Last weekend while wondering down Archway Road I stopped in at Zelas, my local upscale off-license, to pick up a bottle of wine for Reva and I to enjoy on a Friday evening. I enjoy visiting Zelas because they stock all sorts of weird and wonderful things including fresh breads, pasta, whisky from all over the world and interesting beer. They also serve coffee and pastries on premises. This time I spotted a couple of Japanese beers from a brewery called Hitachino Nest. Today I tried the White Ale, and I picked a good day for it.

It poured in a pint glass with medium head and had a pale golden color, that tended to yellow when held up to light. As can be seen in the picture, there’s a fair amount of carbonation going on but I don’t mind that in a beer I’m drinking on a hot day like today. I brought it up to my nose and had a clear sense of citrus, lime and orange peel. The connoisseur in me would want to add coriander as well, but hey, who am I kidding? The first sip had an overwhelmingly citrusy flavor – lemon and orange – mixed in with the wheat. I got almost no bitterness and it went down pleasantly. Overall, An easy drinking, well carbonated beer, perfect for a hot day but must be drunk quite cold.