Arigatou gozaimasu little owl.
Hitachino Nest White Ale
Facing so many different bottles in the beer store can be quite the daunting task, even for us at ThirstEase. I sometimes make a choice of trying a new brewery or style by the label alone, marketing at it’s best. Lucky, this time an odd little owl attracted my attention along with the words White Ale and product of Japan.
Most everyone now a days has tried some type of White Ale, Belgian Wit or Witbier. Thanks mainly go to our craft breweries hard work, InBev and MillerCoors has been forced to stray from their usual lager-ish beers to brew an example of their own, Blue Moon and Shocktop. Granted they are not spot on Belgian examplea of a Wit Beer but they do have their good points. So when I bought the Hitachino Nest White Ale I was trying to keep an open mind and give Japan a chance, besides I love saki.
I will be the first to admit I am not a huge Belgian Beer fan. There is something about Beligan beer yeast that I do not like all that much, mainly the funky foot taste. I have found though that some Wit Beers with the right balance of yeast and spice tends to be the right combination for my current beer tastes. I was hoping for a good balance with the Hitachino Nest and boy was that an under estimate.
For starters this one pours with very little head that disappates quickly, leaving you with a glass of straw yellow, hazy goodness. This White Ale has the typical nice spice profile you come to expect with a wit, but then Hitachino really went all out on the lemon citrus flavor. If you have ever had a Hefeweizen or one of the above mention American Wit Beers, it is customary to squeeze a lemon or an orange into the glass. With the Hitachino the citrus is so pronounced that it is like drinking a fermented glass of lemonade, and not like Mike’s. Even though the lemon is such a bold characteristic, the beer character of a regular White Ale is still present enough to now what you are drinking.
This beer is so good in fact, I stopped after a quick taste to take photos for the site and my wife kept bothering me to get the glass back so she could continue drinking this zesty ale. I would highly recommend picking up a couple of bottles of this lemony goodness for you next pool party or bar-b-que. You won’t be disappointed in the least.
