Hitachino Nest White Ale - Kiuchi Brewery

BeerManDan

California

4.1/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It poured a nice golden yellow with medium foam. The smell was of a citrus nature with spices. The taste was had a sweetness of citrus and I thought it also had a hint of cloves. It had a pleasant after taste. The sweet/bitter after taste was well balanced. I just wish that the after taste would have lingered a little longer in my mouth!

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2003 07:13:49 | More by BeerManDan

zerk

California

4.15/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A cloudy apricot gold with a quickly dissipating head. I smelled, then tasted this beer, and couldn't figure out the spice used in it... near the end of the beer, it finally hit me... ginger! Has a very intriguing aroma of ginger, citrus, and wheat. Flavor began with an upfront taste of fresh ginger and orange, with a touch of wheat and some malt sweetness to balance things out. Had a thin to medium body with medium carbonation. A beer that you must experience... one of the most interesting beers I've had in quite some time!

Serving type: on-tap

01-13-2003 09:22:57 | More by zerk

francisweizen

Australia

4.5/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

NOTES: this is available in a 720ml bottle and it is quite good as well!

A Damn Fine White Ale! This is a great offering from this Japanese Brewery. This poured a nice light amber hazy colour and smells of spices galore! This tasted like a super-spiced up version of the Classic Belgian Wit Beer and it was awesome! This had a wonderfully full and creamy mouthfeel as well as an awesome drinkability factor!
A+
Cheers!
F

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2003 08:14:06 | More by francisweizen

mjohn27603

Michigan

4.72/5  rDev +14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

From 24.3 fluid oz. bottle. Pours with a beautiful golden color with tiny bubbles of carbonation. A large brilliant white head. The taste is wonderful, I get more orange taste than some of the other flavors described by others. I did seem to taste some ginger. It is a nice change to get some orange flavor in a white ale. A lot of the time I get blasted with a little too much coriander. A nice tangy flavor. Very refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2002 18:17:26 | More by mjohn27603

marc77

California

4.08/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Turbid orange hue, topped by a porcelain white head that settles readily into a thin layer. Notes of candied ginger and dried orange peel dominate the aroma, with raw, fresh coriander and black pepper secondary. A snap of candy - like sweetness upfront immediately yields to curacao bitterness and nuttiness from the yeast. Mellow coriander and slightly spicy fresh ginger emerge mid palate along with a dryish, pseudo lactic grainy mild wheat tartness. Moderately bodied, w/ a smooth mouthfeel from the yeast in suspension and perhaps oats. Finishes relatively clean, w/ bready sweetness coating the tongue. Nest White is a clean and enjoyable Wit, but is a touch tame esterwise. The judicious use of spices lend excellent overall balance and drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2002 17:42:59 | More by marc77

ADR

Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pale pineapple color, opaque with yeasties. Head is short lasting and non-lacing. Acrid aroma, touch of wine and strong cheese. Maltier than I expected from the aroma, sour lemon and high carbonation dominate the initia flavor but then a sense of sweetness, nutmeg, cedar needles, and anise leaven the mix a bit. Finishes with a peppery hopping and an aftertaste like an orange Life Saver candy. Too astringent a White for me, not very drinkable, but there are big qualities in this beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2002 11:56:55 | More by ADR

StevieW

Florida

4.1/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cloudy dark golden color, some shiny colors depending on the light. Nice yeast bottom goodness makes for a great full fluffy tan head. Huge critus and floral aromas, nearly too much for me, but it settles and wears on you. Taste was a combination of oranges, cloves, ginger, coriander, and spicy peppery, almost hot finish. This would get a 5 on the orginality scale. Full of new flavors on every sip. Crisp, light bodied, and refreshing. I liked thier hefeweissbier version better. This is also worth picking up.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2002 14:48:11 | More by StevieW

John

New York

4.4/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

720mL. green bottle. Cloudy gold. Loose, off-white foam layer rests atop the hearty looking body. Light grains, lemon and some pineapple make up the aroma. All these aromatic elements are blended together skillfully for a unique flavor that includes some yeasty tartness. Low-medium carbonation combines with a light mouthfeel. A refreshing and interesting twist on the white ale style. Good stuff.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2002 07:19:07 | More by John

jackndan

Illinois

4.55/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Hitachino Nest White Ale: Konichiwa! Excellent white Belgian style ale, with a weird owl on the label to boot. Creamy white sticky head over a fluorescent orange/yellow beer. Very cloudy, with an aroma of citrus cut only with faint yeast aroma. Well bodied, with a very easy drinking creamy mouth feel. The taste initially hits with a flood of citrus flavors, with a noticeable sensation of hops. The aftertaste reminds me of fresh pine, with a hint of hops. Very very nice, expensive beer from Japan.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2002 19:38:06 | More by jackndan

putnam

Michigan

5/5  rDev +21.1%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I used to love Great Lakes Holy Moses White Ale but it is no longer for sale in MI. Belgian Wits have always left me wanting more flavor. This is the answer. Highly articulated flavors of orange, coriander, nutmeg, ginger, lemon merengue, and spice exist in perfect balance. The body is paradoxically almost solid, with aromas and flavors bouyantly rolicking in the foam, as well as vapor-thin, responding to the slightest pressure by melting and transforming into a different arrangement of sensations. Tight bead, viscous, it melts in your mouth and leaves a whistle-clean bright citrus note that goes on and on. Absolutely beautiful.

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2002 06:55:50 | More by putnam

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.68/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Hazy, golden body with an orange cast topped by a thin bright white head that holds an exceptionall collar but leaves no lace. Great aroma! Very bold and perfumy. Sweet & spicy, full of sugary clove, ginger, and light citrus notes as well as some whisps of maltiness. Quite unique. The body is medium light and very creamy. The flavor comes on strong but finishes oh-so-soft, starting with a bright fruitiness, followed immediately by a light-but-mouthcoating maltiness as it crosses the palate, and eventually receeding into a long lasting finish with a light fruit, ginger, citrus, and soft maltiness that is not at all sticky. A little bit of a spice bite on the front of the tongue. Fairly complex for a white ale. Unique. Immensely refreshing and very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2002 12:11:53 | More by NeroFiddled

Thrasher

Oregon

4.33/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This startling beer is pricey but worth it. Fruity attack with huge blend of spices, including some hints of Japanese origin. I thought I felt some wasabe kick although it could be my imagination; the finish has a similar effect of scraping out the sinuses and the back of the throat (similar to some pharmeceuticals, too). Definite yogurt characteristics, perhaps due to yeast. Nice blend of Japanese and east Mediterranean flavors. Attack is gingery, but not as refreshing as many wits; more heavy duty and may be be best appreciated with robust Japanese-style cuisine. Bubbly on the tongue, smooth in the belly. I think I'll get the 750 bottle next time. Yum.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2002 12:02:46 | More by Thrasher

cokes

Wisconsin

4.53/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A nice wit imported across the wrong ocean.
Nice pale orange in color with a good deal of haze. Smallish head, but lasts the duration. Spicy in the nostrils, coriander especially, and some equally spicy yeast aromas.
Zesty! Lots of spice on the tongue. More coriander and a good deal of pepper. Faint citrus rind (orange...maybe even grapefruit). Yeast flavors add to the melee. Not much sweetness here at all. But I am not complaining.
Finishes bone-dry
Just a hair on the watery side...but with all the flavor here, it doesn't seem to matter.
Glass was gone before I could fully appreciate it.
Good stuff.

BTW: My frequented liquor store was selling bottles of this for $0.99 (and the weizen too). I figured they were old, but gave it a shot anyway. These are in good shape. I'll clean out the rest of their stock tomorrow.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2002 22:44:01 | More by cokes

jdhilt

New Hampshire

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Who would have thought that a Belgian white would come out of Japan and taste really good. Expensive $3.95 for 11oz but you get what you pay for. Creamy head fades quickly. Spicy/floral smell.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2002 16:03:52 | More by jdhilt

Jason

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Cloudy pale orange with a dense rocky white head. Dried orange peel and coriander in the aroma and flavour. Seems the coriander is more dominant in the aroma. Refreshingly crisp and smooth at the same time, dry malt character in the back with grainy tones and nuttiness from the yeast. Spices add some sweetness, coriander is the one that flexes the most. Smooth and rounded grainy flavour helps in the finish. A good and balanced white ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2002 18:58:27 | More by Jason

Todd

Massachusetts

4.7/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Presentation: 11oz short-n-stubby brown bottle. That crazy owl mocks me. Why, owl? Why?

Appearance: There's yeast ... so this baby pours a cloudy straw-coloured beer with a creamy white head. There's also ample stick and an equal covering lace.

Smell: Major clove/ginger aromas that pretty much stifle everything else.

Taste: Ultra-creamy on the palate and light-bodied, actually a very uplifting beer -- that palate literally fills up with creamy beer goodness. Grainy malt characters kick things off and are quickly replaced by a highly refreshing citrusy/orange hop snap and a spicy ginger/clove/coriander character that is relentless. Pepper flavours are also evident, and dominate with the rest. No real sweetness, but there's some dextrin kicking about, especially as a body builder. Finish is dry, with loads of clove afters.

Notes: This is one hell of a unique and outstanding beer! The flavours scramble the shit out of the palate and there's so much depth to this beer that you need an oxygen tank and a slow rise to reality to avoid failing to the bends. Orange? Clove? All these wonderful flavours ... this is all blissful. I'm calm, collective and at one with the universe. This is more of a Wit than most traditional Belgians ... oh, and it's from Japan. Purchase this beer now.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2002 20:45:03 | More by Todd