On Friday I visited Momofuku Noodle Bar for the first time. It was excellent, but that's another story altogether. While eating, I took a chance on a beer called Hitachino Nest White Ale and it was the most exciting beer I've ever had.

Hitachino Nest White Ale is a Japanese beer brewed by Kiuchi Brewery. Their brief description calls it, "A refreshing mildly hopped Belgian styled beer with a complex flavor of coriander, orange peel, nutmeg." It was definitely the spices that grabbed me as the flavor was quite memorable. I'm no beer connoisseur, but I know this was tasty. If you don't trust me, check out its Beer Advocate profile.* Now if you don't trust them, know that the White Ale won a gold medal in the 2004 World Beer Cup. That should do the trick.

The other thing I loved about this beer was its label. It has a decidedly Japenese aesthetic, but is very inviting to me. I probably would have bought it based on the packaging alone.

It seems that you can get Kitachino Nest beers at a Park Slope beer emporium called Bierkraft. The Kiuchi Brewery makes about 10 varieties of Hitachino Nest beer, but I'm not sure how many are available stateside.

* In addition to rating the beer (it currently has an 87), Beer Advocate offer good pairings with food, glassware selection and ideal serving temperature for beers in the Witbier family. Good site.