Coedo Beniaka, sweet potatoes and rugby

The Japanese don’t mind adding some weird stuff to their beers occasionally. We’ve previously tried a beer from Hitachino that was coloured and flavoured with red rice. This time Coedo have decided to throw some sweet potatoes into the mix of their Coedo Beniaka beer. That sounds strange, but pumpkin ales are not uncommon in the US at this time of year and Murray’s Craft Brewing has produced a Pumpkin Ale in the past (hopefully that’ll be back on this year).

The Coedo label work is always interesting, and I’m convinced that the translation is not always perfect. “The use of sweet potatoes is quite a big deal and exceptional in the global beer cultures”. I think they’re trying to say that they are only ones that use sweet potatoes in beer anywhere in the world. Minor quibble, because whatever they’ve done to make this beer, they’ve done it well. Beniaka means “crimson red”, which is the colour of the Kintoki sweet potato that is used, and the colour of this beer is entrancing. It is a beautiful reddish brown and pretty much matches the colour of the label. Beniaka is a rich almost spirit tasting beer. 7% is strong, but not that strong, but there’s a Christmas Pud soaked in rum kind of feel to this beer. With the weather snapping cold again in Sydney, this’d be the perfect drop to nurse on a couch under a doona watching back to back rugby.

This week-end is probably the pick for football spectating. First week of the finals in AFL and NRL meaning 4 games in each and the 2011 Rugby World Cup has commenced. BotF snuck into a Sydney Uni Rugby lunch and snuck out with a Rugby Ball, which has been used quite awkwardly in an attempt at a Rugby themed beer porn shot. Having a Japanese beer in the photo is not too incongruous, given that the Japanese have appeared at every Rugby World Cup ever held. The poetically named Brave Blossoms have only won one game in a World Cup so far, but as recent winners of a tournament between Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and themselves they might be half a chance to add to that. If they get within 50 of the All Blacks they’ll be lucky though.

I’ve got to put a tip down in writing and I think that Australia can pinch this World Cup.