Hitachino Nest White Ale

Brewed by Kiuchi Brewery
Style: Belgian White (Witbier)
Ibaraki, Japan

11.2 oz. Bottle: Glorious opaque bright golden honey color with a heavy head. Delightfully sweet, spicy nose. Initial hops followed by lots of citrus, esp. lemon. Takes me back to many days drinking Wikse Witte in Holland. Perfect light, refreshing brew for summer.

Big bottle. Pours hazy golden with a small white head. Aromas of orange, orange, orange, and more orange, with a hint of spice. Flavor of orange hits right away, followed by a lemon peel and peppery finish. Tasty stuff.

11.2 oz bottle thanks to Slinger. Hazy, light yellow color with a small white head. Strong orange aroma along with dried apricots and a hint of coriander. Very light and refreshing flavor, with the oranges again dominating. There are some spices in the background, but they are hard to pick out. Aggressive carbonation only adds to the refreshment factor.

11.2 oz bottle. Pours pale yellow with a fizzy white head, very bubbly. Aroma is perfumey hop and malt (grain, meal), fruit (grapes, apples) and yeast (sweat). Fruity hop flavor, medium bitter and spicy, medium acidity, low sweetness and sour yeast. Light bodied, fizzy and crisp palate.

(11.2 oz bottle: $3.49 at Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido, CA) Okay, just how much orange juice is in this beer? Wow, the nose is dominated by the aroma of a fresh orange stand at the market, and the flavor is dominated by biting into a tart orange that has just started to turn sour. The more traditional witbier characteristics such as coriander, lemon, orange peel, yeast, all these take a back seat here, and indeed, I can’t even taste the coriander. Body is light, and the palate is clean and refreshing. But I have to say, this is not an attractive looking beer. What appears to be a pulpy mess is circulating around in the golden-yellow beer, the turning engine driven by rising carbonation. Small, whitish head dissipates fairly rapidly, leaving no lace on the glass. And phew, that final sip to empty the glass has all the pulplike sediment and it’s quite a shot of orange peel bitterness. Quite different from other wit beers, but very interesting and unexpectedly enjoyable.

Hazy pale yellow color with a nice fizzy white head. Huge aroma of coriander and orange peel. Spicy, very interesting flavor. The addition of orange juice is apparent. Light body, fizzy carbonation. A nice, unique beer.

Bottle. Man, this stuff was tasty. Full of orange peel, citrus, and coriander. It was light, refreshing, and satisfying. I could have easily drank more of this stuff, but I wasn’t sure what to expect when buying a Belgian-style beer from Japan.

Foggy yellow. Big, dense, creamy white head. Aroma of corriander, ginger, citrus, and wheat. Same flavor, refreshing. Light, easy drinking, well carbonated. Great white beer.