This week, the guys bring a review of one of Shawn’s favorite breweries from the Land of the Rising Sun. Hitachino Nest is a brewery within a brewery; its parent company Kiuchi, has been brewing saké for nearly 200 years. These intriguing ales have been making their way into upscale Asian fusion restaurants, craft beer stores, and some beer bars throughout the Twin Cities for a couple years.

Coming from a land of adjunct rice lagers, the folks at Hitachino ferment an amazing, refreshing oddity, seemingly a frontrunner in the Japanese craft beer revolution. Our friends Stephen and John from New Brew Thursday recently visited Koji Nomura, owner of Craftheads in Shibuya, Japan, while John was on tour with his punk band, Better Luck Next Time.

If you happen to see a curious-looking bottle with a red owl on the center of the label during your next visit to the local craft store, take a few home and let us know what you think!

Hitachino Nest – Red Rice Ale Style: Belgian-style Double ABV: 7.0% IBU: 11 OG: 1.070

The Beer Genome Project Happy Hour #10 Show Notes

0:00-0:22 - Introduction 0:22-14:25 – Red Rice Ale by Hitachino Nest 14:25-15:22 – Conclusion

Good morning everyone, episode 17 of the BGP is live. I’ve been battling internet issues for the past few days, so today’s podcast comes courtesy of the free wi-fi at Caribou Coffee.

In this week’s show, Shawn and I review three different beers of similar styles. Together we discuss our take on the Hoegaarden wit; Shawn takes a look at the Hitachino Nest White Ale by Kiuchi Brewery, and I managed to track down the newest Millstream Brewing offering – Hefe”r”Weissen. This is a mixture of popular and more rare beers, so if you’ve had a chance to try any of them, we would love to hear your remarks in the comments. Thanks for listening everyone, cheers.

Brouwerij van Hoegaarden – Hoegaarden Wit Style: Witbier ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 4.9% IBU: n/a

Millstream Brewing Company – Hefe”r”weissen Style: Hefeweizen ABV (Alcohol by Volume): n/a IBU: n/a

Kiuchi Brewery – Hitachino Nest White Ale Style: Witbier ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 5.0% IBU: n/a

The Beer Genome Project #17 Show Notes

0:00-1:32 – Introduction 1:32-12:50 – Hoegaarden Witbier 12:50-18:38 - Kiuchi Brewing’s Hitachino Nest White Ale 18:38-22:59 – Millstream Brewing’s Hefe”r”weissen 22:59-47:29 – Weekly Discussion 47:29-48:33 – Conclusion