Hitachino Nest New Year Celebration Ale 2004
Kiuchi Brewery

Hitachino Nest New Year Celebration Ale 2004Hitachino Nest New Year Celebration Ale 2004
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From:
Kiuchi Brewery
 
Japan
Style:
Belgian Dark Strong Ale
ABV:
9%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.75 | pDev: 20.53%
Reviews:
12
Ratings:
16
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Dec 08, 2014
Added:
Feb 08, 2008
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by 3leggeddub:
Photo of 3leggeddub
Reviewed by 3leggeddub from Massachusetts

4.07/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
The label says it's brewed with coriander, orange peel, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla so right off the bat I know to expect something with a spicy character and the Celebration '04 has that without being in your face. It pours a rich nut brown with a respectably frothy tan head to start that settles into a nice covering that remains constant. Not much lacing to speak of. I didn't notice the sediment on the bottom of the bottle and made the mistake of not carefully decanting into the glass so it was looking pretty murky. It smells of autumnal fruit and a sweet breadiness as well as the cinnamon and nutmeg spice. There's some alcohol in the nose, but it's well masked by the spice. The taste is of a winter warmer type ale; nutmeg and cinnamon at the fore with malt supporting it. The first few sips are a bit hot with booze which seems to lessen for a while until the last quarter when it has warmed to room temp. There's a touch of apple-like tartness which combined with the spiciness begins to taste more than a little like mulled cider. It finishes with some slight bitterness around the edges. The body is good with an added zing from peppy carbonation.

Generally New Year Celebration Ale 2004 is a tasty brew, but seems to be missing something in the middle that would send it over the top. Maybe when it was fresh the vanilla and orange peel would have popped and filled the gap, but at this point I couldn't find a hint of them. Generally, winter warmer type ales are not my favorite, but given the balance and softness of the flavors in the Celebration '04 I really enjoyed it.
Oct 30, 2008
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by jzlyo from Iowa

Dec 08, 2014
 
Rated: 1.75 by BGsWo22 from Texas

Mar 21, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by rab53 from Washington

Dec 02, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by JAHMUR from Connecticut

Nov 20, 2011
Photo of mikeyv35
Reviewed by mikeyv35 from New York

4.37/5  rDev +16.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Date: 05/04/2011
Type: 11.2oz. Bottle
Vintage: Obviously 2004
Glass: DFH Chalice

Picked this brew up for the bargain price of $3.99/bottle.

Pours a carmel in color w/ a beige 1 finger head that leaves thick/heavy lacing. Aromas of citrus covering caramel, light cinnamon, vanilla, and oak. The nose is very cookie like. The taste was very interesting and complex. Citrus(orange/lemon) up front, then transitions to cookie(cinnamon/vanilla/oak), and finishes w/ good mild hop bite. Medium bodied and very lush. Drinkability? No problem, as no hint of ABV was detected.

Overall, this was a diamond I found in the rough. I thoroughly enjoyed this brew! This beer seems to be just hitting it's stride, and definately has another few years left to grow. Glad I bought another few bottles for the cellar.
May 09, 2011
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.02/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
I really need to delve into my basement more often. I doubt that I intended to age this beer for this long, but I got overwhelmed with work and travel and I simply lost track.

There was a good bit of sediment in the bottom of the bottle, but given its use of spices, I figured that I would agitate it before the pour. I got just better than a finger's worth of rocky, deep-tan head with good retention. Color was a murky deep-brown, like river water after a heavy rain. Nose was still very spicy with the cinnamon, nutmeg and coriander doing their thing and the orange peel lurking in the shadows. Mouthfeel was medium and I got a blast of heat on the tongue initially. Wow! It tasted like a Christmas cookie - lots of spice initially, accompanied by some citrus notes. This beer had really held up well. Finish was very spicy, especially in terms of the cinnamon and nutmeg. I really felt like I was having a liquid cookie. Yum!
Mar 13, 2011
Photo of scottfrie
Reviewed by scottfrie from California

4.03/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
11.2oz bottle into snifter. Saw this sitting on a shelf and decided to take a chance.

A: Pours an extremely dark murky ruby with a huge dense tan head that took forever to fade into a thick, fuzzy layer. I could see as I poured the amount of sediment in the bottom of the bottle and luckily I was able to avoid most of it.
S: Boozy and a bit old smelling. Rich dark fruits dominate. Very sweet and creamy smelling.
T: Actually fairly complicated. Tons of fermented dark fruit flavors, nutmeg, fig, black cherries that are a touch sour, and bready yeast, especially in the finish. Like others have said, very winter warmer like. Finish is sweet and citrusy with tingly fruity notes. Not picking up much vanilla, maybe a hint of cinnamon. Malt has faded a bit. Very rich unique flavor but it tastes its age. Aftertaste has some roasted notes.
M: Medium body with a ton of sharp carbonation. Finish is very dry and tannin like similar to red wine. Alcohol wasn't as bad as I initially though. Carb dies down after a little while as well.
D: Not a bad beer at all considering this is my first celebration ale and it's almost 7 years old. I actually kind of like it. I don't know if I'd want to get another bottle to age any further, but if you have one it's drinking pretty good right now.
Aug 22, 2010
Photo of morimech
Reviewed by morimech from Minnesota

3.82/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
I bought this bottle many years ago and thought this would be the New Year to drink this beer. Celebrating the start of a new decade.

I started the pour and was greated with 90% foam in the glass. Still carbonated I see. After letting things settle down a little, I was able to pour the rest of the bottle into the glass. The result was a cloudy, orangish brown. The large head had very good retention before settling to a thick cap. Just a little lacing is left on the glass.

Has a Belgian yeast aroma as a foundation. Hints of fruit gives it a slight vinous quality. Of the added spices I mostly pick up the coriander and nutmeg. The aroma ends up as a good combination of Belgian Ale and a Winter Warmer.

I was not as impressed with the flavor however. Begins with nice fruity flavor but it gets quickly overtaken by the nutmeg. Sweetness is kept in check and finishes clean. Some of the other added spices would of been nice to pick up, especially the vanilla. But I could not pick it out. Alcohol is well disguised.

Has a medium body but the carbonation is way over the top. It is prickly and fizzy making this not the most pleasant thing to drink.

A nice beer to start the New Year off with. Maybe I should of enjoyed this a few years earlier but it still is a nice beer at this point.
Jan 01, 2010
Photo of orbitalr0x
Reviewed by orbitalr0x from Illinois

4/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2004 vintage. Pours into my glass a deeply hazy chestnut brown with edges of red. A huge four finger head boils up and slowly falls to an inch of light tan bubbly foam on top. Aromas start with a mix of sweet malts and caramel. A mixture of fruit and spices move in with hints of nutmeg, cinnamon, orange and apricot.

First sip brings sweet dark malts and caramel upfront. Citrus and spice moves in quickly bringing notes of cinnamon, vanilla and some nutmeg. The brew has a bready, sort of marzipan feel to it. Rolls down with some hoppy accents as well. Quite tasty overall and resembles a barleywine at this point!

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a good punchy carbonation even after the years have gone by. Overall, a brew that has held up quite nicely and is still a spicy, malty treat. Another tasty brew from Hitachino and I could see this one aging a few more years even without a problem.
Jan 09, 2009
Photo of JBogan
Reviewed by JBogan from California

3.31/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
My glass is filled by a murky chestnut color with a bubbly one finger head which recedes faster than Nic Cage's hairline. Once the foam disappears it leaves only a small amount of lacing and the beer looks somewhat like pond scum sitting there.

Smells of spices, mainly cinnamon, along with very slight hints of orange and vanilla.

Taste follows the smell very closely, and alcohol is more pronounced than in the smell.

Mouthfeel was quite prickly and perhaps on the thin side.

This is marketed as a New Year Celebration Ale, and once a year is about all I'd care to drink this brew. Not bad, but nothing here worth getting excited about, and at around $4 for an 11 oz bottle it's priced on the dear side. There's better out there for less money.
Nov 04, 2008
Photo of JDV
Reviewed by JDV from Texas

1.92/5  rDev -48.8%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 1.5
Pours dark amber with a ridiculously large head that had to be scooped out. Obviously way overcarbonated. Smell is oddly spiced and hard to describe pineyness, but not in a hoppy way. Taste is strange, woody spice again, and not particularly good. Mouthfeel is atrocious and not just overcarbonated and prickly but turns to foam as it hits the mouth and doesn't even feel like liquid going down... Can't recommend this one, unfortunately.
Jun 30, 2008
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

4.45/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A lovely combination of spices, including a favorite, vanilla. Good cinammon, nitmeg.Fruit,complex malt.Very creamy and lacing. Big initial head of white that dissipates. Nicely hopped. Thanks Malto. The best year,and the boldest, of the three years I have had tried.
Apr 28, 2008
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

4.03/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Review from notes, tasted 1-12-07
For '04/'06/'07 side by side, see my notes in the Celebration Ale entry.

2004 bottle notes:
In comparison to a fresh version, the aged bottle comes out ahead. Different vintages have different recipes most likely ('04 was originally classified as an Eisbock).

It retains a better head with way more carbonation, and has a darker, burnt umber color. Spotty eruptions of bubbles surface in the foam, similar to a Belgian trappist. Smells sweet, candi sugar and dark malt mostly. Dried apricot and nutmeg are there too. The taste has a distinctly different sweet bready confection element going on, almost like a cookie or French toast. Less citrusy, but still bitter with spice. Malt seems a little spent, which tells me that cellaring for 2+ years takes something away from it.

This vintage left the strongest impression on me, and I cellared several bottles. Time seemed to diminish it somewhat, but it was still my favorite year.
Mar 05, 2008
Photo of Chinookie
Reviewed by Chinookie from District of Columbia

4.15/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Picked up a dusty 330mL bottle (2004) at Wilbur's in Fort Fun, Colorado. Hitachino has definitely joined my list of breweries from which I'll try anything they do at least once.

Poured into small red wine glass. Lots of thick brown sediment in the bottom (most not poured).

Held up to light, had a cloudyish, rich caramel/orange color. Slight head lingered around sides of glass.

Nice malt aroma backed by some citrusy hops, sweet brown sugar, maybe a bit of roasted butternut squash, hint of apricot.

Tasted big, hoppy, and sweet; comparable to hoppy barleywines. Brown sugar, toasted malt finish. Delicious rich, almost syrupy consistency.
Mar 05, 2008
Photo of dsa7783
Reviewed by dsa7783 from New Jersey

4.33/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
Beer Bottle Specifically states "2004 New Year Celebration Ale"... Copped a vintage bottle from Super Saver in Edison... Pours a gorgeous caramel-colored, dark-brown, mahogany hue with an incredibly large frothy and foamy head which exhibited incredible staying power... smell was very rich and thick with strong brown sugars, heavy malts, dehydrated fruits, and candies... taste strongly complemented the aroma, with dark, brown sugars, figs, prunes, caramel, and sweet sugars... a very malty brew, and the four years which have elapsed since this sample was brewed has injected a huge dose of complex character and flavor... slight sediment is visible in the bottom of the bottle... A very full-bodied, malty brew... different from many other Kiuchi samples I've tried... Definitely recommended...
Feb 08, 2008
Hitachino Nest New Year Celebration Ale 2004 from Kiuchi Brewery
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 16 ratings