Hitachino Nest Pale Ale

Brewed by Kiuchi Brewery
Style: English Pale Ale
Ibaraki, Japan

Beautiful hazy, deep golden color. Coarse, foamy, bubbly, tan head that diminished quickly. Light malty, hoppy, and sweet aroma. Nicely balanced flavors of primarily malt with a nice citrusy, hoppy punch, with spicy and floral hints underneath. Smooth, slightly "silky" mouthfeel--really nice and full-bodied. Dry and thoroughly satisfying finish. Probably won’t be considered top-notch for the style, but still a true gem from the Hitachino Brewery, which surely must be one of Japan’s best breweries.

More iced tea crystal malt notes. Earthy and peppery hop notes from bittering thru to the end. Some mild Diacetyl and acetylaldehyde.

Nice pour, beer bottle colour and frothy. Aroma was a wee stale, but plenty of hops seemed to cover any shortcomings. Taste was nice, if unspectacular. A bit phenolic, mildly hopped, with a mild maltiness. A very definite crystal malt taste dominated the beer. Not a great example of an English Ale, but still far better than most macro-brewed beers.

This was a kick back to the PNW. The bold amber color held a malty nose at first, but then after a couple more whiffs hops seem to be more present than they first were, this is Seattle in a bottle. A creamy thick head and the caramel malt, it reminds me of Wild Rose IPA. It starts off with a hoppy mouth then caramel comes in and finally hoppy once again in the finish (similar to thier amber in that sense). The body is VERY smooth, which I really enjoyed. My higher ratings are likely due to the fact I drank this less than two weeks after it was made and it tasted very fresh.

Good call Schlossy, tea-like indeed. A well balanced classic English scent, crystal? malts and floral hops, nice. With the IBU’s, lack of head and relative stillness of this beer, it could pass for a cask pulled IPA rather than a bottled PA. Aggressive hops up front, a slightly sweet middle and a floral, giving way to a bitter finish. Look for this one!

No head whatsoever. very mild hops on the nose, with some faint orange, hazy amber, nice rounded body with a chalky end, hops are more present at the beginning but dissipate quickly to reveal the malt. Some sweet malt near the end.

Mild hoppy aroma from the attractive tea-like amber brew. Not much head present. Not unappealing flavor, but finishes slightly watery. Saved somewhat by a zesty hop ending that does let you do some savoring. Good to see a brew like this is being made in Japan, it can be a really market here as ales are rarely recognized in the land of the ricey lager.