Hitachino Nest New Year Celebration Ale

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

Bottle from Frugal McDugal in Nashville. Pours a hazy amber with a creme colored creamy head. Aroma of ginger snaps and spiced apple cider The malt merely provides texture as the spices take over this beer. Initial flavor of orange peel that transitions to middle of nilla wafers, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spices carry through to the finish, where it is nicely complimented by a subtle hop bitterness and a lingering flavor of ginger ale. A fairly solid spice beer. However at 4.50 a bottle, not good enough for a repeat.

2004. Glowing amber color with a very active, light tan, head. Interesting aroma of orange, spices, vanilla, cinnomon, nutmeg, and coriander. Reminds me of being in the produce section of a grocery store. Spicy mouth. Very flavorful. The orange is pretty prevelant. Has a floral, coriander, slightly earthy, taste to it. The complex flavors blend well together. Excellent and out of the ordinary.

2005 bottle - Pours light amber with a one finger, lingering head. It smells of malt, vanilla, and a variety of spices that put me in mind of ginger, though I see that’s not in the beer. There’s lots of spice in the moderately bitter flavor and enough malt presence to thoroughly bury the 9% abv. The finish is dry. While not my favorite, I think the spices were overdone, this is an interesting beer.

2006 Vintage. Hazy amber w/ creamy finger of pale tan foam. Spicy aroma of nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, orange peel & vanilla. Soft, creamy feel. Flavour is spicy & tangy w/ an oily, peppery finish.

2004 bottle bought at the great Tanakaya liquor store in Tokyo. Pours with amber color and two fingers head that dies to a thick creamy blanket of foam. Bottle spewed initially after carrying it my backpack for an hour on the train. Mild nose of mellowed hops and slight malt sweetness. Couldnt discern the spices with my unsophisticated nose and a small sake glass. Texture and mouthfeel is smooth. Taste is nice and well balanced with an odd sour background, you can also tell in the smell. Nice.

Bottle-2006: Pours a hazy reddish copper color with a light tan head. Nice color. The aroma has a ton of stuff going on. Various spices: ginger, thyme, cloves, earl grey tea, perfumy citrus hints and a sweet vanilla hint. Has a lovely palate with velvety carbonation. Flavor is spicy, floral and perfumy with evident coriander and vanilla hints at first. Has an herbal element, almost tea-like. The later flavors lean toward spicier note of thyme, clove, mild lemon-rind, and a mildly peppery dry/spicy distinct finish that lingers on the palate. This stuff is not extremely quaffable, yet it is still enjoyable as an after dinner drink.

(bottle) Amber-bronze, huge tan head that settles slowly. Spice aroma. Flavor is Malt, spice, and a hops finish.

Bottle sampled. Pours dark clear bronze and a large light tan head. Aroma of spices, citrus, and herbal. The flavor is sweet, orange peel, corriander, cinnamon and a host of other spices, lively carbonation. Good brew.