Hitachino Nest Classic Ale (Brown Label)

Brewed by Kiuchi Brewery
Style: Amber Ale
Ibaraki, Japan

Bottle. Pours a hazy honey body with an off white head. Aromatics are very spicy, ginger, incense, cedar woodiness, dry and lightly malty. Light bodied with a huge emphasis on the cedar, spicy ginger and light maltiness. Interesting brew.

The aroma has cedar wood, caramel, and earth. The appearance is dark copper gold with a smaller head. The flavor is like the aroma. The palate is smooth. Overall this is an odd beer.

Quite a nice robust beer, with a strong flavor of wood. The malts are very robust and the hops are spicy and earthy. The after gives a hint of ceder wood.

I called this beer II, simply because there are three beers called Classic Ale avialable at Isetan, with the main difference being the label (this is pink). I also don’t believe this is 5% as it says on the label as it feels alot bigger than that and Dan the brewer indicated so. Med-dark amber color, with a huge head. HUGE caramel and cedar notes in the nose, with a touch of floral hops. Mouth is med-full with lots of carmal and cedar, though very well balance. Finish has mild bitterness, but not exciting. Not exactly sure what it was aiming for. Kind of like a bastardized (albeit tastey) strong English Ale. Interesting, but still prefer the original.

Aged in cedar sake casks. Hazy amber-gold with good, foamy white head / Faint nose of sour malt / Medium body, moderately sweet, with balance leaning towards malts and with dryness on the good finish / Flavors of sour malt, brown sugar, and cedar, with pineapple notes / Have to appreciate in on its own terms and not compare to American amber ales. Enjoyed the second half of the bomber more than the first as it warmed in the glass.

Cloudy golden brown, thin tan head. Aroma of orange/citrus. Tastes of cinnamon and clove, dry and a bit hoppy, with lemon and pepper coming in late. Haven’t had anything like this since Tolly Cobbold’s IPA from Ipswich, which hasn’t been brewed in about 10 years. Worth seeking out.

What a lovely aubrun brew, with a short head, but good carbonation and a full bodied flavor. A real pleasant surprise.

red/brown color, with a good amount of chill haze. light tan head that disapates rather quickly due to the carbination coming thru. The smells of malts and wood (cedar in this case), spices and sweetness are rather nice. The flavors are rounder than expected from a Japanese beer. The sweetness, spice and carbination give it a pleasant playfulness with sushi. The finish is rather sweet and clean. I will buy this again if the price can come down a bit, $7 for a 12 oz. in a sushi bar (ouch).