Hitachino Nest Commemorative Ale - Kiuchi Brewery, Ibaraki

I've had nothing but good experiences with Hitachino beers so I jumped at the chance to pick up a bottle of their winter seasonal Commemorative Ale. The label isn't terribly informative so I wasn't real sure what to expect from this beer. All I knew at the time of purchase is that this beer is 9% alcohol and was brewed with coriander, orange peel, nutmeg and cinnamon. Sound festive? Yeah, not really... but it still sounds pretty good and considering Hitachino beers have been quite good to me so far, I took the gamble and got a bottle.

I poured this beer into a chalice and it promptly filled the glass with 80% head. It took a while to empty the bottle because the head was so persistent. The aroma coming off of that oatmeal colored foam was very sweet, full of dark and warm citrus. The image that came to mind was a candied orange slice that was sprinkled with cinnamon. The flavor of this beer follows the aroma pretty closely. That candied citrus flavor is great and mellows out the cinnamon while the nutmeg gives a bit a heft. The whole beer tastes a bit sour, sort of like a lighter Dubbel.

This beer was a lot of fun to drink. It goes down very smoothly, it's creamy and sweet and... just awesome. My one complaint is that this beer is a little more sour than it seems like it should be. That's not a stylistic preference because this beer doesn't really conform to a style. This beer just tastes like it'd be better with a bit more sweet citrus and a little less sour. All in all, I'd have no qualms about suggesting this beer to anyone looking for something a bit different.