Hitachino Nest XH

Brewed by Kiuchi Brewery
Style: Belgian Ale
Ibaraki, Japan

From the bottle, pours a hazy red-orange with a thich white foamy head. Fruity aroma, citrus, sugar, a little alcohol. Strong taste, at first sour, some orange, sugar, alcohol, caramel. Finishes lightly sour and a little bitter. Pretty complex flavors which fall off a bit as the beer warms. Drink it while it’s cold, it’s pretty good.

12oz bottle poured into a tulip. Major gusher alert on this one as the cap popped and foam immediately started streaming out of the bottle. The body is a hazy caramel brown which shows bright orange when held up to light. There’s a massive bubbly off-white head that shows excellent retention and lacing. The aroma is very sweet with tons of light fruits, apricots and pears especially, but there’s also plenty of Belgian yeast sweetness which also brings in a hint of spices. On top of that is the big oak presence and the boozy sake aromas. Big nose on this one. The taste is really interesting and I can definitely get the sake character which pervades the taste and leaves an especially strong aftertaste. The Belgian yeast and candi sugar form a solid backbone underneath the light sweet fruit and big oak presence, which leaves a dry finish. The mouthfeel is extremely smooth and creamy but with a very dry finish from the sake and oak. This is a very unique beer from Hitachino and one that I’m quite impressed with. It’s a solid Belgian style beer with the added complexity of a sake barrel character that brings something original to the table. Very pleasantly surprised.

tap at collins pub, sake aged version. lightly sour, aged aroma, dark ruby color with a somewhat funky taste. Mix of good and ew.

beer and sake... interesting combination. pours copper with a large head. Lots of carbonation. Little bit of sediment on the bottom. now lets get to taste... cinnamon, sugar, funk, and kindof apple ciderish? Nice spices and a very different take on typical belgian style. I enjoyed it.

Pours penny copper with a nice fizzy head. Cedar wood is the biggest in the aroma, with some tart funkiness as well. Oak, vanilla, a bit of spice, with a nice long finish.

bottle. unfiltered cedar red colored body. solvent, lacto and pedio in the nose, intensely aromatic juniper/cedar/boozy character. prickly, acidic, effervescent. well-structured, moderately thick, lively and active on the palate. awesome plat between light sweetness and light acidity. crazy beer unlike anything i’ve had.

Poured a beautiful copper with a thick billowy white head. Nose is sweet and a little fruity, maybe bubblegum?Taste was sweet (like a Tripel) up front with a dry woody finish and a light bitterness that lingers. Alcohol is warming but not overwhelming. Sake flavor only became evident as this warmed up a tad.

Pours a cloudy brownish/amber color with a medium head. Fruity aromas with some sweet malt. Flavor is of sweet malt and some fruit that thats finishes with a big alcohol aftertaste that lasts awhile(must be the sake flavor) Interesting concept,interesting brew.