Hitachino Nest XH (Matured in Sake Casks)

 Kiuchi Brewery, Ibaraki, Japan: http://www.kodawari.cc/?en_home.html

Descriptions: Strong Belgian Brown Ale matured in distilled Sake barrels.the final Maturation takes place in Shochu casks {distilled sake} for 3 months.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/697/7728    BA Score: 85

My thoughts: Well, I saw this at Whole Food the other day and being a huge fan of Hitachino Nest Pale Ale, I figured I give this special looking bottle a try, particularly intrigued by the idea that it was matured in sake casks. As you can see from the picture it pours in a murky dark brownish color with a small head of foam. The smell is rather complex, fruits, coffee notes, toasty, but didn't pick up the sake. First sip, wow, sharp malty bitterness and seemed stronger

than the 7% alcohol on the bottle. Picked up a lot of oak and woody notes and then I picked up something very pronounced in the back end. I am not sure what it is exactly but my guess it has to do with the sake casks, it's sour and funky that lingers in your mouth after drinking. Not exactly my type of beer, it's very complex but the sourness and the bitterness make this a difficult beer for me to consume. It's definitely not a beer for general public.