Hitachino Nest Weizen - Kiuchi Brewery

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Chris and Kyoko for cracking this one.

Pours a hazed golden, thin off white head, some lace spots on the glass, settles to a thin layer. Smell is sour bananas, spicy yeast, cloves, wood, bread, interesting take but it works. Taste is wheat, bread, lots of yeast, banana, spices, sour woody finish. Mouthfeel is light bodied with medium carbonation, interesting weizen, not a whole lot going on but the sourness is neat and this would be excellent if there was more complexity. Thanks guys!

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2007 18:02:35 | More by Viggo

schmoopsbeer

California

3.6/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

poured into pint glass

Color: Vibrant orange with golden notes at the core. No head or vi sable lacing is left on the glass. Little carbonation also.

Nose: Coriander, lemon zest and other citrus hit the nose with potency. Hints of grass and orange peel.

Palate: The tartness is the first thing your tongue gets. It is followed by a semi sweet orange and some light sourness from the lemon. This is light bodied beer and its soft and refreshing too.

Finish: Long and tart. goes down clean with waves of lemon zest and grassy notes, but not very complex. Lacks texture and a bit of presence at the back end.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2011 05:24:47 | More by schmoopsbeer

ADR

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Hazy but not chunky greenish yellow appearance, big small-bubbled head with spidery traces of lace. Slightly lemony and estery aroma. Taste is quite sweet and the mouthfeel is quite fizzy with fine sized carbonation. The main ester flavor was a sugary pineapple fountain syrup with a leavening of lemon grass citrus tang. Not as peppery as the Wit, but like the Wit, a slightly unsettling swallow for me. Not bad, Weizens always walk a fine line for me...

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2003 09:25:16 | More by ADR

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

3.63/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

The beer poured crystal clear golden with a white frothy head that fell slowly to lace the glass.

The aroma was lightly fruity with some pineapple notes most prevalent and some citrusy notes along with a very slight oak/woodsy aroma. Slight lactic aroma was present.

The flavor was crisp with a slight sourness that did not detract. The wheat flavor was present followed by a tart pineapple and and citrusy flavor. The flavor was a bit sharp with the fruits, especially with the citrus flavors.

The finish was dry with lasting pleasant tartness and woodsy character. The body was medium light.

24.3 ounce bottle. Oddly enough, the label on the bottle I have is in the exact same off center location as the one in the picture.

A very interesting wheat beer, but not one I would go out of my way to procure. At $7 a bottle the only reason to seek it out is for it's country of origin and for some of the interesting flavors. Of course if I ever make it to Japan, this will be one place I will certainly visit.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2004 21:33:16 | More by GCBrewingCo

TexIndy

Texas

3.63/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Shipped back from my trip to Indiana. I actually got this one by mistake. I meant to grab the White and got the Weizen - damnit really wanted the White.

Poured from a 330ml bottle (no dating info) into a weizen glass. It was a hazy pale yellow/straw color. It had a good fizzy white head that started to quickly evaporate but then it stopped and left a thin layer of foam for rest of drink. Good carb but no lacing.

The aroma was weaker version of standard hefe. Banana, clove and malt. The taste was good except for a tart finish that I found a little annoying. I like my hefes more fruity than spicy. For spicy, I'll drink a saison or a white. The base taste was good but the vinegary tartness was odd. Mouthfeel also hurt by the vinegar bite.

Overall, it was a good but not great beer. Glad I tried it but there are better ones out there. Now I just need to find the White.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2008 20:40:27 | More by TexIndy

kmpitz2

Tennessee

3.65/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer poured a golden color with no head. The nose was slightly sour and slightly citrusy orange and acidic. The flavor was mild, with a slight belgian spicey flavor abd slight acidic tartness. Enjoyable. The feel was moderate, somewhat drying. Overall, I found hte beer refreshing and quenching. I liked the drying quality.

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2005 03:15:06 | More by kmpitz2

Gagnonsux

Texas

3.68/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Color is golden orange and hazy. Head is tall and sticky. Plenty of carbonation here. The smell has the typical clove hefe aroma with a little of that bubblegum aroma I've been hearing about thrown in too. The taste has an initial sharp clove bite that mixes in with a medium malt body. There is more malt here than expected, but not enough to knock the beer off of it's style. As with all hefes the drinkability is very good. Hitachino Weizen is a nice interpretation of the style, however there are better German examples at lower prices.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2005 02:53:43 | More by Gagnonsux

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a large initial head of soap bubbles. Under average aroma. Pale colour. Spicey taste, a bit of wheat and yeast, easy quaffable. Medium to slightly thin mouthfeel. Drying banana creamy finish. Clove and vinegary tart and malt aftertaste. Nice overall.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2005 03:19:20 | More by northyorksammy

ElGrecoVerde

Michigan

3.68/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

The Hitachino owl is one of the cooler logos I've seen on beer. Pours a cloudy orange with a bubbly head. As with other Hitachino beers, if you pour too fast, the head will erupt out of the glass.

Smell was of citrus and fruit aromas.

Taste started with some fruits like lemons and bananas, but then followed with a strange floral flavor that ruined it for me. It starts great, reminding me of lemon cookies. It's also very creamy and refreshing. But that floral taste really takes away from the overall flavor.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2008 15:56:59 | More by ElGrecoVerde

Budlum

Maryland

3.7/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

The pour displays a highly carbonated body producing three fingers of foamy, white head. Head retention is very good. The body is a very clear amber color.

The nose starts off with a fresh, pear aroma along with sour apples. Wheat malt smells are minimal. A clove spice adds some tingling feelings in the nose.

Light fruit flavors start this weizen with fresh apples and pears. Fruit flavors are long and last throughout an entire sip. Hints of spice hit at the midpoint and are quickly backed by a sweet, wheat malt flavor. Yeast flavors are noticeable but minimal.

The mouthfeel is highly carbonated and paired with a very dry finish after each sip.

Drinkability is very good. There are much better wheat beers but this is quite refreshing. An excellent hot weather beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2006 23:58:15 | More by Budlum

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

330ml bottle, purchased at the Tobu department store in Ikebukuro.

First off all, I have to give big props to this bottle, which combines the Japanese obsession with cuteness with an excellent design. After popping the cap and pouring, a light orange, cloudy body is revealed to sit under a couple fingers of bone white head. Sadly, the head fades to a thin cap quite rapidly, and the lacing is too fluid and heavy to grasp the sides of the glass. While the colouration is excellent, the head retention and lacing is certainly below par for the style. The aroma is also quite interesting, notably for its lack of banana esters, and its emphasis on a nose full of yeast, wheat and clove. The crispness, and slight herbal quality, almost recalls a Belgian wit more than a hefe. Again, there is a marked absence of banana when the beer is tasted. Faint hints linger at the back, but the dominant feature here is a bullish wheat body and a yeast spiciness, with pronounced clove notes. While its interesting, and the mix of slightly sour and sharp wheat with some sweetness is great, I do look for a lot more banana in a hefe. Fortunately, the body helps pick up the rest of the drink, with its ethereal lightness elevated to a smooth creaminess by a pillowy carbonation. Its refreshing and full at the same time.

My thoughts on this beer are mixed. Its a decent sessionable brew, but no better than any number of other hefes, and I regret not picking something else to bring back from Japan. After tasting some great Japanese hefeweizen, and then greatly enjoying Hitachino's Espresso beer I had high hopes that this would combine to form a great beer. I need to tone down my expectations.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2009 14:32:53 | More by bobsy

rainydays2020

New York

3.71/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Drank it from a tulip glass. I don't remember the specifics as I drank it yesterday afternoon. It had a very dry Japanese, Sapporo-esque dryness that I didn't prefer at first. After a few sips it really grew on me. An interesting Beer with a very light smell.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 21:19:36 | More by rainydays2020

Todd

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Presentation: 11oz stuby bottle with that trademark owl on the label. No freshness date.

Appearance: Plenty of yeast in the bottle, so I swirl it up to create a cloudy orange-ish beer with a patchy white foam head -- decent retention.

Smell: Musty, clove, caramel and faint, very faint, banana.

Taste: Smooth and very creamy on the palate. Body is more or less light. Faint flavour of pool water, followed by an immediate lemon (touch of lime) tartness that is near puckering, and Sprite-like when combined with the tight carbonation on the palate. Malt flavours kick-in with a mellow sweetness, touch of toasty caramel, banana esters, yeasty must and a rounding dash of clove. Finish is a bit spicy and musty, going dry eventually.

Notes: This is truly a bit of something special, for many reasons. 1) A weizen from Japan? How'd that happen? 2) It's a fine example of the style, and 3) It's darnright tasty as hell!

However, this being said, you can't beat a weizen from the source ...

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2002 19:17:33 | More by Todd

Brent

Kentucky

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured a hazy peach. Aroma was soft and powdery fruity yeast. First sip was a jaw-clenching tartness. My initial reaction was that the beer had gone acidic. Then the malty/yeasty flavors swept in to moderate the sourness. Nonetheless, the beer maintained a quite tart and lemony nature. Finish was dry, the dryest weizen I've run across. Since Japanese brewers seem to have a penchant for dry styles of beer, it should come as no surprise that they have produced a "dry weizen." A pleasant beer, but I still prefer the German varieties.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2003 06:41:21 | More by Brent

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Found a 720 ml brown bottle of this at Lee's Discount Liquor in Las Vegas, the novelty factor urged me to pick it up. Pours out a hazy straw colour, a quick fizzle of head with little retention. The nose possesses a mandarin orange sweetness, citrus and yeast, with mild spices like corainder and black pepper. The flavour grows on me over time, I bump it up from a 3.5 to a 4 in that period. Orange citrus sweetness, wheat and mild spice on the finish, it's all very subtle and low key, but it works. Reminds me more of a wit than a weizen, but I like the Japanese interpretation. Brings some faith back into Hitachino for me, as I am enjoying this far more than I did their Red Rice Ale. Worth picking up, would go well on a hot day, or any day in Vegas for that matter.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2004 02:19:05 | More by IronDjinn

nlmartin

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer was purchased at the Dilly Deli for $5.99. The beer was served in a pub glass.

Appearance: The beer pours a pale yellow. The head was about two fingers high off white in coloration. The head never really stayed around for long.

Smell: The beer has a lot of upfront lemony smells. There is a pleasant wheat and yeast mixture. A bit of floral and cloves smells drift from the glass.

Taste: The beer is almost peppery lemon in first taste. The beer has a nice wheat and spicy yeast taste. There is a after taste of cloves and other spices.

Mouthfeel/ Drinkability: The beer is a bit more than light bodied. The beer is well carbonated. The taste is spicy and finishes clean. This is a very tasty beer and I would gladly have it again.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2006 14:02:40 | More by nlmartin

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

(Served in a small weizen glass)

A- This beer has a huge super strong carbonation that pushes a snow white head above the glass rim and still holds its shape. There is a golden yellow body that is hazy with little bits of stringy stuff floating around, which I assume to be trub of some sort.

S- This beer has a yeasty lemon note with a light fresh bread note that comes through when it warms.

T- This beer has a dry carbonic acid bite with a finish of green hops that is pretty soft. As it warms a bit more there are notes of slightly sweet bread and a note of wet basement which actually adds some nice depth to the beer.

M- This beer has a big fizz with a medium mouthfeel.

D- This beer has a light flavor but it is not that interesting and doesn’t have much depth. There is a hint of a wild ale note it the taste but it doesn't make up for missing flavor. This beer was not as heavy and most weizens and I didn't feel like I was full after I finished the bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2007 19:46:14 | More by rhoadsrage

EORS

Maryland

3.73/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a Hefeweizen glass.

Appearance: Pours a pale gold with a large, billowing ecru head. Very minimal lacing. Active carbonation.

Smell: Tangy citrus and green apple, with a musty, spicy aroma from the yeast

Taste: Very big on citrus. Pleasantly tart.

Mouthfeel: Refreshing and full, the carbonation comes to life as you sip the beer.

Overall: Big on flavor and very refreshing, this is a very enjoyable beer. However, it really isn't a Hefeweizen: it tastes and is built more like a Wit, and really can't get full marks for the style. I haven't been able to find their White Ale, but if it's similar to this one, I'll really enjoy drinking it.

Serving type: bottle

06-20-2011 02:26:44 | More by EORS

Boilermaker88

California

3.75/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Presented in a 24.3oz bottle with an owl on the front. This Japanese-styled weissbier had a cloudy peach tone and a large, champagne-like white head, full of bubbles thanks to the high level of carbonation but still quick to recede to a modest collar and leave no lace.
The nose was strangely reminiscent of Kiuchi Brewery's white ale in that there was a similar spice aroma (cloves and a hint of nutmeg). Some fruity esters and a pleasant malt aroma round out the nose.
The taste was spicy-sweet. I was finally able to pin down the overall flavor to that of spiced pears. The sweet pear flavor came across immediately on a lightly bready malt backbone. Then the flavors of nutmeg and clove rolled through for an interesting, if unorthodox, take on the style. The feel was light, dry, crisp and refreshing.
Overall, this was nicely drinkable, a comfortable brew to quaff while watching the NCAA Tournament. A bit off the usual path for a hefeweizen but still an enjoyable beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2004 01:05:19 | More by Boilermaker88

shivtim

Georgia

3.75/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Very hazy orange with a huge off-white head. Tons of bubbles. Nose is banana and cloves, crisp and sweet. Taste is sweet oranges, wheat and yeast. Starts sweet of front and fades to a spicy finish. Mouthfeel is decent, drinkability is good. nice brew.
Also, if you call the brewery, they like that a lot.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2007 04:31:53 | More by shivtim

Winter

Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours golden yellow with amber hues and a thick white head. Although it didn't seem to have the cloudiness of a typical hefeweizen. Aroma is light with hints of citrus and banana. The mouthfeel is medium in body and crisp. The taste consists of banana upfront. Midway that transitions to a spiciness that finishes of with flavors of clove and wheat malt.

Drank this while out to dinner one night for sushi. The flavors seemed to compliment the meal pretty well and it was a nice palate cleanser with ample carbonation, between bites of salmon and tuna sushi. Definitely a good beer with food and an overall decent weizen.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2008 00:28:29 | More by Winter

metter98

New York

3.76/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A: The beer is hazy pale yellow in color and has a moderate amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a half finger high white head that died down and left a collar around the edge of the glass.
S: Light to moderate aromas of wheat are present in the nose along with notes of bananas.
T: The taste very much follows the smell and has flavors of wheat and bananas. There are some hints of spices towards the finish.
M: It feels light-bodied on the palate and has a moderate to high amount of carbonation.
O: This beer is easy to drink and is a good representation of the style.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 15:08:38 | More by metter98

DESTRO

Nevada

3.78/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

pours out a clear golden orange with an enormous frothy white head. whoa. smells fruity (think strong citrus) with a light dose of wheat. heavier bodied than most weizens but crisp and bubbly none the less. tangy on in the mouth with huge lemon/orange flavors, light wheat and a slight clove like spice finish things off. a bit one dimensional, but good. highly drinkable and refreshing...a good beer, but not in the same league as the true greats (weheinstephaner, paulaner, hacker etc.)

$5.99 for 24oz bottle

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2004 06:57:16 | More by DESTRO

drewmprs

California

3.78/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Goes down lighter than it looks. Very thick head at first which quickly dissipates. This beer is starting to be served at most sushi bars in Manhattan now. The only Japanese wheat beer i've ever had, and it wasn't bad. Nothing special about this beer but the expensive price,

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2005 03:15:28 | More by drewmprs

packetknife

Idaho

3.78/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Sparkly yellow with clouds and heavy carbonation very visible with a bit off-white head that held and laced sporadically down the glass. Light yeasty bread with some candy apple or something similar on the nose. Light but very good smell. Wheat, yeast, strong clove, and kinda crunchy toward the end. Thin like this brewer seems to prefer and heavily carbonated.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2009 18:43:44 | More by packetknife