Hitachino Nest White Ale
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(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Since beer number 100 was a stout of stygian blackness, I decided to follow up with a decidedly lighter brew. For beer number 101 I chose Kiuchi Brewery of Japan, and its Hitachino Nest Beer White Ale.
The Kiuchi Brewery’s website describes this Witbier as:
A refreshing mildly hopped Belgian styled beer with a complex flavor of coriander, orange peel, nutmeg.
Not what I think of when I consider Japanese beer — the description certainly sounds a lot better than Sapporo, so bring it on!
Hitachino Nest White Ale poured hazy and pale yellow, with a pronounced but brief head. The beer allowed light through, but the body was hazy enough that I couldn’t even see my fingers on the other side of the glass.
The aroma was lemony, with some orange zest and a hint of spice. Very, very attractive aroma. And the taste followed suit — lemony, tart, dry and delicious with the barest bitterness.
Everything about this White Ale seems delicate, and deliberate. It’s a careful beer; easy to drink, but still complex enough to be interesting.
I’ve mentioned before that my wife doesn’t like beer. She has shown some signs of bravery by taking a sip of beer on occasion. For example, she tried the Beer Geek Brunch and hated it. And that was before I explained the stout was brewed with coffee beans picked from cat droppings. So you can imagine I had to work extra hard to cajole her into trying a sip of this Japanese take on a Witbier.
She cautiously took a sip of Hitachino Next Beer White Ale, swished it through her mouth and swallowed. She didn’t make her usual “yuck” face — in fact, she paused after sipping and nodded thoughtfully before saying, “Yes, I think I could drink that.”
There you have it — high praise from even a non-beer drinker!
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4 Comments
April 15th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
This is one of the few “White Ales” that don’t make me gag.
The only reason I even tried it in the first place is the adorable label. I’m a sucker for a cute hootie owl.
April 17th, 2009 at 12:43 am
I might actually drink a little more of this next time/next year. That is, if you’ll share.
April 19th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
John, I’m pleased to hear you’re a fan of Hitachino. Was it the owl that caused you to pick up a bottle, or did a bartender recommend you try it?
Oh, and Everyone, meet my wife Jen. She participates in this beer experiment nearly every day, but I do believe this comment is her first post. Let’s give her a warm welcome!
March 1st, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Where did you pick this up? I tried it at a place in LA once and really liked it.