Hitachino Nest New Year Celebration Ale

Brewed by Kiuchi Brewery
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Ibaraki, Japan

2006 bottle courtesy Bobo. Pours a murky reddish brown with insane carbonation. Aroma is holiday spice, yeats, sour. Thick foamy malt taste with a hint of dark sweet malt and apple. Tasty.

So I think I may have shaken the bottle some in transport and then not given it enough time to calm down, but gush! Extremely carbonated, be warned. 2006 bottle. Pours a deep hazy amber with a big off-white head. Very nice nose, spicy, whiffs of rummy alcohol amid some clove and banana esters. There’s a lot going on, sweet thick flavors, orange, spices, altogether echoing the nose. A little thick on the palate, despite the carbonation. Overall quite good.

Bottle. Interesting spiced nose consisting of candle wax, toasted vanilla bean, and some pleasant fruitiness. Pours a cloudy amber with a decent sized off white head. Spices and brown sugar sweetness mingle pleasantly on the tongue. A doughy malt base, raisins and cinnamon. Orange peel. A touch of molasses. Vanilla and ginger. Medium mouthfeel and lively carbonation with a decent spicy finish.

2004 bottle. Cloudy reddish brown, big dense beige head. Very fruity aroma - cherry, fig and prune, I guess, plus some rum and molassess. Flavor is also very fruity, with more raisin and prune. Some toasty notes and quite a bit of alcohol heat. In fact, I kinda of surprised that there is still so much alcohol in a 4 year old (?) bottle.

2004 bottle. Mirky light brown pour, with some off-white head. Aroma is citrus / lemon rind, spices, overall slightly sour with some sweet malt underneath. High carbonation and a unibrou-like mouthfeel. The flavor is the same is the aroma, some sweet malt (weizen-like) and earthy spices. Pretty tasty beer.

On tap @ Max’s Taproom Baltimore. Pours a deep orangish golden color. Almost looks like Dead Guy. Labeled as an Eisbock at the bar. Malty, holidayspices, orangy, honey. Ceamy mouthfeel. Pretty good. Like a holiday version of AVBC Creama Cerveza

Bottled. Pours reddish orange, minimal light tan head that dissipates quickly. Aromas of spices, orange and vanilla. Almost too many flavors on the tongue. Orange and nutmeg seem to be most prevalent. Hints of cinnamon as well. The numerous spices give the beer an almost soapy aftertaste. The alcohol is well masked and is not overwhelming. An impressive beer, but may have too many flavors going on.

2004 bottle. Pours a hazy orange/amber with large fizzy white head. Lots of spice such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove with fruity flavors and orange peel. Hints of vanilla. Certainly worth a try, quite interesting.