Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale

Brewed by Kiuchi Brewery
Style: Traditional Ale
Ibaraki, Japan

24.3oz. bottle. Cloudy orange color with a small white head. Odd medicinal/fruity aroma that kind of turned me off. Flavor was better than the aroma, but that wasn’t saying much. Mildly tart fruit, vinegar and rice all mixed up in a strange flavored beer. Not bad, but won’t be trying this one again.

11.2 oz bottle sampled in a Great Lakes snifter: Pours a light honey hue with a fizzy fading head and no lace. The aroma has notes of soured white wine and strawberry, musty yeast esters, and some bready malts. The taste is worse with a starting point of wet cardboard and rotten fruit. A train wreck of flavors, whatever it is trying to be does not work on my palate or nose. Arggh...almost full drain pour, I tried a drank half the bottle hoping something would come to light, but nothing changed. Among the worse brews I have had the displeasure of trying. Yes, those numbers are correct.

A truly new beer experience for me. Pours cloudy, a reddish tinted amber, med head. Aroma weird. Some spicy notes, but also something of a dishwater component?! Flavor similar, almost reminiscent of a wheat beer (but with rice as the adjunct instead), with that soft fizzy palate. Mild citrus component, funky bitterness. As with the White Ale, I have mixed feelings about this, as creative and unique as it is.

Yellow gold color, thin filmy head. Sour yeast ester aromas intermingle with sweat sock rice aromatics. Muted spice character intermingles with a dominant sake flavor profile. Finish has a vague fruity aftertaste, but still very ricey. Mouthfeel is light and crisp for seven percent.

It first appeared whit when poured. It has an odd, ricy flavoring. However, this really isn’t very good. Head tastes similar to the beer, but overall it really reminded me of sake. That’s not good in my book.

Calandro’s Supermarket, Baton Rouge, La. 24.3 oz bottle. Pours a light copper to medium orange pour with a medium sized white fluffy head. Aroma has notes of overripe fruit and corn. Flavor is unremarkable with a heavy accent of corn, but it must be rice as the title implies. Note a hint of honey and sour wine in the back end. Not the best I have had from Japan, but beats the ubiguitous sushi-companion pale lagers thrust upon the populace.

It certainly is a weird beer and that is a positive in my book. Very light fruit and yeast in the aroma. Light red appearance, with a very large, long lived, off white head. Flavor is complex. Some bitterness, fruit and floral aspects, and a pleasant sour taste. I will try any kind of traditional beer, and this one did not disappoint.

hazy gold, small head. aroma is fruity and malty with some whole wheat bread. flavour has some tart fruit and grainy malt. weird sort of beer.