Tasting Notes: Kiuchi: Hitachino Nest: Weizen: Hitachino Nest: Weizen

Kiuchi: Hitachino Nest: Weizen (Japan: Hefeweizen: 5.5% ABV)

Visual: Slightly hazy. The colour is halfway between orange and mature banana skin. Surprisingly small bubbly white head. Looks somewhat fruit juice like in main body.

Nose: Wheat. Tangerine. Overripe banana. Ice cream syrup toppings. Cinnamon. Quite fresh and slightly acidic.

Body: Cloves. Fresh tangerine. Sherbet lemon. Banana. Moderate bitterness at the back. Tart apple juice.

Finish: Grapefruit juice. What and bitterness.

Conclusion: I didn’t realise it was possible to pour a weizen and not get a massive head.  Erm, maybe I should rephrase that, but I think you get the point. Most weisse beer end up being poured as if they were nitro glycerine just to make sure they don’t froth up.

This thing splashed into the glass from a great height , happily spilling around the glass with but a small set of bubbles forming over a fruit juice looking beer. Huh. Time to recheck the expectations I feel.

The aroma and body play in the right field. Wheat, fresh banana, but is tart and more acidic than I would usually expect. It is recognisably a weizen in ways,  such at the wheat in front and back, but has an unusual fresh tangerine acidity that is new.  The beer comes in a bit too fizzy which hides some of the flavour, but that is a common weizen flaw, and it taste well enough nonetheless.

Not to make too much of the beer, because it does have flaws, but I do find it immensely cheerful and a fun twist on the style. While still seeming familiar enough to make a relaxing summer days weizen, it does have good quirks.  It is much more fruit juice influenced, a tart grapefruit like finish and apple juice like element to main body are the most noticeable and they really help keep it fresh. In some ways it seems to pick up a few cues from the American Pale Ale style as well.

Now I wouldn’t recommend making a big deal out of hunting this down, it isn’t that amazing, but I would be lying if I said Id pass up the chance to try it again. It’s fun, fresh and has just enough weisse style. It’s not up there with the German takes on the style, but frankly, what is?

Background: Picked up from Brewdogs Guest Beer section (yes I have been saying that lot, don’t worry I just got my batch of beers from beers of Europe, so that’s the next phrase you will get sick of hearing). I really enjoy picking up beers from the growing Japanese craft beer scene, in part because of how few people seem to appreciate the quality beers being made there- and that includes the locals. I went for a hefeweizen as it was the beer style that first caught my attention for something different and wondered what spin the brewery would put on it. Incidentally I love the dinky little bottles, and just wish I had one of those small half pint versions of the Erdinger glass to use for the beer as they always look fun.

 

Tasting Notes: Baird: Angry Boy Brown Ale

Baird: Angry Boy Brown Ale (Japan: Brown Ale: 6.2% ABV)

Visual: Reddened brown.  Large frothy chocolate ice cream tinged bubbles. Very heavy amounts of suds left around the glass.

Nose:  Chocolate. Malted drinks. A touch of mandarin orange when the bottle is first opened, but fades quickly.  Lots of ground chocolate dust.  Cinnamon and apricot.

Body: Chocolate. Tingling hop character. Quite dry back with just a slight acid tartness. Sour red grapes at back. Touch of caramel. Very smooth texture. Black cherry jam.

Finish: Dry bitter chocolate. Apple acidity. Slight chocolate dust. Slight red grape jam. Apricot.

Conclusion: The brown ale. A much maligned style.  This however is a very confident interpretation of that style. Lots of chocolate in malt chocolate drinks style and ground chocolate dust. With the nice base thickness of the beer you have a good, noticeable sweet, base to work off.

It’s strongly malt and chocolate driven, but gives the fruit hops just a touch of play resulting in a delightful cherry and jam touch that works well with the barest hint of fruit acidity. I always consider that acidity an important part of a brown ale, it keeps it tart and easy to drink against the potentially strong chocolate or nut flavours.  While understated the presence of acidity here does its job.

Very rounded, very solid, good malt and carefully placed hops. This is a delightful little drink. Soothing yet pleasant.  I find therefore its choice of name odd – “Angry Boy”. It seems misplaced, it is more of a wise old man, acting with forethought and each step considered. Yes there is bitterness, but its use is careful and balanced not thrown with wild abandon.  In fact the “Angry Boy” term would seem to apply better to their other ale Ganko Oyaji (Stubborn Old Man) Barley Wine – that definitely had an angry kick.

Anyway, it has a nice hop balance but is still a late night malt drink styled beer in my eyes, one to wind down with. Maybe feel the wind rush by and let the night sweep in as you swirl it in your hands. A very proficient, enjoyable and well crafted beer, all the more so for coming from such a disrespected style.

Background: Have I mentioned I like Japan? Yes? Ok cool no need to cover that again. Baird have been ok so far In my experience, no high points that match the best of Hitachino Nest or Hakusekikan, but good. I actually like brown ale as a style, even if there are some majorly dull entries in its ranks.  The sweetness, tartness and oft comparatively low abv tend to make them good session beers for me.  Incidentally the bottle picture is majorly cool in my opinion. Picked up from Brewdog’s guest beer section – Yes,  I’ve been hitting them quite a bit recently I know.

Tasting Notes: Kiuchi: Hitachino Nest: Ancient Nipponia

Kiuchi: Hitachino Nest: Ancient Nipponia (Japan: Imperial Pils: 6.5% ABV)

Visual: Clear grain gold. Still in body but with a good sized set of mounded bubbles mounted on top of a white head which leaves slight sud trails.

Nose: Lemongrass.  Smooth. Slight bubble gum. Slightly minty and quite milky. Some wheat character.

Body: Sherbet lemon. Quite thick texture. Cream. Slight honey sweetness. Barley and light bitterness. Slight greenery.

Finish: Greenery and light bitterness. Resin. Some cinnamon. Hoppiness that grows but never to a heavy degree. Slight ginger bread.

Conclusion: Now I love the sorachi ace hop and I have encountered this beer already on keg at Brewdog Camden. It’s going to be interesting trying it again on bottle to make the comparison.

The flavours here seem less evident that in the keg – especially the more unusual and distinctive elements such as the lemongrass resin and greenery. Here in the bottle it is smoother and more integrated, however it does feel to a degree that the more interesting edges have been rounded off where before they were still prickly and fun.

Drunk cool it is a less interesting beer, more simple and creamy though still with a distinct sorachi ace character . Warm it gets a bit more spice which combined with the increased resin in the finish makes for a more satisfying note to end on.  It also gets sweetness and gingerbread. All makes it what would be a good session ale if not for the abv.  It is very smooth and easy to drink though. This is especially emphasizes by the light cinnamon that helps balance against the lemongrass.  Worth sharing with friends over conversation as it is nice but doesn’t stand up to too much contemplation.

A mixed bag, nice, but despite that and my love of Japanese things I can’t give it a glowing review. The smoothed out edges does take away a lot of its fun. Much better in keg where it is interesting and fun, here it is ok but not great.

Background: The beer style is a bit of a guess. There had been two versions of this beer, a top and bottom fermented version.  From the flavour, year and country it was tried in I am guessing this was the bottom fermented version. I am a huge fan of Japan, and tried a lot of their budding craft beer scene while I was there. This however was picked up at Brewdogs Guest Beer section. I also tried it on tap at Brewdog Camden. The beer is a demonstration of Japan origin brewing materials with Sorachi Ace as the hop and Kaneko Golden as the barley. I love the sorachi ace hop and wish it’s use in more beers.

Tasting Notes: Nikka: From The Barrel

Nikka: From The Barrel (Japanese Blended Whisky:  No Age: 51.4% abv)

Visual: A darkened apricot amber.

Viscosity: Quite fast thick streaks.

Nose: Definite alcohol. Sugared almonds. Rich fruitcake and treacle. Brandy cream and vanilla. Water makes very honeys and adds slight planed wood.

Body: Lots of red or Muscat grapes. Honey and golden syrup. Apricot. Water makes very sweet, honeycomb and some white grapes.

Finish: Spiced rum. Red grapes. Dried apricot. Still alcohol feel. Milk chocolate. Water adds distinct plums.

Conclusion:  Now that’s got a tingle. Spicy and sweet.  Initially I would have guessed this was mainly sherry cask, but investigation suggests primarily bourbon aged.  I was pretty damn shocked when I found that out.  Lots of plum influence and honeyed sweetness which take time to develop as the water mellows it out.

It aint a bad whisky even without the water, if a tad burning, but after a bit of water experimentation it became fantastic. Dark fruit and sweetness, a variety of sweet flavours that again would seem to say sherry influence but with now I know it does have the definite bourbon sweetness.

It is a rich mix of plum wine and mead in a whisky, with a fruit cake body. So smooth and sweet. It is comparable to Yamazaki 18, but much more rich and creamy.  Blended whisky has done itself a massive favour with this one.

Very good. If you like fruity whisky and pass this by just because it is a blend then you are missing a treat.

Background: Drunk during a visit to Bournemouth. The local pubs and restaurants seemed to have a higher than average amount of Japanese whisky so I thought I would give some a try.  The staff seemed pretty enthusiastic about the whole tasting note thing and were happy to talk shop about the whiskies which gave a nice feel.   Coming as a treat after a fine meal also helped.

Tasting Notes: Baird: Suruga Bay: Imperial IPA

Baird: Suruga Bay: Imperial IPA (Japan: IIPA: 7.5% ABV)

Visual: Clear honeyed apricot amber. Good thickness of white bubbled head yet low carbonation on the body.

Nose: Passion fruit. Custard. Mango, peaches and syrup, Tropical fruit juice drink.

Body: Peaches. Hop bitterness. Pineapple juice and grapefruit.  Solid bitter middle. Smooth and slightly thickened texture. Custard sweetness. Slight mint.

Finish: Grapefruit. Peppermint. Bitter hops. Pineapple. Thick clinging hops.

Conclusion: Imperial IPAs live or die by their hops.  It’s just the way it goes.  This one goes very much for the tropical flavour, with peach being the unusual but tasty pick for the primary punch.  This makes it very juicy and sweet. It comes off like a tropical punch with hop bitterness thrown in for good measure.

While bitter it keeps it restrained mid body, saving the punch for the end. On the down side the hops are a bit clingy in the finish, though that could be a side effect from the bottle having to come so far to be drunk. I have noticed highly hopped beers can become slightly sticky in a comparatively short space of time.

While it doesn’t punch the same level of flavour as say, Wipeout IPA, it is fruity fresh drink and the emphasis on sweetness and peach is a good choice creating a fantastic sweet/bitter contrast.

So a few flaws, but generally a good ‘un. A tasty IPA with a touch thicker texture than normal.  Japan is turning out to have fine craft beer scene growing.

 
Background: Baird have before this had one very good and one mediocre beer to their name in my experience. Oddly the bottle image initially made me think of the Gotenba Kohgen before I realized which brewer it was actually from.  Picked up at the great British beer festival.

Tasting Notes: Kiuchi Brewery: Hitachino Nest: Espresso Stout

Kiuchi Brewery: Hitachino Nest: Espresso Stout (Japan: Imperial Stout: 7.5% ABV)

Visual: Sheer black with a caramel coloured stir of a head that froths up around the edge of the glass as the beer moves.

Nose: Bitter coffee mixes with chalk and a slight roasted character. Scrumpy. A light touch of fresh picked berries.

Body: Quite frothy texture with a slight pear cider tartness. Bitter. Malt drinks. Moderate black coffee influences but not heavily pervasive.  Touch of blackberries and blueberries. Becomes very smooth in texture as it settles.

Finish: Dry bitter coffee beans.  Very dry feel remains for a long time. Slight bitter chocolate and slight milkiness. The fresh tartness still has an influence.

Conclusion:  It is amazing how fast you can get used to abv inflation. Looking at this sprightly little 7.5% imperial Stout I thought “Oh good a light example”. Dearie dearie me.

It is a cheery “little” beer, though the coffee influence has less to do with it than the naming would suggest.  The main interest comes from a mild tartness that hangs around at the back, a slightly blueberry and fruit style.  It is a small touch but it makes all the difference.

While it is an imperial stout, the ease of drinking makes it seem more like a very well made standard stout with just a touch of emphasis on the coffee. The usual roasted and chocolate elements are more footnotes here than main players.

So a beer that, while I would not personally put as the best beer in Japan, does have an irrepressible easy going and fruity character.  If you could ditch it’s abv it would make a perfect session stout (as always if there can be such a thing).

A well made coffee and fruit stout, built for class not power.

Background: Oddly considering the discussion in the conclusion, this beer is listed as a stout on ratebeer despite claiming the Russian Imperial Stout style on its label.  Its abv is either high stout or low Imperial Stout. In the end I decided to list it as imperial stout as that is the style aimed for by the brewers.  This incidentally is listed on rate beer as the highest rate beer in Japan.  I never did find it while I was in Japan, though the bartender at the popeye bar did mention that they had it on tap just the last week. Rub it in why don’t ya. Ah well, never mind, I have drunk it now.

Tasting Notes: Hitachino Nest XH (Extra High)

Hitachino Nest XH (Japan: Belgian Strong Ale: 8% ABV)

Visual: Cloudy dark cherry red. Some loose floating sediment. Small off white bubbled head and distinctly low carbonation.

Nose: Malt. Blackcherry and prunes. Sake (nihonshu) or possibly gin, most likely from the Shochu influence.  Peanuts and bamboo.  Mouthwash cleanness, strawberries and chives.  A very mixed up but not significantly powerful nose.

Body: Plums, evident alcohol and uncooked potatoes. Very smooth texture. Figs and glacier cherries.  Light caramel. Bitter at the back. Banana touches that grows significantly through its lifespan.

Finish: Dry gin styling. Light amount of malt loaf and bitterness.  Tangerine, banana and candy sweets. Mouthwash toffee and cloves.

Conclusion: I had a chance to try Shochu  in Japan about a year ago. It didn’t strike me as the most complex of spirits, seeming closer to a banana influenced vodka that the depth of my beloved whisky.  However, let’s face it; chances are I didn’t try the good stuff so I shouldn’t judge the whole style by a few examples.

I bring this up because, while I have tried to use other slightly more common flavours in the tasting note to explain what the beer tastes like, it is hard to get around the fact that the shochu flavours are pretty damn evident.  The spirit gives a quite clean yet potent alcohol touch to the flavour.

The Belgium ale underneath seems to be quite solid. I’m guessing it would not be exceptional without the bit extra from the oak ageing – it hints at cherry sweetness and a decent dose of malt, mixed in with what my co taster  Will described as “Christmas spices”. A definite solid and quite sweet base.

Despite that it is quite the shifting beer, with many odd dashes of flavour showing up momentarily. Seems somewhat like an abstract art piece, not really a discernable structure but many little inspirational touches.  (and I’m guessing people who actually know about art will be grinding their teeth right about now, sorry)

It is a lovely novelty of a beer, but not exceptional as a beer.  The shochu is a touch too evident in the finish, which is a pity considering the fruit of the main body.  Something for if you are bored by the usual barrel ageing.

Background: This Belgian style ale has been aged in Shochu (A Japanese distilled spirit) casks. I’m a pretty big fan of the Japanese craft beer scene and Japan in general so I try and hunt down the few examples of their beer that turn up on these shores. Hitachino Nest is a brewery I had heard of in Japan, but had never hunted down any of their beers before.  I seem to be on a bit of a run of oddly aged beers at the moment, which is nice.

Tasting Notes: Suntory: Hibiki 12

Suntory: Hibiki 12 (Japanese Blended Whisky: 12 Year: 43% ABV)

Visual: Pale Gold

Viscosity: A couple of fast streaks, but in general surprising slow and slightly thick.

Nose: Pencil shavings, sweet liqueur and plum. Fresh potpourri. Noticeably smooth. Water adds shortbread and completely nullifies the already mild alcohol. Celery.

Body: Spiced blood orange, toffee and vanilla. Malted drinks. Rum soaked raisins. Water brings out a biscuit style and sweetness whilst letting the rum like elements roam. Very smooth. Celery again. Plums lightly arise.

Finish: Lots of chocolate and chocolate orange. Light syrup, celery. Oysters. Comparatively simple.

Conclusion: So here we go, trying a blended whisky, the first for a while on this blog. A very reputable example of blending as well.  Now normally blended whisky isn’t my cup of tea but this sounded interesting enough to give a try.

Well its high quality, you can tell that instantly, and still very distinctively a blend.  It has that slightly overproduced feel, all smooth edges and pop inoffensiveness compared to the often rough punk and indie edges to a single malt.  So its not trying to duplicate the malts, it stands upon its style very deliberately.

This does not mean it isn’t good however, for all blended is often used as an insult, it’s just a different beast. It is very smooth, spicy but with a chocolate finish. As suggested before it is all rounded edges and smooth curves managed in a very sensual way.

The oddest element is the repeating feel of celery within it (possible bamboo could be a call to, but I do not have enough experience in that to say). Very unusual, but not disconcerting.

It’s balanced, with subtle fruit, and lends nice mix of textures and tastes. Overall a well made whisky that only suffers due to my preference for rougher edges.

Background: Presented in a wonderful bottle, with 24 facets symbolising the hours of the day and old Japanese calendar (or so it says) and a nice little booklet explaining its background it does a lot to establish good first impressions.  Apparently the oldest whisky in this is 30 years old and the whisky is partially aged in umeshuu  (plum wine) casks.  Well regarded in general, and I’ve been meaning to get hold of a bottle for a while. As mentioned I tend to prefer single malts over blended whisky.

Tasting Notes: Nikka: All Malt

Nikka: All Malt (Japanese Blended Malt Whisky: No Age Statement: 40% ABV)

Visual: Light gold.

Viscosity: A small batch of fast streaks.

Nose: A touch of cigar smoke, oak, vanilla, peat and marzipan.

Body: Light sweet front, roast beef and peat smoke. Touch of spiced raisin and butterscotch.

Finish: Peat and slight harsh salt. Slight nuttiness. Butterscotch again and slight wood.

Conclusion: A very interesting malt whisky. Sweet and subtle main body and powerful growling peat before. Reminds me of Ardmore in that it combines sweetness, rather than island harshness, with the peat.

It is for the most part it’s a delicious dram, and a different play with the style – you don’t get many doing the unsalted peat combo.

I didn’t get to try it with water, but I think that it would most likely help take off the slight extra alcohol touch at the back end, which would really make it shine.

Worth more investigation.

Tasting Notes: Yamazaki 12 Years

Yamazaki 12 Years (Japanese Single Malt Whisky: 12 Years Old: 43% ABV)

Visual: Slightly sherried gold.

Viscosity: Several moderate speed thin streaks.

Nose: Raspberry and plums, planed wood and syrup sweetness.

Body: Rich raspberry and golden syrup. Slightly spicy. Strawberry.

Finish: Raspberry, sherry. Slight alcohol burn. A touch more fiery spice comes out with water, then dry malt and fudge.

Conclusion: A pretty decent fruity sweet whisky. The notes do not waver much between the nose body and finish, which leads to a more simple but no less enjoyable experience.

The simplicity comes in variety rather than flavour as there is a decent amount going on. A somewhat dessert themed whisky, almost a raspberry Pavlova style, or some other meringue dessert, both of which it would complement well. A lovely spice to add to a lighter dish.