Hitachino Nest Extra High (XH) | Kiuchi Brewery
Brewed by:
Kiuchi Brewery
Japan
kodawari.cc
Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 8.00%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
From Japan's most prestigious brewery, Hitachino Nest XH (Extra High) is a strong Belgian Brown Ale, matured in shochu (distilled sake) barrels. Chinook & Styrian Goldings hops are use
Added by UncleJimbo on 12-29-2002
Ratings: 731 | Reviews: 365
3.75/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.12/5 rDev +9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.31/5 rDev -12.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.79/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a snifter. A rusty brown color with a modest white head. Caramel malt on the nose, with a tart cherry and floral aroma. The taste was not at all tart, thankfully, with a basic caramel malty flavor with toffee, some citrus, and a floral, fruity finish with definite sake notes. Slightly dry and boozy. Overall an interesting beer.
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look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured into a snifter. A rusty brown color with a modest white head. Caramel malt on the nose, with a tart cherry and floral aroma. The taste was not at all tart, thankfully, with a basic caramel malty flavor with toffee, some citrus, and a floral, fruity finish with definite sake notes. Slightly dry and boozy. Overall an interesting beer.
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3.71/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.85/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
Brownish Amber color with a big creamy head. A real malt bomb, heavy on notes of caramel and toffee, a slight dry notes on the finish probably cause from the sake barrels.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.75
Brownish Amber color with a big creamy head. A real malt bomb, heavy on notes of caramel and toffee, a slight dry notes on the finish probably cause from the sake barrels.
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4.43/5 rDev +17.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Rich, dark amber. Disappointingly short lived foam with no lacing.
Aroma: Toffee, Malt, sweet rice, esters
Taste: Very much like the aroma, but amplified. Smooth toffee notes, an almost creaminess. Full and malty. The Hitachino Nest house yeast flavour is more pronounced (or perhaps just works exceptionally well in this format) than usual. Finishes with a warm aftertaste from the high ABV, otherwise difficult to notice it's 8%. Very, very nice.
Mouthfeel: Lighter than most Belgian Strong ales it's styled after. Silky, soft, medium/heavy body, low carbonation.
Overall: A delicious standalone beer that's unlike any other beer I've had. Less thick and less sweet than Belgian Dark ales and Dubbels - approach it without this comparison in mind. I would fully recommend trying this beer if you come across it.
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look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
Appearance: Rich, dark amber. Disappointingly short lived foam with no lacing.
Aroma: Toffee, Malt, sweet rice, esters
Taste: Very much like the aroma, but amplified. Smooth toffee notes, an almost creaminess. Full and malty. The Hitachino Nest house yeast flavour is more pronounced (or perhaps just works exceptionally well in this format) than usual. Finishes with a warm aftertaste from the high ABV, otherwise difficult to notice it's 8%. Very, very nice.
Mouthfeel: Lighter than most Belgian Strong ales it's styled after. Silky, soft, medium/heavy body, low carbonation.
Overall: A delicious standalone beer that's unlike any other beer I've had. Less thick and less sweet than Belgian Dark ales and Dubbels - approach it without this comparison in mind. I would fully recommend trying this beer if you come across it.
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3.77/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.86/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Stamped: XH.16.09
(Poured into a 12oz stein)
Sourish aroma rising from bottle and glass immediately.
A: Reddish amber with a hint of caramel/toffee hue with a 1.5 in. head that stands proudly, long after pouring.
S: Tart cherry, toasty , light citrus, pomegranate , cranberry, sourdough?
T: Cherry, caramel, grainy, an alkaline note, flanders' sourness with some oak and alcohol in the finish.
M: Piny feeling and somewhat metallic, nice acidity up front with a lingering acetic coating.
Overall: It's very rich with complex flavor layering, has an interesting level of of acidity for the style and smooths out as one imbibes it. ****
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look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Stamped: XH.16.09
(Poured into a 12oz stein)
Sourish aroma rising from bottle and glass immediately.
A: Reddish amber with a hint of caramel/toffee hue with a 1.5 in. head that stands proudly, long after pouring.
S: Tart cherry, toasty , light citrus, pomegranate , cranberry, sourdough?
T: Cherry, caramel, grainy, an alkaline note, flanders' sourness with some oak and alcohol in the finish.
M: Piny feeling and somewhat metallic, nice acidity up front with a lingering acetic coating.
Overall: It's very rich with complex flavor layering, has an interesting level of of acidity for the style and smooths out as one imbibes it. ****
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3.99/5 rDev +5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours a opaque burnished copper with a finger of khaki-caramel, oily head. Head foams up well, with moderate retention. Lacing doesn't linger very long after a swig of XH. Aroma has dark fruits, and Belgian yeast esters up front. Some sake and cask shows up a little later, giving it a slight burn on the finish. Flavor profile is smooth, with dark fruits, Belgian yeast esters, sake, oak, and clove working to form a fantastic twist on a Belgian Strong Dark ale flavor profile. Mouth feel is smooth, filling, with a medium-thin thickness. The thickness is lacking in the feel, but otherwise it's well-rounded. Overall, a great example of a unique twist on the Belgian Strong Dark ale. Having sat in casks for a while, the beer does loose a little in the look and feel, but is otherwise very well balanced.
Served in a 12oz snifter.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours a opaque burnished copper with a finger of khaki-caramel, oily head. Head foams up well, with moderate retention. Lacing doesn't linger very long after a swig of XH. Aroma has dark fruits, and Belgian yeast esters up front. Some sake and cask shows up a little later, giving it a slight burn on the finish. Flavor profile is smooth, with dark fruits, Belgian yeast esters, sake, oak, and clove working to form a fantastic twist on a Belgian Strong Dark ale flavor profile. Mouth feel is smooth, filling, with a medium-thin thickness. The thickness is lacking in the feel, but otherwise it's well-rounded. Overall, a great example of a unique twist on the Belgian Strong Dark ale. Having sat in casks for a while, the beer does loose a little in the look and feel, but is otherwise very well balanced.
Served in a 12oz snifter.
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3.94/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
11.2oz bottle: This one pours a hazy darker amber color. There was just a touch of an off white head that leaves no lacing. Interesting nose. Dark fruits, toffee and a hint of the sake. The taste is good, if a touch different. Caramel malts, faint dark fruits, a touch of sake. It has a faint sourness to it. This is good!
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look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
11.2oz bottle: This one pours a hazy darker amber color. There was just a touch of an off white head that leaves no lacing. Interesting nose. Dark fruits, toffee and a hint of the sake. The taste is good, if a touch different. Caramel malts, faint dark fruits, a touch of sake. It has a faint sourness to it. This is good!
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3.91/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.78/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
I was appealed at first with the early notes of toffee and pine that reminded me of a barleywine. Then it's a lot of green apple in the nose and the taste with a bit of booze. There are also some woody and fruitcake notes
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look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
I was appealed at first with the early notes of toffee and pine that reminded me of a barleywine. Then it's a lot of green apple in the nose and the taste with a bit of booze. There are also some woody and fruitcake notes
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4.42/5 rDev +16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
3.4/5 rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
4.01/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.96/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
From a 330ml bottle, pours a hazey copper colour with an off white coloured head.
Aroma toffee, caramel, malt, fruity.
Taste pretty much follows the nose, very nice.
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look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
From a 330ml bottle, pours a hazey copper colour with an off white coloured head.
Aroma toffee, caramel, malt, fruity.
Taste pretty much follows the nose, very nice.
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4.08/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from 0.33 l bottle into chalice.
L: Turbid brown with a weak foam head.
S: Plums, caramel.
T: Spicy and sweet, dark fruits.
F: Medium body and soft carbonation.
O: Very good try for a belgian.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from 0.33 l bottle into chalice.
L: Turbid brown with a weak foam head.
S: Plums, caramel.
T: Spicy and sweet, dark fruits.
F: Medium body and soft carbonation.
O: Very good try for a belgian.
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Hitachino Nest Extra High (XH) from Kiuchi Brewery
3.78
out of 5
based on 731 ratings.
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Poured the 33cl bottle into a mug, appearance is amber, dark. 8%abv.
This is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, slightly lighter than other in the style, yet very complex. I am reminded of many other Belgian in the same style or otherwise like dubble. Aromas of chocolate, citrus, some berries. Yes this is also reminding me of the legend Duchesse de Bourgogne and the store clerk did mention it too.
I am fairly impressed, I am aware that in this day and age, sure, everybody is capable of brewing great beers but props to the Japanese for this. I looked it up here, and rated it 12% above the BA average at 4,
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