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| Adorable Owl, Mount Fuji |
| Photo l Felicia D'Ambrosio |
One gigantic benefit to having no particular beer brewing tradition is the freedom to experiment and innovate in styles not native to your region. Case in point: Japan's Hitachino Nest label, from Kiuchi Brewery. Kiuchi is located in Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, and was established in 1823 as a sake brewery. In 1996 they began brewing beer under the Hitachino Nest label, and have since produced a range of well-regarded, tasty beers. Their White Ale, a wheat beer spiced with coriander and curacao orange peel in the Belgian syle, is the best known, and certainly on par with the best Belgian representatives of this classic style.
New this year is Hitachino's Commemorative Ale 2008, a "festive ale brewed with vanilla beans and spices (coriander, orange peel, nutmeg and cinnamon)". This spiced beer is a peer to the best Belgian and American "Christmas" or holiday ales, and neatly avoids the lugubrious malts and fruitcake spicing that can doom a brew of this type.
Poured from a squat 12 oz. bottle, the beer pours a hazy bronze color, topped with a huge, long-lasting rocky head. Coriander dominates the nose with orange peel right behind. Commemorative Ale 2008 is weighty on the tongue -- full-bodied, but bright and effervescent. It is a winter warmer for sure, but at 9% ABV doesn't taste hot or boozy, as many strong ales do. Spicy vanilla is the most forward flavor, and a slow swallow finishes dry.
Pair this festive ale with firm, not-so-funky cheeses like Prima Donna or Gouda; honey/date/pear desserts; and pork with fruit compote or applesauce. Pair the cute overload owl mascot on the label with your sense of buzzed whimsy. Cheers!
Available at The Foodery, 837 N. Second St., 215-238-6077; $6.50 for a 12 oz. bottle, or $5.95 with a mix-a-six discount.
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