Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale

Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

Brewery: Kiuchi Brewery

I went out to dinner with a friend last night at The Ginger Man in Greenwich, CT.  I had only ever been to the one in South Norwalk, CT (there is a third location in NYC).  I knew that they had a fantastic beer selection and was excited to see what new items they had added.

There were about 4 new beers on their list and the Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale really caught my eye.  I loved their White Ale when I had it up at school a few months earlier.  I also love the fact that this beer was made using sake rice and it seemed like something I needed to try.

The waiter brought over the bottle and a clean glass.  The beer poured this beautiful, lightly carbonated pale red with a white, one inch head that lasted for a couple minutes before receeding into the beer.  The final drop produced a glass of  unfiltered, cloudy beer with a beautiful red color and a gorgeous white head.  Even the waiter walked up to us and said “Wow!  I was not expecting the beer to look like that!”

The nose was delicate with hints of strawberries and sweet malt.  There were many fruit notes that filled the nose on each deep breath.

The first taste was filled with complex beer and sake flavors, something I had never experienced.  The flavor transformed throughout the sip starting with sake and beer flavors, then turning into malty sweetness and ending with a hint of bitter hops and alcohol.  The alcohol (7% ABV) sat heavy on the tongue as the beer moved through my mouth.

This is a beer filled with complex flavors that is a beauty to look at and to drink.  Overall I loved this beer and would highly recommend it .  I would say that it wouldn’t pair well with food but is a fantastic stand alone drink.  After doing a little research I found that this beer is semi-gluten free because it is brewed with rice in a sake format.  A fantastic summer beer that makes me question why sake and beer aren’t combined more often.

Grade: 95%

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