Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale

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

large picturesque head atop a roasted apricot color...the head shrank in random places creating a rocky glacier..very piney, musty, and medicinal smell with a BIG cedary grapefruit character that smells exactly like an empty humidor...a superb cedar character melts into the grapefruity hops creating the most pleasant and drinkable conconction...cedarly dry in the ending...when i saw on the bottle that it was aged in cedar, i got excited, but i had no clue how much cedar character it would have...and it has plenty..its beautiful in fact...quite exceptional...WOW

Re-Rate 6/30/08: This is the epitome of what craft beer is all about. Absolutely amazing beer in every way imaginable

Original Rating (21-Dec-04, 9-5-8-4-17=4.3): Peppery, cedar aroma dominates the sharp yet fruity and very appealing aroma. Huge rocky white head peaks atop an orange-amber body that is completely opaque. Lacing covers the glass. Cedar is prominent in the flavour also and it works very well. Some soft doughy/yeasty qualities as well as plenty of tropical/citrus fruitiness and a fair bitterness go well with the woody character and overall sweetness. Medium bodied with engaging carbonation. A perhaps unique and certainly fascinating take on an IPA. Bottle.
Rerate (08-May-05, 10-4-8-3-18=4.3): Woody cedar, perppery spiciness, perfumey, floral lavender and pineapple aromas are oh so enticing. Opaque, rich golden coloured body with a strong cover of dense white head. Spicy cedar, peppery flavour with moderate bitterness. Medium body with fair carbonation. Bottle enjoyed with MartinT, Olivier_MTL and Rastacouere.
Resampled Feb-2006 and bumped score up. This is definitely one of the most intriguing beers I have ever tried.

Hazy golden amber, nice fluffy white head. Nose is beautiful with an amazing cedar character, some spice, fresh hop in grapefruit and mango, pale malt. Flavor is similarly brilliant in balance, but the hop notes really take it to the next level, a kiss of bitterness that is aligned perfectly to the moderate, smooth, and wonderfully vibrant palate. Echoing the words of Rastacouere: it is not a traditional IPA, but it is absolutely delicious.

05-May-07 11.2oz bottle picked up at Half Time in Poughkeepsie. Pretty orange amber color beneath sturdy white head that fades to a sheet. Aroma is spectacular and eye-opening. Floral, perfumed, herbal hops remind of Orval initially, but quickly evolving are fragrant fresh peppers, barnish hay, black pepper, wow, just brilliant. Medium-full bodied, palate coating, soft effervescence. The softness is disrupted with a pleasant mix of woody, dusty dryness and hoppy astringency. This beer is full of distinct directions, the peppery cedar, the floral hops, the fruity malts, and in impeccable balance. For pete’s sake, I can’t believe it took me so long to get a second crack at this fantastic stuff. Amazing.

Cloudy aroma with insistent head. Pungent Orvalish aroma, winey & spicy with pale malts and fruity hops. Long palate full of wood, pale malt and loads of bittering hops...again very Orvalish. The cedar comes on strong late, adding its own accents to this complex, intense brew. Stunning.

Nice bottle-conditioned murky muddy yellow to amber. Plenty of lacing results from the initial gushing. Off-white head resolves to a cover after a few minutes. Incredible nostrils punching pineapple and cedar aroma. Pure spruce.. incredible. As if it weren’t enough, that funky yeast reminds me why I love beer (one needs that every once in a while, eh?). Lots of citrus notes, orangey, very soft hops.. A treasure of an aroma, unarguably unique, yet it feels like an old friend immediately. Highly fruity, floral.. makes me think of spinach even and definitely algae. Firm and mellow bitterness at the same time.. Incredibly tasty and aromatic, lots of different range of flavours that you’d never think match together, but you needed Japan’s advanced beer science to come ahead with that. Very small bubbles procure a biting bite everywhere at once, but it is comfortable if only for the flavors.. I want more in my mouth with every sip. Light-medium body… Quaffable…Ok, maybe not what most of us have come to expect from IPAs, but let’s face the facts (or my biased opinion), it tastes better than any IPA I’ve had. Tremendous beer!

In short: A cedary funky IPA. Very unique and simply fantastic.
How: Bottle 750ml, many times, always consumed as fresh as possible.
The look: Cloudy golden-orange body topped by a large off-white head
In long: Funky and hoppy on the nose. Very yeasty beer with a strong woody taste giving the feeling of drinking sawdust. Thick chewy and dirty body like I love them. Strong honey taste although the beer doesn’t feel very sweet. Very hoppy beer. The hops are piney but with a Belgian twist, hard to describe. Soft caramel and orange round up the flavour spectrum. Cedar presence from beginning to end. That’s a tasty, filling and aggressive beer that commands to be drunken slowly. A Classic Ale? I wish.

Bottle. Aroma strong and very malty, woody with a bit of a scotch musk. Slight medicinal twinge with ... melon? Pungent funk. And hoppy! Amber-orange pour with little (but lace-heavy) head. Crisp, tart, bitter, and sweet taste with healthy barnyard funk and strong sourness. Rubbery dryness less pronounced than in others from HN. Dry spiciness. Alcohol well-hidden. Pleasantly hoppy on the palate, even introduces some light fruitiness and citrus. Light grapefruit and lemon/orange zest join rounded chewy earthiness. Well-balanced and medium-full body. Wonderful cedar closet memories established in the finish and aftertaste, and the casky woody notes linger for minutes. Herby (with pine needles?), peppery. This is absurdly interesting, and unlike some of the other offerings from my now-beloved HN, suitable for frequent consumption.