XH

Kiuchi Brewery, Ibaraki, Japan

Hitachino Nest Beer

XH

7.0% ABV

11.2 oz.

One of the cardinal rules of being a successful wine/beer buyer is to shape your selections not on your own palate, but on the demands of your customer base. If folks want heavily oaked Chardonnays, do not pressure them into buying austere Alsacian whites. Your love of a certain style is not an asset in assembling a successful enterprise.

With that said, if I were to violate this rule, my ideal beer list would consist of items like Piraat, Racer 5 IPA, and XH. All of these beers have intense bitterness in balance with a sour/sweet element, and all of them singularly focused.

XH leads with a sour nose, tinged with pineapple. It is medium-full bodied and has an abiding smokiness. It finishes with a pineapple note that is neither sweet nor sour. Very well structured with a peculiar combination of herbal components.

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~ by perrinator on February 14, 2011.