Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale

Brewed by Kiuchi Brewery
Style: Traditional Ale
Ibaraki, Japan

Mild and smooth. Could be the best Japaness beer I have tried yet. Basic but interesting.

11.2 oz bottle. Pours a murky orange. Thick white head that fades rapidly. Smells sweet and hoppy with a touch of honey. The taste starts off smokey and wonderful and ends in a bizarre cough syrup finish and aftertaste. The palate is average, medium bubbles, barely smooth. The wierd licorice syrup taste really brings this one’s score down.

Re-rate: Bottle. Hazy copper-red with a small off-white head. Really interesting aroma combining sweet malt, toasted rice, and a slightly tart edge. Interesting flavour as well - a bit fruity, some berry notes (cherry, raspberry), some toasted wood, and a sharply dry finish. Much better than when I tried it a couple of years ago, glad I had a chance to try it again!

Original rating: Bottle shared with tupalev, jerc, blankboy & HogTownHarry - courtesy of me. Golden colour with a reddish tinge. Aroma is odd - a bit grainy, slightly sour and funky, very organic. Flavour is odd as well - a bit salty, and bit yeasty, and something that reminds me of Eno (the antacid, not the ambient musician...). A very strange beer - I’m glad I tried it, but I’m also glad I shared it, as I certainly wouldn’t want a full bottle myself. [6/3/5/2/11 - 2.7]

11.2 oz bottle. Poured a clear orange color with bubbly white head. Smells distinctly of rice pudding and vanilla. Tart fruit note up front which takes a short vacation before returning toward the end. This trails off and is finally replaced by a mellow rice pudding aftertaste. Strange spiciness in the middle.

Bottle shared with Jerc, Blankboy, Hogtown Harry, and gregClow, Greg’s bottle. Aroma is a weird mix of grains, sweetness, and even sourness - not pleasant. Taste: lots of yeast, cheap champagne, rice, sweet notes and grain. Thin mouthfeel. Odd aftertaste. Not something I would want to try again.

Bottle shared with HogTownHarry, GregClow, jerc & tupalev -- courtesy of GregClow. Pours a light hazy gold with some sediment and a small diminishing white head. Weird aroma of cheap sparkling wine and sour fruit. Flavour’s slightly sour with some fruit and milk -- also quite odd, it didn’t do much for me. Light bodied with an acidic mouthfeel. It’s different, I’ll give it that but I didn’t like it that much.

Bottled. Pours a very hazy reddish/brown color. Almost a berry cider quality to the aroma. A little tart smelling. Flavor is of artificial berries and some spice. Finish if fruity and spicy. Maybe a hint of alcohol in the finish.

Bottle. Cloudy golden body, with minute white head. Bizarra aroma smells like cheap champagne - Spumante Bambino! Wine like notes in the aroma are slightly fruity. Tart flavour with odd ambiguous fruit notes. Dry cider like finish. Strange. Light palate.