Hitachino Nest Japanese Classic Ale - Kiuchi Brewery

Sixpack595

Michigan

3.88/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Very hazy beer, plenty of loose sediment. Pours very lively (gusher?), strongly carbonated with a huge cap of foam. Copper colored and murkey. Aroma is overpowering cedar, spicy and citruicy. Flavor is hoppy with a fruity, acidic bitterness and a sappy wood flavor. Crazy beer. Unique take on an IPA, great beer but I'm not sure I could drink more than a couple.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2004 08:52:33 | More by Sixpack595

mikeburd1128

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +4.2%

05-10-2013 22:56:09 | More by mikeburd1128

TypsiYpsi

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

05-10-2013 02:10:52 | More by TypsiYpsi

YeastEnthusiast

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +4.2%

04-23-2013 20:57:00 | More by YeastEnthusiast

noblittjared

Indiana

4.75/5  rDev +23.7%

04-18-2013 15:58:40 | More by noblittjared

Norseman

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +10.7%

04-18-2013 01:05:12 | More by Norseman

bigbeers84

Minnesota

3/5  rDev -21.9%

04-16-2013 10:21:04 | More by bigbeers84

SteveMcGlone

Ohio

4.08/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

The first time I had this beer was out West at a Japanese Style Burger joint. I decided to try something new and picked this from the menu.

Color: It really drew me in and hinted at it's complexity.

Aroma: Smells of hops and cedar and a bit of sweetness. Strong scent, but it's a good scent. Again, it invites you in to take a sip.

Taste: Hits your mouth with a sweet flavor then continues with a mild hop and cedar notes. The finish is dry and it leaves the taste of Sake and Cedar behind. Very Nice.

Overall: This is a great beer, I wish it was more readily available around home. This is definitely a Quality over Quantity beer, not something you can sit down and drink a bunch of but definitely a beer to be enjoyed.

Serving type: bottle

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 19:43:42 | More by SteveMcGlone

Lare453

Florida

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

03-24-2013 18:37:03 | More by Lare453

Hoppsbabo

United Kingdom (England)

3.86/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A: A half cloudy dull orange body with a very decent head.

S: Strong bathwater hops.

T: Poignant bathwatery hops with a secondry sherbety detergent-like flavour; one which seems to be peculiar to Japanese crafty ales. It's not an unpleasant one though. Quite a bit of grapefruit and marmalade. Nice and bitter.

O: Very drinkable. Shame about the ludicrous price.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 13:08:29 | More by Hoppsbabo

Hultkrantz

Sweden

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

03-16-2013 13:25:24 | More by Hultkrantz

JimmyCop

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%

03-14-2013 00:37:07 | More by JimmyCop

Zachtheporter

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

03-13-2013 06:44:20 | More by Zachtheporter

Tone

Missouri

3.95/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours a cloudy, dark maize color. 1/2 inch head of an off-white color. Good retention and good lacing. Smells of sweet malt, strong citrus hops, floral hops, yeast, slight biscuit, hint of caramel malt, slight pale malt, hint of grass, and herb/spice?. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. Fits the style of an English IPA. Tastes of grass, sweet malt, hint of rye, slight pale malt, slight floral hops, hint of pale malt, slight caramel malt, and slight alcohol. Overall, good aroma, body, blend, and decent appearance.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2013 14:58:33 | More by Tone

CaptainNomihodai

Illinois

4/5  rDev +4.2%

02-28-2013 05:16:43 | More by CaptainNomihodai

inspektor

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

02-26-2013 21:10:40 | More by inspektor

fdig23

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -2.3%

02-19-2013 03:58:04 | More by fdig23

JDavidRice

Connecticut

3.94/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A beautifully colored beer, cloudy burnt orange with a million tiny bits of sediment floating around. Head is perfect for the style and the lacing is above average. Interestingly enough, I don't smell the cedar that others have mentioned at all. Instead, I get impressions of apricots, wildflower blossoms, a little ground white pepper, and hops. The taste reminds me of a more refined and interesting MH #9; apricot and flowery hops arrive first, but the overall taste is nicely balanced by the finish. Slight lingering taste of citrus left on the palate after each sip. Mouthfeel was a little sharp right out of the fridge, but it is becoming more soft and luscious as it warms up. I'll definitely buy some more.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 20:12:43 | More by JDavidRice

LambicPentameter

Kansas

4.08/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Served out of standard 11.2 oz brown shortneck bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance - Pours hazy and rust-colored, with a dark core from the shadow of the the thick (two finger) head. Head is fluffy and smooth on top, like freshly-fallen snow. The color is tan with a hint of burnt sienna and it dissipates to a half-cm of foam that lingers and leaves respectable lacing.

Smell - Intriguing, with notes of cedar, fresh pinewood and notes of malty grains. I also get a hint of steamed brown rice as the head slowly dissipates to the shorter, lingering version of itself.

Taste - Subtle hoppiness, with a hint of sapling or green wood. The mild bitterness from the hops and a finish that has a citrusy-sour essence. Not sour like a capital-S "sour", but a tart quality to it.

Mouthfeel - This one is full and robust, with a resinous feel to it. I sticks around to let you really allow you to fully process the depth of flavor. Balanced.

Overall, a very good drinking beer that has some heft to it. I imagine it would pair well with a lot of different foods.

It's interesting because Japan is further away from England than India (especially by ship), and the mild hoppiness of this beer recalls the fact that IPAs were started by England wanting to put enough hops in the beer that it would still have some kick when it reached the colonies in India. Perhaps if those same IPAs traveled onto Japan after the stop in India, this barely bitter pale ale might be the end result.

Given the price of getting it here in KC, I can't imagine I would drink this one often, but it's a very tasty beer and one I would recommend to someone wanting to delve into the Japanese microbrewery scene.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 01:32:37 | More by LambicPentameter

matjack85

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -8.9%

01-29-2013 13:51:17 | More by matjack85

guytyping

Illinois

4/5  rDev +4.2%

01-28-2013 23:55:53 | More by guytyping

sumpjh

California

4/5  rDev +4.2%

01-28-2013 14:40:32 | More by sumpjh

IDontBelieveYou

4.51/5  rDev +17.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

When I tried to relate to people, and promote this beer, I never had to lie, yet I always had to be cheesy. "Would you like to drink the scent of a cigar box?" Honestly, I can't move beyond the cedar nose. And who doesn't love the mysterious scent of their father's cedar cigar box? This is also the only beer I've ever encountered with this flavor profile. So points for originality? And brilliantly, unlike a typical strange or experimental brew, it actually works and is elegant, and challenging. My personal favorite from Hitachino.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2013 01:34:02 | More by IDontBelieveYou

ironchefmiyagi13

New York

4.15/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The first time I tried this beer was after my first bar tending shift in a really nice fine dining restaurant. One of the senior bartenders sat me down and brought out a whole bunch of bottles from our 50+ choice menu and had me taste some. This was one of the more interesting of the selection and the brewery is a personal favorite of mine.

Nice color means better eye-appeal, which leads to an increased curiosity to sip.

Aroma expresses the beer's time spent in the sake-soaked cedar barrels of the family's sake business. Very appealing and inviting.

Taste consists of a flirtatious sweetness and faint hops with a dry finish leaving the palate with notes of that same cedar and sake; most likely the desired effect.

This is definitely a beer to be drank and appreciated in small quantities amongst friends. I can say this is one of the beers that got me hooked on learning more about craft breweries. A real treat.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2013 03:46:09 | More by ironchefmiyagi13

NardiByNature

Massachusetts

3.83/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Dated J. 12. 08: I'm sure the dates are somewhat reversed on this guy...if it were really almost 5-years-old "you wouldn't be able to taste the hops" on this guy, says my man @ the beer store.

Ruby – dark amber in color with a small white head that quickly fades into a collar. Somewhat hazy, minor sediment floating around.

First there’s the malty/resiney scent of a hop-waned IPA, But Wait! There’s More: apple cider, and a really dried woody smell: “matured in cedar casks”? No doubt.

Complex to say the least; I’ll try my best: apple sauce hits first, but an herbal-cedar punch comes through and dries it out. The cedar is very apparent here, this is really interesting, and some wild plays like a mild mushroom.

Mouth is dry, no doubt the cedar is a contributor here. I could use a little more carbo.

This beer is really good. Truly an experience, and what picking out a single bottle is about: cedar? Awesome. Beer from Japan? Out of the ordinary. You should try this because I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 23:51:13 | More by NardiByNature