Hitachino Nest New Year Celebration Ale

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

2005 bottle: Very murky and rusty amber-orange (nice color) with very little head retention. Yeasty nose. Lively, prickly carbonation up front. Elements of orange, lemongrass, tea, and pine. Mild herbs/spices in the background. Some sourness and a little tartness, with a pinch of acidity. Malts had notes of sourdough bread, yeast, and grainy crackers; hardly any sweetness. Somewhat interesting on one hand, but stark on the other.

Bottle. Odd. Quite a spicy concoction. Sweetish, with notes of coriander, nutmeg and some sort of Asian vegetable (can’t think of the one unfortunately). Interesting, but to me it remains more of an interesting ’concoction’, than anything worthy of a good score. Didn’t quite work, but it was different.

Superbe et attrayante présentation, couleur ambrée coiffée d’une énorme mousse blanche concassée et adhérant pleinement à la paroi du verre. arômes détaillés de gomme baloune, de pâte d’amendes, d’ananas confits, de caramel et de foin. Passablement sucrée en bouche, excellente base bien maltée faisant défiler une panoplie de saveurs de desserts sucrés, zeste de citron et d’orange, smarties, caramel, Clairement d’influence belge. Un délice! Bouteille, Bello Vino, Ann Arbor, août 2005.

The body is an amber coppery color. The flavor is complex with a lot of fruity tastes and spiciness. The coriander stands out the most to give it a floral finish.

Tasted no fruit mine is a 2005. It had none of the pleasing flavors listed here. Tasted like a heavy overrly hopped pale ale which is my least favorite kind of beer. DRAIN POUR

So many floaties! Thick, heavy, roasty, syrupy sweet and too yeasty. Fruity, but almost too sweet in aroma. Same with the flavor. Too carbonated. Strong orange pekoe tea flavors with cinnamon. Definetly a winter beer.

Cloudy dark amber color with frothy, off-white head with flecks of brown, giving it a cappuccino kind of look - musty, tart aroma, with vinous notes, brown sugar, cinnimon, corriander, nutmeg, grapefruit - moderate sweetness, balanced with big time red wine notes - orange peels and other citrus play both sides of the sweet and tart - finishes with slight cocoa and bitterness - very complex, but very gentle - nice.

2004 Bottle.Pours a rust water color.hugh head that stayed for the ride.Sediments on the bottom stayed on top of the head.Flavor is sweet, fruit like almost a belgian style.Had some sourness at the end.