My favorite Belgian style beers from Japan.

What is your favorite beer? Do you like light or more intense beer? Do you like wheat beer or hops beer? It is hard to pick just one beer. There are just so many good beers, and also depending on the occasion or what kind of food I am eating with, my favorite beer keeps changing.

Yet, if I have to choose two of my favorite beers that I want to introduce to others... here are the two very different Belgian style beers from Japan! One is a light white wheat beer and the other is deep hops beer, and both of them are from Hitachino Nest beers of Kiuchi Brewery (www.kodawari.cc), which only produced sake, but now makes excellent beers as well. Hope you find these beers interesting and tasty!


Hitachino Nest White Ale
Malts: Lager, Wheat
Hops: Perle, Styrian Golding
Adjuncts: Flaked Wheat, Flaked Barley, Coriander, Nutmeg, Orange Peel, Orange Juice
Alcohol by Vol: 5.5%
Color: Light Golden color

I am a big fan of Hitachino Nest White Ale, a Belgian style wheat beer(witbier). It has very refreshing taste with sweet citrusy notes from orange, coriander and nutmeg. The beer has smooth mouthfeel and subtle sweetness from wheat. And, Perle and Styrian Golding hops make it mellow and soft aromatic beer. Hitachino Nest White Ale is definitely my all-time favorite. In the summer, the beer is perfect with its refreshing notes, and in cold weather, it still works with simple snack or light meal such as fish.


Hitachino Nest Extra High (XH)
Malts: Marris Otter, Munich, Crystal, Chocolate
Hops: Chinook, Styrian Golding
Alcohol by Vol: 8.0%
Color: Copper Brown color

Hitachino Nest Extra High is a strong Belgian Brown Ale with a Japanese twist! The beer is matured in shochu (distilled sake) barrels, resulting in a really complex nose and taste. You can easily guess that this beer has a very deep taste just by looking at its dark hazy amber color. It indeed has a deep flavor but is not heavy. It starts with caramel, chocolate, sweet malty flavors and ends with citrusy and flowery notes, reminiscent of sake! Hitachino Nest Extra High has fuller body than usual beer with higher alcohol content, which gives you that luxurious mouthfeel. I will definitely drink this beer with thick beef stew or even with roasted pork in a winter time.


And... Here is an interesting illustration about beers.
(Please click the image to see in large size.)