Hitachino Nest White Ale

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

Draft at redlight redlight. Pours a pale yellow. What a nose. Lots of bright spices. The nutmeg come through and adds a lot of distinction. The orange peel and juice acts as a nice backdrop without dominating the aroma. The flavor is also quite nice with the orange coming more to the forefront with the spices receding but continuing to keep up the complexity. Light and bubbly. Refreshing and very good.

Bottle at blind tasting 5/09. Pours clear dark gold and head fades abruptly. Aroma of lemon and grapefruit. Initially sour on the tongue, then some sweetness, then a mild sour finish. Very quick bubbles on the tongue.

smells of wheat malt, corriander, oranges and a hint of cinamonn. Light and thick, but still very light in colour. Taste of light malt and orange, bits of corriander, a typical wit. Smoother and bubblyer on the after palate than the aroma or taste would suggest. An all right white.

330. Pours a deeply cloudy bright orange leaning to light gold. Fizzy white head rises briefly to visibility and then settles to the faintest of rumors at the edges. Huge blast of oranges and coriander on the nose, really a shot across the bow of people who think wits are stupid little training wheels beers. This one has a lot of ammo up front. Fizzy medium body with big fat tangy orange business happening, the hop oil and the citric acid really combine to give it some bite. Dark spices and a little bit of white-peppery hop near the finish. Nice wit.

milky yellow colored body, opaque. coriander and mild dill/brine in the nose, with a intensely rich and vibrant white pepper, bread and butter pickles, melon rind, chalky yeast, sea foam, it’s basically endless. zesty lemon and orange peel in the finish, vibrant but delicately tight carbonation. lively and light body. the best witbier in the world.

Aroma is refreshing and light with hints of ginger. Minimal head and pale in color. Light body with moderate to heavy carbonation. Very refreshing. Stands out as very enjoyable.

I tried to not be prejudiced against a belgian white brewed in japan, but his one had some good and bad things. Color and aroma were great, but the taste really set it back. really bitter for a belgian white, i was hoping and expecting for some nice spice and crisp clean flavor, but this was way too bitter, quite frankely, i was surprised that this rated so highly, not that its bad, but not what i expected.

A: Poured with a small, white head that diminished to a thin froth on the beer. Body is a nice, dark-yellow color, and very cloudy. S: Wow, there’s a lot going on in here. Lots of spices, especially coriander, coming through, as well as lemon, lime, and pepper. T: Equally as much going on in the taste... not quite like any other wit I’ve had before. Slightly milder taste than the smell, but still lots of coriander, orange, and pepper, but nicely balanced overall. M: Light-bodied, but creamy, with lively carbonation. D: Fairly easy to drink, but all of those spices may make it hard to have more than a couple. Still, a very interesting wit that should be tried by any fan of the class.