves, but also for the stunning packaging and design. Each beer in the series has a name derived from a traditional Japanese colour, and the squat bottles and colour-coded labels are somewhat evocative of the venerable Chimay beers from Belgium, albeit with a modern edge.
As mentioned above, the beers of Germany are a major inspiration on the COEDO brews, with most of them being faithful representations of classic German styles. Ruri is a golden lager that is similar to German Pilsners; Kyara is a slightly darker lager that is influenced by the Vienna style; and Shikkoku and Shiro are bang-on versions of Schwarzbier and Hefeweizen respectively.
The most unique COEDO beer, however - and also the brand's flagship brew - is Beniaka, a strong (7%) reddish-amber lager that includes locally grown Kintoki sweet potatoes in the recipe. These tubers have bright red skin and sweet yellow flesh, and are often eaten roasted, which is also how they're prepared before being used in the making of Beniaka. The result is a beer that is pleasantly nutty, earthy and sweet with notes of caramel and fruit and, yes, even some sweet potato. It could use a slightly heavier hand on the hops, perhaps, to help round out the finish, but it's otherwise an enjoyable and interesting beer that I'd be happy to drink again.
Unfortunately, though, it'll be a while before I or any other Torontonians will be able to do so, as the stock that brewery President/CEO Shigeharu Asagiri brought to pour at the CRFA Show was barely enough to make it through the show and drum up some interest with bar and restaurant owners. But a full shipment of Beniaka will arrive later in the spring, and will be available at Koyoi (2 Irwin Avenue), an izakaya affiliated with Sakagura Canada, as well as other restaurants and bars. The other four COEDO beers won't be available here initially, but may follow in the future if Beniaka is successful.
To find out exactly when and where COEDO Beniaka will be available, contact Sakagura Canada via their website.
