Tonight, I am going to try several varieties of a locally brewed Ibaraki Beer — Hitachino Nest Beer.

I’ve tried one variety before; I don’t remember which I had, but I do remember it was good. So tonight, I bought three different types of Nest Beer (and one Hoegaarden) to do a little beer tasting. In addition to my rigorous scientific evaluation of the beers, an additional benefit is getting moderately tipsy while I play video games.

First up was the pale ale. This one is good, but not really my favorite type of beer. It reminds me a lot of Samuel Adams (although that is a lager…). I should say that it is malty with a good bit of hops, but the flavor of both this ale and that of Sam Adams reminds me of soap. Yummy, beery, but nonetheless, soapy. Am I the only one that gets that impression of Sam Adams (or Nest Pale Ale)? My google search of ‘Sam Adams “tastes like soap”‘ does yield 130 hits, so maybe I’m not alone.

More updates to come as I work my way through the beers — expect my grammar and spelling to degenerate.

Update #1: White Ale

I liked the Nest White Ale a lot.  It is lighter than the pale ale.  It had more of a wheaty, citrusy vibe to it — definitely more refreshing.  Nonetheless, it still had some weight to it, a bit of hoppiness and body.  All and all, I liked this one a lot.  White Ale > Pale Ale.

And a tasting note — I’m drinking all these from frosted mugs that my old roommate pilfered from bars.  The fruits of his theivery are cold and delicious.

Update #2: Weizen

This one is similar to the White Ale, but without the citrus overtones.  It is wheaty, with a soft, but distinct flavor of hops.  The website says that it has overtones of  ” banana, clove, and vanilla”.  Not sure about the last two, but there is definitely a distinct note of banana.  Not quite as refreshing as the White Ale, but it is a little more firmer bodied.

Update #3: Hoegaarden

This is very similar to the Nest Weizen.  Wheaty, slightly fruity or nutty (the chemist in me is looking at an aldehyde as the suspect!).  Also hints of yeast or a slight bready flavor.

Conclusion: All around a very good crop of beers.  If you are ever in Ibaraki or if you find it in America, I recommend Nest Beer.  At least in Moriya, it can be found at Kasumi grocery stores.  Never seen it at a bar or izakaya, however.

The mainstream Japanese beers — Kirin, Asahi, and Sapporo — are all great, but they are also somewhat simple.  They are light, easy-to-drink, refreshing, but not complex brews.  They are comparable to a good domestic beer (I like MGD a lot more than Budweiser or Coors…), but a little better.  They lack the watered-down flavor that plagues many American beers.  But the Nest Beers offer rich, distinct flavors.  

All the beers I drank tonight were rather expenisve — 400 yen for an ~12 fl. oz. bottle.  This is about twice as much as domestic Japanese beers. (Incidentaly, Budweiser is criminally expensive for how terrible it is — about 300 yen ($3) per 12 fl. oz. can).  However, I felt these were all worth the extra cost.