Hakusekikan Niwa Weisse - Shizen Beer
Stone Iwamoto Co., Ltd / Hakusekikan Beer Restaurant BACCHUS

This beer is supposed to be made with said yeast, malt and hops, but it tastes awfully sweet not to have any of the honey from which the yeast is derived.

Appearance: Cloudy orange body, with no head. True, I do not remember a frothy head on the last bottle of honey I opened either.
Aroma: Fresh cut barly grain and citrus.
Taste: Fresh juicy malt, orangy citrusy hops. Tastes very little like honey at all and if there is any, it is hard to distinguish from the sweet malt. Where's the bitterness? Great caramel and sweetness on the finish.
Drinkability:Decent and creative beer. Hard to believe it contains no honey.

Sampled on tap at Popeye in Tokyo. The Hakusekikan web page mentions that this beer was new as of March 2003. Niwa means "garden" or "yard" in Japanese, but it is also the name of the Brewmaster. Apparently this weisse beer is brewed using yeast isolated from special, wild Japanese honey made by wood bees. This honey sells for 18,000 Yen per kilo (which would be ~$70/lb).

This ale poured a hazy, golden amber color with good, white foam that left lace. The smell was citrusy with wheat, grain, and malt in small amounts. The taste had a good dose of wheat, but with a small amount of fruit (banana) and a hint of honey. There was also a hint of something wild in the taste. The mouthfeel was smooth, with medium body and low carbonation feel. The finish was nice and sharp. This was a very drinkable wheat ale. Very refreshing.