Hitachino Nest New Year Celebration Ale

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

Explodes out of bottle filling mug with foam took forever to pour but off-white head vanishes without a trace. Cloudy amber color with yeast at bottom of bottle. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied. Strong spicy plum nose. Starts sweet almost cloying, spicy toffee flavor balanced finish. High ABV is not noticeable. $3.99 for 2004 330ml bottle from John’s Grocery Iowa City, IA.

2 bottles thanks to CMUBEERMAN! Vintage 2004 and Vintage 2007. Vintage 2004 pours opaque amber and is lighter than the 2007 beer. Both beers have an off white head, but the older one has a thicker head. Aromas are different. 2004 is strong with malt, generic fruit and spices. 2007 aroma is banana, plum, and spices--smells fresher and the notes are higher and not as blurred as the older beer. Flavor 2004: Spicy, tangy, musty, fruity. Flavor 2007: slight banana, bleu cheese, fruit, and wheat. The 2004 vintage is more mellowed, but not as less crisp. I think the 2007 beer is better. Not bad beers though.

2004 bottle pours a murky brown with some yeast floaties. Dark tan head somkewhat foamy . Arome is quite mild with a few notrs of hop citrus and a leathery molasses and dark cherry. Flavor is quite rtich with coca, toffe molasses and a doughy finish .

2004 12 oz. bottle via trade with IrishBoy - Pours a slightly hazy deep amber color with a big, long lasting off white head. Has thick stringy lacing and some serious carbonation. Has a cookie dough malt aroma with a hint of citrus. Flavor is spicey sweet, but slightly bitter. Medium body. Decent beer. Thanks Richard.

HUGE foam just jumped up and even ran over the glass. It also has significant retention and waiting on it to settle takes patience.The description is correct in that orange peels and coriander. Both dominate but nutmeg is in the background and toffee is evident. A high alcohol abv seems probable and it can be easily tasted. Lots of spices begin to show up as the beer warms and they combine to make this a unique beer to taste.

Poured a cloudy/murky orange brown color with a nice initial white head, very good retention, weak lacing. The aroma was interesting, light caramel malts, oranges, coriander, some nutmeg, increasing levels of vanilla with temperature. Man, just like the bottle says, and the flavor follows suit, vanilla coming on much stronger with warmer temperatures (at one point, ALMOST too much), oranges most prevalent in the background (no caramel), coriander, and finishing with a significant resinous hop presence. Mouthfeel was full-bodied. A nice concoction, far superior to your average "spice" beer. A nice IPA-spiced type combo by my senses.

2006 Bottle. Very hazy amber color. Looks like a freakin’ liquid birds nest. WTF! Extremely Heavy aroma of spice. Perfume, tropical flowers, coriander, and a little new car. Tastes of perfume. Tons of aroma not alot of flavors. Tastes of new car leather. Very fizzy, not too pleasant. Texture of a hefe, looks too amber. Not all that pleasant. Maybe just to celebrate the new year and that’s all...

The aroma is heavy with citrus, nutmeg, and yeast. The appearance is amber/brown with small particles and a huge head. The flavor is very bitter and spicy with citrus, nutmeg, coriander, malt, and alcohol. The palate is ok but nothing special. I am not crazy about it because of the astringent bitterness that overpowers everything but the spices that you can taste are authentic and quality. It’s a pity this one is so bitter because it has real potential. Maybe back in 2004 it was better.