Hitachino Hitachino White Ale Review

I appreciate the taste of a good beer.  I'm not sure I'm a beer snob - I just respect the process of brewing a good...brew.  Some of my favorite haunts in Chicago are the Map Room and Hopleaf for their wide assortment of beers.  I feel that I searched far and wide for my 'favorite beer' and finally found it in Hitachino Nest White Ale a couple of years ago.  It's an amazing beer from start to finish - both light and bold at the same time.  The coriander/orange peel finish - really done right here - is the highlight to me (also the hint of nutmeg is darn good). 

This is not an easy product to find outside of urban areas - and even within metros it's fairly scant - but I've noticed it's becoming more available as positive word spreads.  It runs about $6.50 per bottle at most bars and $4.00 per bottle at specialty markets (definitely have not seen in mass retail venues). 

Hitachino is Japanese based.  They started brewing in 1996 and have a wide variety of different beers.  My least favorite of the ones I tried - and I would say it was kind of repulsive to me, but I don't care for sake - was the Red Rice Ale.  All of the others have been commendable endeavors in brewing, but the White Ale stands alone for me.  

What first attracted me to the bottle was the label design, but this beer delivers way beyond design.  I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys trying new beers.

http://www.kodawari.cc/engpage/kodawari/html/hitachino.htm