Hitachino Nest XH

Brewed by Kiuchi Brewery
Style: Belgian Ale
Ibaraki, Japan

This Belgian Ale pours a medium copper amber color from a 33cl bottle. Huge white foamy head with nice lacing. The aroma is fruity and sweet, with a touch of wood and some yeast. A medium bodied Belgian Ale. The malts are fruity and sweet, touch of vinous quality as well. The hops are citrusy. Interesting beer, kind of fruity and sweet, some wood, some yeast with a wine (sake?) like character. The flavors change with each sip. Subtle. Mouthfeel is full. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.

Aroma and finish that of flowers. Sake Barrel conditioning quite evident and welcome. Tastes fruity and floral. Tried on draft during Saturnalia at Rich-O’s Public House in New Albany, IN.

In the bottle from Beertopia. Pours a dark bownish-purple with a medium but durable off white head. The aroma is very dark fruit consisting of wines and raisins and figs. This would be a clone of St. Bernardus Abt if you ignored the nutty sandalwood/cedar/crazywood flavor and the weirdness. A very thick beer that has all the abbey beer palate. There’s lots going on here. I am very impressed.

This was so delicious! I had never even thought about a beer aged in Sake casks, it really imparts a different flavor to the style. The nose has a lot of yeasty qualities, as well as dates and figs, and a hint of candi sugar. The mouthfeel is quite complex and delicious. Has an earth mineral quality to it and a bit of saltiness, but extremely assertive with the belgian qualities, some nice subtle spices with some herbal hoppiness in the finish. Very tasty and unique.

Poured a murky dark amber with a fizzy/frohty off-white head. Surprisingly strong aroma of wood, cherries, alcohol.. comes off as a bit unusual but not unpleasant. Taste is strong, unusual, refined. Notes of cherries, oak, dark malts, a bit of bitter grass, some light molasses. It at first seems as if it would be predominantly sweet, but tart flavors and an alcoholic, mildly metallic dryness show themselves through quickly in the sip. Body is extremely aggressive, with carbonation and alcohol burning all the way down my throat. This has the complexity of good beer and the refined dryness of the sake, making it overall a nice drink that could compliment a delicate yet well-layered meal. I think Hitachino could potentially make something momentous out of this with a bit more sugar, some stronger fermentation, and a bit more aging. A surprising amount of character for such an unassuming beer. Nice.

Bottle. Fruity almost vinous aroma with an undercurrent of funk. Quite Belgian. Near mahogany color with a decent beige head. Medium bodied with creamy, but coarse, carbonation. It’s got a touch of Brettness, unsweet fruit, some wood, and a hint of Sake. Whew. Finish is slightly tart, dry, and woody. All in all it is quite good, and something I’d ascribe to Russian River on a blind tasting.

Complex nose of sweet fruits and funk. Awfully aromatic. Dark orange color. Unique tartness with exotic fruits and interesting flavors. Really nice and delectable, bottle conditioned ale.

12 oz. bottle. Pours hazy dark brown with a rich tan head. The aroma has toasted malt, lots of sourness, funky yeasty qualities, graininess, anise and other spices. The funk almost gives a Jolly Pumpkin type of hint to it. Medium slick body that has a multitude of micro-sized carbonation coating the tongue, but never intruding on the flavor. The flavor starts with all kinds of funkiness that seems like an enjoyable infection was going on here. There is also dark malt, anise, fitting mustiness and something I can’t put my finger on (probably sake). The finish is sour with some burntness and a hint of elderberries. A great beer.