Every year, local brewery Coedo throws a little shindig to celebrate the joys of craft brewing. They invite tons of local vendors, do some interesting collaborative brews, and offer all sorts of entertainment for the fine people of Kawagoe.
Japanese Craft Beer
For this festival, three special brews were on sale: a hoppy pale ale (first sold at a different local festival, the Million Light Festival), a collaboration coffee stout, and what they called a Table Beer. Since I am unable to drink at present, I had to rely on the reviews and taste buds of others to guide my opinions.
The coffee stout was a winner: Thick, rich, and none-too-bitter. The hoppy pale ale was already known to be reasonably good from the previous festival outing. The real surprise was the Table Beer, brewed especially for this festival only. Everyone was a bit disappointed in the brew: It kept all the difficult parts of an IPA (bitterness) and left an unsavory aftertaste. I was disappointed to hear that but not all brews can be winners.
Other Festival Activities
There was also a ton of food vendors to partake in. Meat was the dish of choice to go with beer this day, with a whole pig cooked over a barbecue at one vendor. Sausages, cheeses, noodles, and curry were all available to partake in and at each stall, next to each menu item, was a sticker telling you which one of Coedo’s craft beers paired best with that offering. A nice touch that I appreciated seeing!
There was a stage as well, but photography was strictly prohibited. Local artists would go up and perform for the enjoyment of the crowds. There’s a full roster from opening to closing, so there was definitely something for everyone at some point during the day! To be honest, with this outing, I was less concerned with the entertainment and more focused on the food and games.
In addition to the beer, food, and live music, there was one specific game that drew a huge crowd. Inside next to the beer hall was a ring toss game. You would toss rings from behind a line to get them over different bottles of Coedo beer of varying sizes. Depending on how many you successfully placed, you got a variety of limited-edition goods from the festival, including the incredible shirts the staff were wearing.
The love that Coedo shows for the community of Kawagoe is really great: The provide a business and service that works with so many local vendors and community members and that was in full celebration this day. It’s great to see a company celebrating its roots and I look forward to future festivals they hold.
Two Second Street 