Hitachino Nest XH

Brewed by Kiuchi Brewery
Style: Belgian Ale
Ibaraki, Japan

Bottle. Pours a maple syrup color with a thick 2 finger egg shell colored head that disappears quickly. Aroma is wood, fruit, sake, and a hint of malt. Flavor is very, very smooth with hints of malt and sake playing nicely off of one another. An interesting idea but not a beer that I will drink on the regular.

Bottle pours a very hazy garnet color with an initial head that diminishes to a surface island. The aroma is wood, vanilla, vinious, some Sake, and fruit. The flavor is very complex with malt, fruit, wood, vanilla, Sake, and dryness all rolling together well. The palate is rich and carbonated. Overall, this is real good and I’m glad I spotted it to pick it up.

Pours a hazy golden amber color with a slight off white head. Aroma is oak, rice, some vanilla, slightly sugary, slight alcohol, and some bitter peppery hops. Flavor is malt, vanilla, oak, alcohol, rice, sugar, and a slight bitter peppery finish.

bottle, from either the Raleigh or Cary Whole Foods. Nice aroma, fruity yeasty, cherry, vinous, sherry, could be the sake I wouldn’t know, woody. Hazed orangy brown color, good head that faded at a moderate pace which eventually disappeared, ok lace. Bittersweet flavor, wood shows itself here, some of the fruit, little brown sugar too. Medium body, lite creamy mouthfeel, dry sweet finish. Interesting brew, made me think of some belgian strong ales. Aroma was better cold.

Draft at Tria in Philly: pours a dark orangish color with a frothy white head, aroma of sake, taste is peppery, sake, with a dry, smooth finish. An all around fine beer and my first from Hitachino Nest.

Poured into goblet, chestnut clear brown with a medium creamy tan head. Woody vinous yeasty aroma, closely resembles some good Belgians. Wow, extremely yeasty woody brown-sugar flavor. Some sweet pineapple in the finish. Somewhat similar to De Dolle Oerbier Special Reserva, but I thnk I might like this better, easier to drink. Nice fluffy crisp body. Unique and excellent. Sake comes out more towards the end.

Douglas88 shared this with me. Nose was more like a Flemish Sour.. a good one at that. Not sure about the Sake but there was a ton of funk. Horse blankets and earthy goodness. The flavor was an exact match to the aroma.

Bottle thanks to Dave and Jordan. Pours a cloudy red/brown with a decent white head. The aroma is funky, like vinegar and sourness. The taste is also quite unique; some woody, sour and sake. Also, some malt and yeast. Kinda like Belgium meets Japan. Overall, a good beer, odd in a good way.