Hitachino Nest New Year Celebration Ale

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

Hazy amber color with a huge off white head. Nose is spicey with fruit (apricot, orange peel and coriander) . Flavor starts moderately sweet with apricot and grapefruit with a light hoppy orange rind finish. Medium to full body, creamy texture with lively carbonation.

Many was the night where I suffered in a cold, uninsulated room, shivering against the tatami and desperately generating body heat in order to survive until morning. Through January and well into February each evening became a duel; my humble gaijin self versus the inhospitable Japanese winter. By means of a cheap heater, a thick futon and hot yams I was able to survive, but it was a struggle of attrition. What would have really helped on those frigid eves is Hitachino’s New Year Celebration Ale. Despite being a well spiced and flavored ale, it’s dark and mellow, exuding a delicious charisma that goes down well and sits at the bottom of your gut keeping one safely warm until sunrise. The earthen brown beer wears a heavy and tumbling hat of primordial foam which tumbles and rolls like the famed mountains of Hokkaido down to the bottom of the glass. The scent of this fine Japanese brew contains mostly spices whose mixture and depth were too much for my untrained olfactory to pick apart. These extend well into the taste, producing a quizzically delicious beer unlike anything I’ve had before. My faith in Japanese beers is obviously weak considering the selection available at my Japanese residence at the time. Now, knowing that there is a brewery somewhere on those four islands that produces an oishi biru I can most certainly rest easier knowing the unfriendly winter winds can penetrate the shoji door but most certainly not my beer warmed self.

Damn! This is like an Imperial Spice beer. Orangish brown body with a small head. Aroma is spices galore! Oranges, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg (ok I’m copying the commercial description but it’s right!) and vanilla beans... (?) This stuff dominates any sort of hops or malt, yet this passes as a beer. If you want a spiced over the top beer that is well balanced this is the one. Very drinkable, very spicy. No idea where 9% ABV is.

This was a good winter addition. Not to spicy, nor too sweet. Dry finish. But, nothing great.

Pours a lightly hazy, amber color that is topped by a frothy, quickly disappearing thin tan colored head. The aroma is definitely thick and concentrated; notes of fruit jump out immediately, notably concentrated green grapes. Underneath that are notes of thick malt that also have notes of dry toasted malt. There is also some sweet spiciness that lies just in the background that more than anything accentuates the fruit character.

The taste is quite a bit drier than I was expecting, it is quite malty as well. Definitely evokes thoughts of fresh baked bread, but in a more concentrated manner. Lots of toasty malt notes are joined by a solid, almost thick body to this beer that allows it to linger on the mouth. The fruitiness is here, it is just not as prevalent as in the aroma because the sweetness is not as prevalent in the taste. The fruit notes remind me of pear and green grapes; it even has a finish that has a bit of acidity to it that accentuates the fruit notes a bit more. The finish has a note that reminds me the sharp almost spicy finish of cinnamon, though the note is subtle.

This is definitely a satisfying addition to the winter lineup. It is rich and satiating, and does not have a cloying sweetness to muddy things up. I also like how the spices are not too strong, they are barely noticeable individually and just sort of integrate and make the beer a bit more complex.

2004 bottle. Very hazy amber pour. Big nose....malty, fruity, some spices..maybe coriander and such. Flavor is even more fruity....had to let it warm a bit. Tasted like prune juice at first, but upon warming I detected other more acceptable flavors. Spicy and a bit drier in the end, but the prunes never did leave the building. It was ok, but I fear it fell victim to poor storage. Bought at Beverage Castle in Tampa.

Bottle (2006): Hazy caramel, moderate off-white head, fairly nice lacing.   Citrusy nose, notes of wood, cedar perhaps.   Piney citrusy start, definite orange peel, very light spices that seem to die very quickly.   Body and mouthfeel are fairly average.   ABV is well hidden, but it does have a very warming effect.   Lingering citrus peel on the finish with a slight piney twang.   Not as good as the 2005 version in my opinion.   Perhaps I’ll revisit it after a few months.

I have never seen a beer with such a large head, filled 3/4 of the glass after pouring it down the side. The smell is definitely of malt and vanilla beans and the mouthfeel is almost like oatmeal. The flavor is very complex: sweetness offset by a bit of citrus and spices. I enjoyed it a great deal.