Some Extraordinary Beers

Between sake, wine and whiskey, some beers that always manage to knock my socks off are:

Hitachino Nest: These beers are made at a micro brewery in Japan called the Kiuchi Brewery. In the autumn of 1996, Kiuchi started brewing beer with it's unique owl character logo. My favourites from this company are:

1. Red Rice Ale: made with a sake yeast along with a beer yeast, malt and red rice. Distinctive note of black olives on the palate.

2. Classic Ale: aged in Japanese Cedar, it is medium bodied with a slightly spicy aroma of white pepper. Very delicate notes of cedar on the palate. Incredible beer!

3. White Ale: mildly hopped Belgian style beer with slight flavours of coriander, orange peel and nutmeg on the palate.

Dogfish Head Brewery: is a beer manufacturer based in Milton, Delaware founded by Sam Calagione. It opened in 1995 and the output tends to be toward experimental or extreme beers. The following beers from them are available year round.

1. 90 minute IPA: A big beer with a great malt backbone that stands up to the extreme hopping rate. Tastes like, brandied fruitcake, raisins, citrus.

2. Palo Santo Marron: An unfiltered, unfettered, unprecedented brown ale aged in handmade wooden brewing vessels. The caramel and vanilla complexity unique to this beer comes from the exotic Paraguayan Palo Santo wood from which these tanks were crafted. Palo Santo means "holy tree" and it's wood has been used in South American wine-making communities.

3. Raison D'Etre: A deep, mahogany ale brewed with beet sugar, green raisins, and Belgian-style yeast. As complex as a fine, red wine.