Hey everyone, glad you could make it! I got some new reading material in the mail today. I ordered 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die after seeing some other bloggers referencing it. Some are even attempting to drink all 1001 beers! (Active Brewer, 1001 Bottles of Beer on the Wall) That book, along with Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher, should keep me busy for a little while!
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| Troegs Brewing Company Nugget Nectar |
Tonight I am drinking the highly regarded Nugget Nectar from Troegs Brewing Company. Troegs generally releases this beer late January through the middle of February, and is considered an imperial amber ale. I had this beer last year, and while I thought it was a damn fine beer, I didn't think it was one that would drive people to go on pilgrimages and pick up all the cases of it they can. Let's see how this year's batch came out!
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| Troegs Brewing Company Nugget Nectar |
Nugget Nectar
Troegs Brewing Company
Imperial Amber Ale
7.5% ABV
"93ish" IBUs
Bottled on January 23, 2013
12 oz. bottle poured into my Victory Brewing goblet
Nugget Nectar pours a crystal clear amber color with a two finger width white head. Lots of lacing is left on the glass as the head recedes, and there are bubbles slowly rising to the surface of the beer. Nugget Nectar's aroma is full of citrus and grassy hops. Banana, mango, grapefruit. Also some pine notes and malt are present. As I drink, the malt comes first, albeit briefly, and then my palate is confronted with all of the citrus, pine and grassy bitterness and flavor that were present in the aroma. The bitterness only lasts briefly, and then my palate is smoothed out. Nugget Nectar has a medium body, and has medium carbonation. Not a touch of alcohol is noticeable.
Overall: Troegs definitely hit the bullseye with Nugget Nectar. The fantastic, citrusy aroma, combined with just how easy to drink and how delicious the flavor is, definitely makes this a top-tier beer. If you can find it where you are, pick some up fast before you can't find it until 2014!
Have you had Nugget Nectar? What do you think of it? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
Nice post! I really like Nugget Nectar but think that Hop Back is Troeg's best. It's got a lot of the same amber malt flavor but is lower in ABV, making it a tad more drinkable in my book. I did a review of it last year:
ReplyDeletehttp://literatureandlibation.com/2012/06/01/review-troegs-hop-back-amber-ale/
Thanks Oliver!
DeleteI love the HopBack Amber too. I had it on tap at Troegs Brewery a month or so back. Great stuff. The 7.5% can definitely creep up on you with Nugget Nectar if you're going to have more than one!
I just reviewed the same beer on my blog.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about "bullseye," but Troegs did a terrific job. I picked up most of the same characteristics as you.
How do you compare this relative to Sucks (Lagunitas) and Hopslam (Bell's)?
Cheers!
- Steve B.
www.TheCraftBeerGuru.com
I actually haven't had either Sucks or Hopslam yet. I'm hoping to get some Hopslam in a trade, as they don't distribute to my state. I definitely need to get my hands on them soon, while they are fresh. Have you had them? How would you compare them to Nugget Nectar?
DeleteThanks for reading! Cheers!
I have a six pack of Hopslam still sitting in my Fridge, it was not a very good beer at all this year. Last year I wondered if it was me, maybe my taste was changing, but this year there was no question this beer was much different than what I originally remember Hopslam to be. I just picked up what is likely to be one of the last cases of Sucks for $38 today, it's a much better beer than Hopslam at half the price and half the hype. Hoping Bell's will somehow figure this out and bring back the old Hopslam.
ReplyDeleteI've heard the same about this year's Hopslam, that it's just not the same as it used to be. With so many people experiencing that, it is probably more than just your palate changing. If they expect Hopslam to continuously sell-out at distributors every year, then they definitely need to ensure it's quality.
Delete