This is our annual collaboration with Horiguchi Coffee.

By combining the knowledge of both brewers and roasters, we aim to create a new coffee beer and offer a new experience to everyone.
Due to the manufacturing process, this beer is classified as "happoshu" under the Liquor Tax Law.

This year's fourth edition was created with a greater emphasis on content.
Until last year, we had developed one batch of one type of beer, but this time we decided to create a brushed-up version of last year's popular "Orika-Worka" and a new version of "Kurotsuki Kurotsuki Kurotsuki Kurotsuki Kurotsuki Kurotsuki Kurotsuki Kurotsuki" so that the customers can freely enjoy the difference in aroma, color, mouth feel, and aftertaste, This time, we brewed two types of beer: a brushed-up version of last year's popular "Orika-Worka" and a new "Kokuen".

We asked Mr. Masaaki Otaki of Horiguchi Coffee's Green Bean Division, who was in charge of this project, about his approach to the completion of the recipes.

-Hello, I am Mr. Masaaki Otaki of Horiguchi Coffee's Green Bean Division. My name is Masaaki Otaki from the Green Bean Division of Horiguchi Coffee.

I was in charge of selecting the coffees for the fourth collaboration between Horiguchi Coffee and COEDO, "Kokuen" and "Worka". As a roaster, Horiguchi Coffee is responsible for roasting coffee to be sold in stores, as well as quality control of the green coffee beans used as ingredients.

Horiguchi Coffee continues to pursue the "deliciousness that can be expressed through coffee" by accurately grasping the characteristics of the ingredients, extracting their individuality through roasting, and blending them to create flavors. We continue to search for "better ingredients" for "even more deliciousness" in the future. In other words, we are a company that tries to master the expression of coffee flavor from the perspective of both "ingredients" and "flavor creation" that makes full use of those ingredients.

We decided to consider what kind of coffee would be appropriate for a collaboration between Coed Brewery and Horiguchi Coffee, a leading craft beer brewer, in terms of "selection and combination" of two items: "roast (degree of roasting)" and "ingredients.

▼ Choice of "roast (degree of roasting)

Most of the existing coffee beers are a combination of "roasted aroma of roasted malt" and "roasted aroma of deep roasted coffee". There was no choice between the "ingredients" and "roast" of the coffee, and the coffee was made in such a way that the flavor of the coffee was more in line with the flavor of the beer.

However, coffee has a wide variety of flavors, and for example, the same ingredients can have completely different flavors depending on the degree of roasting. For example, the same ingredients can have very different flavors depending on the degree of roasting.

We wondered if we could find a role for these elements as secondary ingredients, or rather, if they could be the points that could best contribute to the finished product.

▼ Choice of "Ingredients

We tested the compatibility of single-origin and blended, shallow-roasted and deep-roasted coffee from one side to the other, and tested their compatibility with beer.

The answer we arrived at was that the "fruitiness of the aroma and taste" of coffee is the greatest element that brings synergy to the collaboration products. We selected coffee from the Wolka area of Ethiopia as the optimal secondary ingredient with a complex and distinct "fruitiness.
In the history of Horiguchi Coffee's pursuit of ingredients, we finally found the "ideal" coffee from Ethiopia, a country that has been a particular focus of ours.

When we sent the coffee beans to Mr. Meguro, the brewer, he agreed that the fruitiness of the "Wolka" was a good match for the beer, and he agreed to approach us from the perspective of "making a base beer that matches the Wolka," in other words, "making a beer that matches the coffee's character. We are now able to approach the project from the perspective of "making a base beer that matches Wolka," or "making a beer that matches the character of coffee.

Orika-Worka

As a coffee-serving brewer, we envisioned a beer that allows you to enjoy the fruitiness derived from coffee, from the aroma when it is poured into the glass to the aftertaste in the mouth and the aftertaste after swallowing. The choice for this was the "City Roast" of the Wolka area's "Urein Chinicha Washt".

Rather than the smoky flavor derived from deep roasting, we wanted to blend the "bright and floral fruitiness" that surfaces during relatively shallow roasting into the beer, harmonizing it well with the richness and sweetness derived from malt and the bitterness from the hops. To achieve this goal, we used "Urein-Cinicha Washed," which has a bright, complex fruitiness and a firm body, and "City Roast," a roasting degree that harmonizes the fruitiness, sweetness, and bitterness, to create a beer that is well-balanced in terms of richness, sweetness, and gorgeousness, and is a traditional German style beer. The beer will be paired with "Alto," a traditional German style beer with a well-balanced richness, sweetness, and floral flavor.

Kokuen

Based on the premise that "the greatest benefit of adding coffee to beer is to give it a more complex fruitiness and to add depth and dimension to its flavor," what type of coffee should be used to create a distinctly different type of product from "Orika"? For this project, we decided to start with the selection of "ingredients.

Factors that make a difference in the taste of coffee include "production area" and "degree of roasting," but "refinement (*1)" in particular is a factor that makes a difference in the "fruitiness" that one feels when drinking coffee. Even if the exact same raw materials are used, there is a clear difference in aroma and taste between the "washed (*2)" method and the "natural (*3)" method.

The "washed" method produces a bright, clean-tasting coffee with a fruity, citrus-like flavor. Natural" coffees, on the other hand, tend to have a complex fruitiness and a smooth mouthfeel reminiscent of red wine.

We quickly agreed with Mr. Meguro, the brewer, about using "natural" coffee, and decided to use coffee from the Wolka area of Ethiopia, which also has a more distinct "fruitiness," and immediately began trial production.

Once the direction of the ingredients was decided, the next step was to change the "roast" and try different styles of beer combinations. Through repeated trials, we came to the conclusion that the unique "fruitiness" of "natural" coffee, with its "complexity and fascination" that only comes out when it is deeply roasted, and COEDO's "Jet Black", with its deep, clean and mild flavor, yet with just a little bit of extra space, are a great match. The coffee was finally served with the same wine.

For the coffee, we decided to try a deep French roast of Adame Mazolillo Natural, which has a complex berry-like fruitiness in the Wolka area, but also has an honest sweetness that is thought to have a high affinity with beer, and to pair it with Schwarz, a black lager similar to Jet-Black. Schwarz", a black lager that is almost "jet black", was to be served with it.

Although it is a "black beer" style, reminiscent of a typical coffee beer, we believe we have created a wonderful beer with a clear "coffee character" and a "synergistic effect" with the base beer that accepts it, as well as a "drinkability" that can be accepted by many more customers.

(*1) Selection: The process of finally extracting the green coffee beans from the coffee berries.

(*2) Washed: Also called washed refining. (*2) Wash: Also known as rinsed refining, this is one of the methods used in the process of extracting green coffee beans, which are the seeds, from coffee berries. It is so called because it includes the process of rinsing the coffee after removing the pulp.

(*3) Natural: Also called dry refining. (*3) Natural: Also called dry refining, this is one of the methods used in the process of extracting green coffee beans, which are the seeds, from the coffee berries (refining). In the case of "washed" coffee, the pulp is removed, washed, dried, and the green coffee bean (the seed) is removed, whereas in the case of "natural" coffee, the seed is removed after the harvested coffee berries are dried with the pulp attached.

How was it?

Through this collaboration, we have deepened our understanding of what makes coffee beans unique.
The process of finding new directions through sessions using each other's knowledge and techniques is very interesting.

The other day, we finally soaked the coffee beans using a hop gun just before filling and tasted them repeatedly during circulation to ensure that both aromas and flavors were at their optimum.
You can watch an archived video of the Instagram Live broadcast immediately following the event.

About ▼HORIGUCHI COFFEE

Under the brand concept of "THE NEW COFFEE CLASSIC," Horiguchi Coffee aims to enhance the value of coffee and contribute to the enrichment of people's lives. With roasting and sales of coffee beans as its core business, Horiguchi Coffee also supplies green coffee beans and operates coffee shops. As a specialty coffee shop, we use only the highest quality (high-end) green coffee beans. We procure most of our coffee beans from growers with whom we have long-term relationships of trust.

We do not focus on single origin (straight) or shallow roasted coffees, but also emphasize blends and deep roasted coffees. In addition to a wide variety of single origins, the store offers a lineup of nine standard blends and special blends available only during limited time periods. We also offer food items such as sandwiches and cakes made in-house, and provide a menu that pursues pairings that make coffee and food even tastier. We offer a variety of ways to enjoy coffee.

▼ Horiguchi Coffee Official Web site
https://www.kohikobo.co.jp/