Hitachino Nest New Year Celebration Ale

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

Cloudy pale orange color with a big white head. Smells like carrots, citrus, general spice, and vanilla. Tastes similar but more creamy vanilla, peppery spice and wheat. The finish is bitter/spicy/celery. Definitely a unique aroma/flavor, but nothing is really out of place.

11.2oz, 2004. I’ve actually been kind of afraid to try this beer, as I think a lot of beers that sit on the shelf too long get a weird sour nasty taste (maybe from the yeast?) and this isn’t necessarily a big shelf mover. Pours a murky red brown with a gigantic beige head--couldn’t even pour the whole thing into my Duvel glass. Aroma of yeast, graham crackers, oranges, mustiness, some Belgian qualities, maybe some nutmeg. It does have that slight sour quality that I was afraid of, but some bitterness and alcohol warmth rid the palate of that taste rather quickly. Hooray. Taste has some lemons, indescript spices, a little pepper, and graham with a dry finish. Medium bodied, a little too highly carbonated, but that could be because my bottle is two years old. May have to rerate a fresher bottle. Pretty good though.

330 ml bottle. Rich fluorescent reddish golden. Small, but creamy off-white head. Spicy mellow aromas. Notes of cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla and white pepper corns. Malty sweet background. Orange peel. Strongly carbonated, spiced and hoppy with a distinct bitterness. Complex, but mellow, spiciness. Medium-bodied. It is the spices and the bitterness that stand out. Very interesting use of spices as they are all very nicely balanced. The spices are subdued making the beer complex and giving it depth. (2006 vintage).

[Portland International Beer Festival – Tap] A nice copper colored beer with a good head. Had a lot of Belgian like qualities. This had lots of spice and was a good easy to drink brew. Liked the underlying flavors of malts and spices.

Copper-colored with a nice foamy off-white head. Aroma is spicy and sweet. Real good flavor of coriander and holiday spices, Nice maltiness and bitterness. Definitely unique, and easy to forget that it’s 9%. Very good.

A very strange belgian type ale with coriander and neroli notes coupled with a west coast style holiday beer complete with nut spices. Holiday warped brown ale? Belgian sour? Abbey? Is it sake or flemish ale laced? This is an odd animal and is without flaws. Though curious and coherent, it shines but not exceedingly brightly.

It has all of the flavors as advritised on the bottle. I just do not like the way they all mix together. Given this just is not my favorite style but it is one of my favorite brewers.

Pours amber-orange with a two-finger white head. Vanilla dominates the aroma and is joined by sharper spices--cinnamon and nutmeg--after some swirling. Light alcohol joins the equation as the beer warms. The cinnamon and nutmeg are stronger in the flavor, where they overpower the softer vanilla and coriander. A touch of alcohol comes through about halfway through. Dry finish with a hint of earthy hops. The nutmeg comes back strong in the aftertaste, which lasts quite a while.