Hitachino Nest Pale Ale

No head whatsoever. very mild hops on the nose, with some faint orange, hazy amber, nice rounded body with a chalky end, hops are more present at the beginning but dissipate quickly to reveal the malt. Some sweet malt near the end.

More iced tea crystal malt notes. Earthy and peppery hop notes from bittering thru to the end. Some mild Diacetyl and acetylaldehyde.

Good call Schlossy, tea-like indeed. A well balanced classic English scent, crystal? malts and floral hops, nice. With the IBU’s, lack of head and relative stillness of this beer, it could pass for a cask pulled IPA rather than a bottled PA. Aggressive hops up front, a slightly sweet middle and a floral, giving way to a bitter finish. Look for this one!

This was a kick back to the PNW. The bold amber color held a malty nose at first, but then after a couple more whiffs hops seem to be more present than they first were, this is Seattle in a bottle. A creamy thick head and the caramel malt, it reminds me of Wild Rose IPA. It starts off with a hoppy mouth then caramel comes in and finally hoppy once again in the finish (similar to thier amber in that sense). The body is VERY smooth, which I really enjoyed. My higher ratings are likely due to the fact I drank this less than two weeks after it was made and it tasted very fresh.

I really didn’t know what to make of this beer, but I wasn’t terribly impressed with it. It seemed to me to be more cedar-y than hoppy, and while it was a bit unique, I thought the red rice and ginger beer from Hitachino are much more novel. It didn’t satisfy my hop-craving side, but it also didn’t score highly with me on the "new & novel" attribute. Appearance was a darkish amber color, with a good amount of head. Aroma was cedar-y like a cigar humidor. Flavor was some hops, but I really got more woody notes than anything. Mouthfeel was fairly smooth. Not bad, but not as good as some other Hitachino beers I had alongside the Pale Ale.