Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week": Hitachino Nest Ginger Brew

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Jan 9, 2008 7:00PM

Last weekend we had the opportunity to eat at the recently opened Takashi in Bucktown (we'll have a full review of that later this week). Normally when we frequent the chef-driven concepts we try to take a seat at the bar - when there is one - and watch the goings-on around us. Sometimes, the bar is where you find all the real action and, if you're lucky, find out the behind-the-scenes dirt.

Chef Takashi Yasgihashi has stocked the bar with sakes and beers from his native Ibaraki Prefecture. This means, for the latter, the bar is stocked with a small selection of Hitachino Nest beers. We chose the ginger brew, which was one of the best decanted beers we've seen in a long time. We were enamored by the deep red color of the beer, which hinted at the sweet malts later confirmed on our taste buds. This beer also had a lot of carbonation; we mean a lot. The head on this beer was thick and lingered through the two small plates we ordered. But the selling point of this beer is the ginger. There's just enough in the mix to give this beer a spicy kick, but it's never overpowering. It paired perfectly with the dishes we ordered.

It's also a pretty heavy beer; if you're a one beer a sitting type of person, this would be a great selection. You don't have to head to Takashi to enjoy it, wither. You can find Hitachino Nest ginger brew at West Lakeview Liquors. This beer was a great way to spend a wonderful evening of good food and great conversation.

Hitachino Nest ginger brew is Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week."