Nectar Ales Nectar IPA

Brewed by Firestone Walker Brewing Co.
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Paso Robles, California USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

Pours a hazy amber. Minimal head. Aromas of caramel, malt, dough, slight hops, must. Initial taste is slightly hoppy, malt like crazy, kind of just dull tasting. Doesn’t have that traditional IPA flavor. Almost like a mix between a pale and a barley wine. Mouthfeel is semi oily. Overall, its an ok beer, not what I was expecting...

Pours two fingers soap off white head. Dark orange color. Smell is very, very fruity, almost like a barley wine. Taste is slightly bitter, balanced and malty. Very good beer.

Bottle from 11.10.11. Pours vibrant, bright orange, with a 3-finger fluffy beige head that leaves blebby lacing. Aromas of spicy hops (citrus, slight pine), tropical fruit, and some sweet dough/sugar. The flavor is spicy citrus, tropical fruit, and sugared fruit, with a bitter citrus peel finish. Medium carbonation and body. Nice, easy-drinking. [942]

Draught at Rattle ’N’ Hum, as part of a flight of beers, on January 29, 2012
Clear golden color, white head. Very hoppy, caramel, sweet taste. Sweet aftertaste. Medium a bit spritzy mouthfeel, high bitterness. Hoppy, green, malty, sweet, caramel scent.

On tap. Pours a deep, a bit cloudy orange with moderate head. Good lacing throughout. Above average IPA, seemed to be a good representation of the style, and fresh as well. I would purchase the bottles if the opportunity arises - Prost!

I admit that, until visiting the site to enter my review, I did not know that this brew was produced by Firestone Walker. The Nectar IPA continues their tradition of producing delicious, highly accessible beers. The pour, from a 12 oz bottle, yielded a clear, amber-colored liquid (darker than many other IPAs) topped by a rather weak head that left faint lacing on the sides of the glass as I drank it down. The nose was wonderful - a blend of orange and lemon juices with floral notes. The taste was surprisingly mild. It opens with a burst of hops flavor, which is balanced by funky malt notes. As the low to moderate carbonation leaves the beer, a distinctly sweet, juicy, apple-strawberry blend takes over. For all of these flavors, this is a relatively light bodied beer with a thin mouthfeel, very drinkable. After one swallows, light hop notes linger. As advertised in their blurb, I think this would be a great introductory IPA - an easy way to "learn to love hops". That said, it is still a delicately balanced brew that with none of the harshness of many other IPAs on the market today.

12oz bottle from Armanetti’s. Pours a moderately hazed, orange-gold colored body with a finger-width, frothy and creamy, off-white head that dissipates slowly and leaves a nice, soapy lacing throughout. Aroma is floral and piney oranges and grapefruits with a sturdy caramel backing. Some resins and a touch of peach. Flavor is similar. Caramel malts with a nice sweetness, a good amount of orange florals, some grapefruit pines, tangerines, and a light tropical fruit. A few resins come out towards the end as this finishes somewhat dry, but fruity, fairly sweet, and balanced with a medium-light bitterness. Lengthy aftertaste following a medium, smooth, rounded body and a soft, moderate carbonation. Overall, a solid IPA. Sturdy caramel backing giving this a solid body with lots of orange and grapefruit hops giving off lots of florals and pines with a light resin as well as some tropical fruitiness. Nice beer.

Sharp woody hop aroma, but with a sweet, malty finish (dare I say, nectar-like?). Trace of spicy rye. The appearance is the color of a middle traffic light. Slushy head, slushy lace. Color is very nice. The flavor is sharp, woody hops, finished oak. Touch of tangerine/blood orange too. It’s earthy and herbal, and has the aftertaste of cannabis. Thick and chunky on the palate. A slick, buttery finish. A little prickly. Overall, it’s a little imbalanced toward hops, but a nice little "herbal" IPA.