Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale

Brewed by Kiuchi Brewery
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Ibaraki, Japan

Hazy tangerine with huge, long lasting and beautiful khaki head, settling in a lumpy dome with trails of sparkly lace down the glass. The cedar aroma is what hits me first, along with a spicy forest or tobacco kind of scent. Like opening a cedar box of top-notch cigars while standing in a spruce forest after a rain. Lively, surprising, a bit bombastic, but so different and so interesting. Resiny woody flavor, with a modest level of bitterness and a bit of sweetness, transitioning into a clovey dry finish. A remarkable and distinct re-thinking of the style.

Bubblegum and oak mix with the slightly floral aroma. Hazy amber in color. Too much wine barrel flavor and overwhelms the hoppiness and malt. Overly spicy in a bad way - tastes like a bad west coast winter beer.

Amber body with a gray overflowing head. Weird metallic grape and lemon spice nose. Off sweet sugar flavor with raisins in the finish. Overly sweet with unfriendly spices. Ap-3 ar-4 tas-3 pal-1 ov-7

Pours a cloudy light amber color with thick tan head. Aroma is of spices and a hint of cedar. Flavor is the same with a slightly hoppy finish and alcohol warming. A decent IPA but not my favorite

1/31/06. Poured out of 330 mL bottle, bought at Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido, CA 10/15/05. Rated blind. Pours a stately, hazy orange-gold color with very slight, almost fully diminishing cream-tan head and only trace lacing from the ring of carbonation. Small particles floating about. Aroma contains delicious berries, hints of wood and an undercurrent of soft caramel. Initial taste reveals an aged malt-hop combo reminiscent of soggy autumn leaves, somewhat grassy and straw-like with any caramel taking a back seat and the overall effect seemingly dissipating in sweetness. Still some wood character, like a combo of noble and UK hops. Fizzy tingle of carbonation that creates a mouthfeel fluffy enough to be pleasant, but the body is just not full enough to completely hold up the prickly bushy presence. Very drying in the finish with an ever-growing zippy, lightly spicy, numbing noble hop presence. Very little alcohol anywhere in there, but I could use some of that cherry/berry goodness suggested in the nose. Still a bit sticky on the lips. Somewhat papery, this bottle seemed past its prime. Still, I enjoyed it and would like to give a fresher bottle another go-’round.

Fairly stong cedar wood aroma, reminiscent of a closet. Very little hop in the aroma, that or it’s contributing to the cedar. Taste is cedar wood, sake, and light hops. Would be good served in a log cabin or as an alternative to sake maybe. The cedar aroma and smell reminds me a little too much of dirty, moldy closets and places though, and inhibits my enjoyment - not a huge sake fan either really. I appreciate the individuality of this brew, though, and it really has no bad flavors or qualities, but the cedar thing definitely has to be something you want or like to enjoy this one. Bumped it up to 3 for going well with my moderately spicy food, made the cedar taste almost fruity.

Sake like aroma, i guess its the cedar, mixed with some hops. It has a nice golden color, with a great white head. The flavor is very unique. Interesting notes of cedar, and hop spice.

Golden brown color with a dense white head. Very unique aroma: herbs, perfume, cedar and hops. Lightly sweet citrus followed by some floral and earth notes. A slight dry woodiness, oak/cedar with a moderate bitterness and a lemony hop finish. Very interesting take on the style.