Hitachino Nest Weizen
Kiuchi Brewery

 

From a bottle. Cloudy orange color with an inch of fluffy white head. Smells of wheat and orange peel. Medium body and smooth feel. Wheat flavor with some orange peel and cloves. Nice and refreshing

Blind-tasted except for the beer's name and brewery/country, zero reviews below read (yet!)...
L- Pale gold, pours suitably/quite hazy with a 1Cm pillowy white head. [email protected]+10mins, holds well.
S- Some mild spice notes, pretty mild.
T- Ditto spice, a bit more prominent in the Taste now. CO2 and a light hop note into the finish.
F- It feels quite light, maybe 4.8%? The high carbonation (typical for a Japanese beer) adds to the sense of lightness.
O- Much of Japan get 'real scorchio' hot/humid in the summer and this would be a thirst-slaker for it. But I get a sense of thin-ness/lightness from it, It might benefit from just a bit more malt to it... The stars aren't aligning for me on this one, shame.
Review1987/scoring all done, now the reveal, I get to read the lables to see what I missed! ==> 5.5%ABV, otherwise no surprises.
330ml bottle BB: 07/22 £3 Bought from TremblingMadness, York/UK as part of a large pick-your own consignment to London.

 

Bright gold appearance with a tiny, off white head and no noticeable lacing. Spicy, yeasty, wheaty aroma. Tart fruit flavor; slightly herbaceous. Medium-to-light bodied, well carbonated mouthfeel. Cleanses the palate well. Fairly short lived, dry finish. Not as smooth and well rounded as the more typical hefe’s, but still interesting.

Taste has hints of citrus and honey with a soft wheat backing. Color is opaque yellow with an orange tint.

This seems to be one of the more accessible Hitachino beers and for good reason. I very much recommend this beer, especially if you have not tried any Hitachino Nest Beers.

Poured from a brown 11.2 oz. bottle. Has a slightly hazy golden color with a 1 inch head. Smell is mild, some bananas. Taste is of bananas wheat, a touch of cloves. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall is an enjoyable and highly refreshing beer.

 

 

 

Bottle from Market of Choice.

A mildly hazy light orange with a dense white head with good retention and lacing,this looks solid. The nose is interesting. This isn't a straightforward weizen. It's got cooked clove, mashed bananas and very interestingly, an almost yuzu like citrus note. Noticeably grainy and wheaty with a definite wort character present. The palate opens mildly sweet with wheat, honey, wort and the little citrus I mentioned. Spiced cake with clove and a little nutmeg like character. Unconventional in flavor, this beer is moderately carbonated and finishes dry with a grainy note that lingers. Solid stuff, though it doesn't come close to touching the OGs from Germany.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very hazy yellowish color with a thin white head. No lacing and teachers soon disappears. Smells like yeasty and spices. Tastes like it smells and has a nice light smooth mouth feel. Quite refreshing, but nothing award winning

BOTTLE: 11.2 fl oz. Brown glass. Branded black pry-off crown cap. Owl on the label in classic Hitachino Nest fashion.

5.50% ABV. Best before: 2016.10. Hefeweizen.

HEAD: 5cm wide. White colour. Frothy. Soft-looking. Leaves no lacing as it recedes, which takes about 2 minutes.

BODY: Turbid hazy orange. Sadly, it`s rather dull. More vibrance would make it more appealing. No yeasty sediment is visible within.

AROMA: Lemony twang, wheat, doughy yeast, coriander, barley. Suggests a spritzy light-bodied ale.

I detect no banana or orange peel.

Aromatic intensity is average.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Fruity, nodding towards faint lychee and some kind of vague tropical citrus (but not the usual orange peel one would expect in a hefeweizen).

Spritzy and light with a toned-down wheat backbone. Not terribly fresh in taste, but not stale either.

Yeast character isn`t as doughy or as subtle as the aroma suggested. It`s a light beer, yes, but it`s also somewhat thin, bordering on watery, and stops short of feeling refreshing. Smooth and wet. Well-carbonated.

OVERALL: The subtle yeast esters and impeccable balance boasted by the best hefeweizen style beers is absent here, replaced by an atraditional fruity character. I like that the brewery is approaching the hefeweizen style in a different way, but the result is not a cut above your average German hefeweizen in terms of quality. It`s not a bad brew by any means, but I`d sooner reach for a Franziskaner, Ayinger, Weihenstephaner, or even Erdinger. This isn`t in the same league by any stretch.

C (AVERAGE)

 

 

The loose airiness of the head results in a swift evaporation from the just under one finger level, pure white and spotless, the lacing starts off broadly but lacks meaningful stickiness. Transparent liquid with a fine gauziness, faded yellow gold hue, the bubbles are widely dispersed and show good vigor in flowing upwards. The nose has a confectionery element to it, flower petals, bubblegum, yeast and raw pie dough, honey, banana and clove, the wheat does not enunciate all that clearly, ends with a burst of pepperiness. Medium to full-bodied, more the former but it tends to drag itself slothfully across the palate which adds volume. The carbonation does a good job of starting off prickly and then ending on a creamier note. Here too you get a mix of sweets and bitters, same bubblegum, honey, yeast, whipped cream to banana split flavors and then same cracked wheat, pepper, clove and herbaceous grasses. The fruit seems to alternate, at some moments peach or apricot, others cherry to berry. Has more of a funky aftertaste than clean freshness. Interesting for its slightly off-kilter character but nothing you’d pound all night.

 

 

 

Hazzzhy blonde with a 3 finger head of foam. Sparse lace as is always with a Hefeweizen.

Hahaha, this is Japan all over. Smell is of jasmine rice, cilantro, bamboo, rain water, celery, and of course white wheat and yeast.

Flavor of winter wheat, spicy cilantro, already-been-chewed bubble gum, black pepper, sea salt, and leafy greens. Not really reminiscent of Hefeweizen whatsoever, but it has its own thing going on.

Feel is very carbonated, with a semi dry parch throughout. A little starchy on the finish.

Hey, I got this for $1.99. I won't lie it's not bad at that price. But for the original price of 5 times that? Ah, I'd be super disappointed. Gotta take that into consideration.

I had this on Koh Samui in Thailand. Very great beer, in my opinion. Golden, cloudy color with a quickly disappearing head. Great full taste - normal wheat beer flavors coupled with citrus. Very good on a hot day - very refreshing. I will get this one again.

 

 

This bottle seemed overly sweet, lots of the banana and bubblegum, but lacking in the bready flavors and a little weak in the body. Bottle may be a little old.

 

 

 

Pours a hazy cloudy golden color with a medium sized white head. The aroma and flavor have banana, cloves, wheat, yeast, some citrus notes. very drinkable.