Hitachino Nest New Year Celebration Ale

Brewed by Kiuchi Brewery
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Ibaraki, Japan

Pours with a rusted orange body with a minimal head that gradually coalesces into a thick creamy foam before resettling back into the murky liquid of the beer. The initial aroma is of coriander and wheat, and as the beer settles and warms the coriander smooths out and vanilla aromas begin to waft up to me. The taste is predominately coriander and vanilla swirled with a cinnamon stick, nutmeg simply serves to round out the flavor. Sweet cinnamon starts to dominate as the beer warms with the vanilla taking a back seat along with the orange peel, but not in a bad way whatsoever. Finishes with a lingering bittersweetness. Very complex and well balanced. I do not know how much of this I would like to drink, but it is an excellent holiday beer.

10/4/05. 375ml. 2004. Amber brown with large beige head. Coriander aroma. A mix of vanilla and coriander flavor. Not bad at first but then overstays its welcome.

Name: Commemorative Ale
Date: November 09, 2009
Mode: Bottle
Source: Total Wine, GA
Appearance: cloudy burnt orange, frothy beige head
Aroma: sweet and spicy aroma, candied ginger
Body: big body
Flavor: sweet malt flavor, balancing spicyness, sweet ginger, light bitterness follows the spices

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 12/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: ** /4

Name: New Year Celebration
Date: December 06, 2003
Mode: Bottle
Source: Whole Foods Market, DC
Vintage: 2004
Appearance: cloudy dark amber, foamy tan head that eventually subsides into a creamy head
Aroma: light spicy aroma
Flavor: rich malt flavor with a well balanced spicy character with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon, orange and coriander appear after warming

Name: New Year Celebration
Date: May 20, 2006
Vintage: 2004
tons of carbonation, lots of spices with ginger and cinamon,

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 6/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 2.9/5.0
Drinkability: 6/10
Score: ** /4

Wow, what a strange beer. And strange is good in this case! A huge body with a big, blocky head that keeps roiling. Pleasant looking orange body, with depth and nuance. The spicy hops come across like a DIPA but the flavors are very quirky and suggest something different. I get a very strong ginger flavor right up front, balance by some cinnamon smoothness and some clove bite. Nice one.

Pours a deep orange with a huge, foamy white head. The aroma is citrus, with a bit of vanilla thrown in as well. Flavor is vanilla bean up front, with cinnamon, citrus, and nutmeg characteristics toward the end. Not my favorite, but a unique brew. Carbonation is a little rough.

2006 Vintage bottle. Pours a lush cheddar orange with an unassuming head of white foam. Aroma is sweet floral, with hints of orange and rose. Weak cedar appears in the background. Flavor is sweet cedar, with a floral finish. Reminds me of a forest for some strange reason. Better than average mouthfeel. Good beer.

Pour is a hazy orange with a large white head. Aroma is huge amonts of candi sugar with some spice. Flavor is lots of spice, cinnamon and clove. Lots of good stuff going on here. Very tasty as only a new years beer can be. If your looking for a way to celebrate the year you are in this is a good one to bring to the party.

Pours cloudy orange with very tiny bubbles and a large, quickly diminishing tan/orange head. Nose is orange blossom, malt, and cinnamon. Flavor of orange sherbert, malt, sweet spices, and a bit of floral and citrus hops at the end. Good.