Hitachino Nest XH - Kiuchi Brewery, Ibaraki

The Hitachino line of beers continues to surprise me. These unassuming little bottles of Japanese beer don't have exciting packaging or particularly exciting names, but each beer I've had has been absolutely amazing. This beer, the XH, was "matured in Sake casks" and has a slick black limited edition style label. While pouring this beer into my snifter I could already pick up on the super sweet fruit aromas that were hiding in the stubby little bottle. My first thought was of blood oranges or kiwis. The fruity flavor component is much close to a ripe apple. The XH isn't a fruit beer though, it's a strong ale that has a hint of apple when you first take a sip. Also noticeable right off the bat are the hops. This isn't a strongly hopped beer, but the hops are apparent and nicely balanced by malts and an oaky flavor. That oaky flavor comes from this beers signature characteristic, the Sake cask aging.

That's right, this beer is aged in Sake casks. It sounds pretty exotic, but it's really similar to the oak aged beers I've had. The Sake casks do add to the fruit notes in this beer and give whole package a bit more depth than just oaking. Something I really appreciate about this beer is that Kiuchi didn't over do it. Not just with the oakiness but with the whole beer. This is something I could drink a couple of glasses of and beer completely satisfied with my night. At 7% this isn't really a session beer but the flavor profile really does lend itself to savoring more than chugging.

I'd enthusiastically recommend this beer to anyone looking for something a bit more exotic that isn't just oaked or fruity.