*notcot in food+drink , 12:51

Hitachino Nest Beer- 02.12.09

hitachino0.jpg I totally buy beer for packaging ~ ok, i buy a lot of things for packaging… but while at Whole Foods, i couldn’t resist the Hitachino Nest Beer Owl, and the Red Rice Ale is SO red and delicious! I’d first spotted the brand on Liqurious a while back, but this was the first time seeing it in person!

On the next page you can see all the labels and standard sized bottles of their 10 variations ~ the graphic design is awesome, it has a trippy playful almost retro disney-esque feel to it ~ the fonts on the White Ale, Non Ale, and Red Rice in particular are my favorites! Check out close ups of the bottle and bottle cap ~ as well as glasses and schwag i found pics of online… Question to you is ~ have you seen a Hitachino Nest Beer KEG? I’m so curious now what the branding looks like on those! Discussing with a friend we were thinking about how fun an Owl shaped keg would be…


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Just noticed there are even valentine’s day flavors in their store!
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18 Notes

This is a really an excellence Japanese Beer! Wish I could find it in Alaska! Tried a couple of differnt Hitachino beers in Las Vegas and super enjoyed!

----- Daryl Leach 09.07.10 15:29

The label designs are done in house… however the owl was design created from a competition with a school. Many of the Fonts etc have had input or the main decoratif motif designed by a very old school fellow who only uses pencils and ink etc. Hopefully the english language side of the website will be much more informative in the coming year.

Thanks for the interest.

----- TonyM 08.09.09 05:12

Does anyone know the agency/freelancer responsible for these little master pieces?

----- Zepa 13.04.09 05:25

In Sf, it is also available at Rainbow Grocery and Bi-rite! Besides the great packaging it also tastes wonderful.

----- kt 17.02.09 13:46

They also have Valentine’s beer. Hearts on its label! Soooo Cute!

----- julia 16.02.09 22:21

i was able to get 4 varieties this weekend from bevmo and whole foods: red rice, white ale, expresso, and red ginger
i like the red rice and i have yet to try the other 3.
does anyone know of any other places that stocks up on these? living in the LA and SD areas

----- inso 15.02.09 22:31

I’ve been loving this beer since I laid my eyes on it! In Columbia, MO you can pick it up at HyVee for about 3.50 a bottle, which isnt bad at all.

In Chicago Benny’s would probably be able to order it. At Quenchers on Fullerton and Western they carry three varieties. The red ale and espresso are delicious.

----- m.stone 15.02.09 12:51

Isn’t the white ale great!! And the Espresso Stout is amazing as well! They’re limited to certain Sushi Restaurants where I live, but I can sometimes catch a bottle or 2 at WF for that special occasion!

----- spidergirlw19 14.02.09 11:58

Kiuchi Brewery makes some excellent beers. One of the advantages of living in San Diego is the abundance of craft breweries and foodie culture. A couple months back I tried the Espresso Stout, the White Ale, the XH, and the Japanese classic Ale at a local bar called Toronado.

BevMo carries two or three varieties of Hitachino at any given time. Since they have limited stock, it becomes difficult at times to come across a bottle of the White Ale. On a side note, I think Stone Brewing has some beautifully designed bottles as well.

----- Jonathan 13.02.09 12:29

I love Hitachino. The white my favorite followed by the red. If anyone in SF wants to try Hitachino it’s available at the City Beer Store on Folsom between 7th & 8th.

----- Eirikur 13.02.09 09:00

Owls are SO hot right now. Owls.

----- tommy pez 13.02.09 06:13

awesome! will try to find these over the long weekend

----- inso 12.02.09 20:09

would bevmo carry this?

----- inso 12.02.09 18:31

I must know where I can get glasses. They’re so cute! I like the White Ale the best, but the Red Ale comes as a close second. I tried their Ginger Ale and it was definitely an interesting experience, but I don’t think I’m going to be asking for seconds.

In LA, the cheapest place I’ve found the small bottles is at Beverages Warehouse in MDR. Gilco’s in Highland Park has the Ginger Ale, but it’s pretty expensive there.

----- Louise 12.02.09 14:39

On top of the neat packaging and what is quite possibly the best bottle cap in beer, Hitachino Nest also makes fantastic beer. Their White Ale is hands-down the best wheat beer I’ve had.

The downside is, it’s already stupidly expensive stateside, and popularity’s also on the rise. If you see it, buy it. You won’t regret it.

----- Nate S 12.02.09 14:19

never tried this stuff because its so expensive in the little neighborhood market. certainly cute though. neat post, i may pick it up.

----- Matt H 12.02.09 13:55

But how does it taste?

----- Jessie 12.02.09 13:05


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