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Beers from Japanese brewery Coedo showed up at Christmas in England, courtesy of my sister. I'd never heard of it, even though there's an address of a Dublin-based importer on the label.

The first I opened is in the rarely-seen style of imperial sweet potato amber, and I had no idea what that was likely to mean. Beniaka is 7% ABV and a cola brown colour in the glass. Although fizzy, it's plenty thick and feels luxuriously "imperial". Can't say I tasted much potato, but there's a pleasant woody spice: nutmeg, sassafras and liquorice. It's fairly sweet with it, showing a little Scotch-ale-style toffee, with the herbs helping balance it. This is interesting, with lots happening, but it's not a daft novelty, and makes for a very civilised digestif.

There's also a black lager, called Shikkoku. While it does have a proper lager cleanness, and is straightforwardly drinkable at 5% ABV, there's a dark-malt stickiness to it. A burnt treacle roast sits at the centre, providing a sweet aspect which means it's no simple German-style Schwarzbier, which is what I was expecting, and leans a little more towards Czech tmavý. A mild herbal bitterness is a nod to Germany, and keeps the sweet side under control. The label promises smoke in the aroma, but I didn't get that, and didn't really miss it either: I'm not sure it would add anything positive. I liked this. It's nothing fancy, and I doubt it warranted being shipped from the other side of the world, but I'll never turn my nose up at a well made dark lager. That's just how I am.

This was a welcome bit of surprise exploration. I'm now very interested in the rest of the range, and where I might get hold of some locally.