Hitachino Nest Saison Du Japon is a beer that I had after my Kiuchi Brewery interview and tour in August 2014. This one was first consumed on draft at the True Brew Hitachino Nest Tasting Room in Mito, Ibaraki. Hitachino Nest Saison Du Japon is a 5.5% saison style beer that was first made available in bottled form in late 2014. It is unique in that Kiuchi Brewery uses some of their in-house rice koji (or rice mould, which is used for making sake) and also adds some yuzu in the mix too.
An interesting cross between Belgian and Japanese brewing techniques.
Hitachino Nest Saison Du Japon Aroma and Taste
Hitachino Nest Saison Du Japon seems to have passed us by at BeerTengoku mansion, not out of laziness, oh no, but more of a case of, “oh it’s a saison”. Joe suffers from heartburn when he drinks one (one-two-three “aaaaaaaaaaw”) and for me? I’m ambivalent towards them really. It’s a cross between a wheat ale and a lager that I haven’t quite become hooked on yet as I have had some dodgy ones in the past that put me off the style.
Cutting the rambling to a minimum, Hitachino Nest Saison Du Japon poured out a hazy golden colour with a large frothy head that resembled something like the inside of a meringue. The yuzu aroma isn’t as potent as you would expect it to be if you’ve tried other yuzu beers, but there was some tinge of sake or a warm rice aroma to it as well.
The yuzu, though, was more prominent when drinking, yet it wasn’t the distinctive flavour that came through but the bitterness associated with the fruit itself. Hitachino Nest Saison Du Japon definitely is a merging of beer styles, as the wheaty flavours pulled through too. Yuzu to wheat and then back to yuzu again. Hitachino Nest Saison Du Japon also had a hint of funky rice mould too as well – if you’ve ever had old rice that has been sitting in the rice cooker for a long time, say 12 hours, then you know what I’m writing about. It finished off with the funky bitter taste that was intriguing if only because it was so unusual.
Hitachino Nest Saison Du Japon One Line Review
I don’t know if I liked Hitachino Nest Saison Du Japon or not really – on one hand, I like the approach that Kiuchi Brewery took it, but then it’s a pretty weird beer.
Where to Buy Hitachino Nest Saison Du Japon
Hitachino Nest Saison Du Japon can be bought online at the following places:
