Hitachino Nest XH

Brewed by Kiuchi Brewery
Style: Belgian Ale
Ibaraki, Japan

Pours a murky copper with a large white foamy head. Nose is fruity like a bourbon, with nice yeast esters. Taste is very nice, peaches, pears, the sake was not overpowering or very sake like at all, it tasted more like it soaked in an apple rum barrell. Had slight whiskey notes, very good, but a sipper.

Bottle. Pours deep dark copper,with a thin off-white head, with excellent lacing. Nose is yeast and hops, very Belgian in style. I can’t place the slight alcoholic vapour that surrounds this beer in the Sake realm, but it is obvious that the aging process has impacted the beer. Palate is righ and chewy, hoppiness is present and balanced. Sake finally comes through on the finish, sweet and distnct, and loely, gives this seemingly-forgettable Belgia-style a real twist that keeps you coming back. A quality beer, with a unique twist.

Bottle. Dirty copper. Mild head. Hoppy, nice beer. Dry. Alcohol touch in the finish.

Not your usual Hitachino Nest. I was saving to have with Sushi but did not and a good idea since it would not have gone well. Strong woody taste with some alcohol but could not really place it as sake. A bit of carmel sweetness and some hops. Very flat.

bottle poured a brown in color with a one finger hearty off white head. aroma has some sweet fruit, yeast, apple, and some cellar dust. flavor has a light bit of sourness, green barrel wood, light bitterness, and some yeast. I think i get some sake in here but I have never tried one so this might give me a reason to now.

12 oz bottle courtesy of an extra in trade from.. Beerlando, maybe? It’s been awhile.. Pours a murky darker amber, a huge bubbly offwhite head on this gusher that cakes and stays large, laces lightly though. Aromas are a spicey fruity Belgian yeast, apple and pear mix with spicey yeast, candy sugars, and a touch of booziness from beneath. Vanilla, some light oakey wet wood elements. Initial is medium bodied, prickly and a bit boozy overall, as oak, sake, and a good warming booziness become apparent. The spice and flavors of the beer actually fall behind, still fruity and yeasty further in, but covered up by a significant warming alcohol feel, light oak, more sake. This is a bit much for me, as the sake covers up most of the flavors and just makes this warmer and more dangerous on the palate. Not for me, but I can see the idea being interesting.

super brett bomb. i don’t know if this was intended, and i’m not seeing a lot of other raters who’ve noticed this, but mine was loaded with brettanomyces funk, carbonation, and spice. so... tart, barnyardy, and i really don’t get a lot of sake. like a lot of brett beers, it’s tough to taste the beer through the brett. pretty good, though. there is enough of a backbone to it to stand up to the funk, and i love the way it smells.

Quite malty aroma. This is interesting. Some hop notes to it, but the sake gives it a weird flavor I don’t like too much.