Hitachino Nest Amber Ale

Brewed by Kiuchi Brewery
Style: Amber Ale
Ibaraki, Japan

I have had this beer a couple times on tap and to tell the truth it was always disappointing. It’s better from the bottle, and this rating is of one that was cellared for 7 months, and was much better than usual. Darkish amber. Strong hops and fruit aroma. Good malt in the as well. Only slightly sweet, some cookies and maybe chocolate and great caramel, cherries and other dark fruits. Good hops that linger on in the finish with the malt. Excellently balanced with head on barley and hops. Truly exceptional. The aged version was extra mellow and smooth.

This is very good beer I’ve ever met. Especially, flavor of malt is great!!

A slightly hazy medium dark Brown. Small beige head. Think "Bigfoot" at a low volume for the aroma, rich complex malts with just the right balance of the Cascade hop pine/citrus scent. Aggressive hops up front that like microscopic pit bulls, latch on to your taste buds and never let go. The malt flavors manage to sneak in the few scant openings between the hops teeth but make no mistake about it, this is a tribute in liquid to the love of Cascade hops!

Dark brown color with an off white head. The nose is balanced with caramel malt and cascade hops. The mouth starts hoppy then huge caramel malts come in and then finally the hops come back at the end. Like most of Hitachino nest beers, really well balanced.

Dark amber-brown color, ample tan-colored head composed of micro-bubbles and some larger "soapy" bubbles. A good amount of lacing on the glass developed as I drank this one. Surprisingly big flavors of malt, balanced by ample hops and a definite coffee-like presence. Hints of cocoa and dark-roasted grains underneath. Smooth, silky mouthfeel that finishes very dry. Just enough carbonation to create a prickly sensation on the tongue, but not too much. An amazingly satisfying brew--this one will be my go-to beer from Hitachino for awhile. Just awesome.

Bottled, shared by the OMH gang. Pours out in a brownish amber colour with a small creamy disappearing white foam. Crisp and fresh aroma of black cherries, grass, nuts and blood-oranges. Medium-bodied with a crisp and rather hoppy flavour of cedar-wood, grass and orange-peels with sweet undertones of red berries. Black cherries, toasted malts, nuts and orange-peels in the long aftertaste. Very nice, a hoppy and elegant amber ale, that’s quite rare.

Bottled. Clear mahogany colour, brief head. Orangey and toasty. Light bodied with clean, rounded crisp mouthfeel. Grainy with salty licorice. Fresh orangey hoppiness, medium bodied. Balaned bitterness. Well made all the way through.

Sampled @ GJBF Yokohama: Copper color, nice thin head, light lacing. Nose of light caramel malt, some light hop and full bodied creamy malty body. Nice and full, rounded and rich.