Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale

Brewed by Kiuchi Brewery
Style: Traditional Ale
Ibaraki, Japan

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.

A nose of green olives and jasmine flowers with a very nice slightly tart body make this fro me a thirst quencher.

Bottle. Cloudy amber, thick white head lasts well. Soured fruit, vinegar and hops in the aroma. Mild sweet taste with lots of tart and sour notes as well. Smooth mouthfeel, medium body and soft carbonation.

(11.2 oz bottle: $3.49 at Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido, CA) The nose is sweet and delicate like strawberries in you gently inhale, but a modest sourness becomes evident if you suck up the aromas quickly. Not that it ever smells bad, but the strawberry nose is very pleasant if you take your time sampling the aromas. My first sip yielded the following reaction: "Ack, this sucks!" The moderate sourness and somewhat medicinal flavor was unpleasant and seemed like an off-flavor at first. But I’ve become accustomed to it I suppose -- it seems more tart than sour, and the medicinal character is completely gone -- and now the light, delicate strawberry flavor and light bitterness is coming out, balancing out the mild tartness for a flavor that really has grown on me, at least to the point where my tortured faces have been replaced with a slight nod of approval. And in fact, the tartness seems kind of Belgian. Alcohol is completely hidden. Light to medium bodied. Bright, golden orange in color, showing some modest haziness. The off-white head is fizzy and lively at first pour, but settles to a thin, complete film. Most of the glass is barren of lace, but then there’s a large section that is densely curtained with lace. So while my appreciation for this beer has increased during this session, and I like the beer to some extent, it’s highly unlikely that I’d buy this again, especially given the $3+ price.