Hitachino Nest Beer XH
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Sometimes, you just don’t know what kind of surprise a new beer will present. That’s usually part of the fun, but Hitachino Nest Beer XH started off with a bang. This little bottle of Japanese beer held so much carbonation it quite literally shot up a geyser the moment I removed its cap.
As I held the dripping bottle over my waiting tulip glass (catching every drop I could), the distinct aroma of Hitachino Nest Beer XH hit me for the first time — and I began to lament the loss of those few sips of beer that puddled on the table in front of me.
XH’s aroma was like a musky cologne. It smelled strongly of brett yeast, with a dry/sour aroma like a gueuze and a sweetness that reminded me of cherry and oak. Subtle spice permeated the aroma, and above it all — lifting and delivering this complex fragrance — was the strong smell of alcohol.
This strong ale was matured in shochu (a type of distilled sake) casks, imbuing the ale with a woodiness and a kiss of sake characteristics. Presumably, the pleasant, tongue twanging brett organisms were introduced by the wood during the maturation process.
In my glass, Hitachino Nest Beer XH was hazy. The beer was a dark coppery red with a narrow tan head that effervesced and quickly faded.
Its taste brings me back to Orval — all that wild brett tingling across the tongue. But there’s a woodiness and a bitterness in the aftertaste that slowly accumulates at the back and middle of the tongue, and the astringency of the alcohol fades as you drink. Even that funky brett taste subsides a shade or two, tipping the scales toward bitterness and sweet malt.
For aroma and taste, it’s hard to beat this complex beer — and it has easily become one of my favorites this year. Orval drinkers should give this tiny bottle a try. But be prepared for the possibility of an explosive introduction! Cleaning up the lost beer left my fingers sticky and pleasantly funky even after a quick hand washing.
Hitachino Nest Beer XH is 8% ABV and 40 IBU.
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