Tröegs Nugget Nectar Ale

A nice brilliant golden amber, sporting a great off-white sticky marshmallow head. A pretty huge hop profile here... a very clean pine/grapefruit melding with a sweet malt. When first smelling it, the first thought was "This is what car fresheners or Pinesol SHOULD smell like" ;) Like the smell, the hops carry over here, in a very good way. A very pine/spruce taste with a bit of a sweet, malty balance towards the back of the tongue, followed by a bittering finish. Truly spectacular. A full body, a moderate carbonation - not overly so, but just about right to balance the rather big flavour. A well-done ’imperialization,’ I was quite shocked with how well this all went over. This one seems to be worthy of the hype, and I’d go for it again.

Hazy orange pour with one-finger off-white head. Tasted after Pliny the Elder, so I had to adjust... admittedly this smelled like wet dog to me at first. But I kept at it and the beer rewarded: pine, citrus, almost a spicy apricot, and a very solid malt backbone. Nicely spicy bitter finish. This bottle was about 8 months old, so I’m sure it’s past its prime, but I can tell this is a good beer.

I actually got a hold of this beer while in Cape May, NJ while on vacation. I got it in August, when everyone I talked to said that it was too old. They are wrong. I understand that the hop profile will not be nearly as fresh as it is in the spring, but a beer that heavily hopped and that alcoholic should last quite a while, definately longer than 5 months. The malt character is also very complex, and in fact, this is a very balanced beer. Did I taste cinnamon?

Bottle from bigmilly8. Wow I love this beer and want more. Pours a beautiful orange/amber color with a good medium head. Wonderful aroma of pine, caramel, citrus, and malt. Flavor is really amazing. Hops hit you followed by a great malt backbone and then you get some more hops at the end. Complex, well balanced and I need more more more.

The aroma is so filling and decadent. Strong citrus character, but when you pull the glass away from your face it’s more of an raspberry/strawberry italian soda aroma. Very interesting, I also get some pungent sharp hop aroma, spice, honey and musk. Pours a somewhat cloudy amber orange, some thickness, and intense head. Full orange, peach, and spice flavor, there are some hops in there, but not too much. Strong syrupy after taste. The mouth feel is thick and full. It’s a solid beer. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Bottle. Sweet and musky orange hop aroma, light spiciness and maybe some strawberry jam. Very fruity and complex. Thick vinuous ruby with an orange tint and tiny bubbles rising to a thin head that leaves beautiful lacing. The mouthfeel doesn’t make good on the visual promise of thickness, and it’s a little flat. The hop character is muted and there is a strong fruit and caramel presence punctuated by sharp but subdued bitterness. A strong grapefruit rind flavor grows as it drinks, as does a bit of alcohol presence.

Date: 09/07/08, 12 oz. bottle, courtesy of Robert from State Line Liquors who raided his own stash for me on this one - now that’s customer service!!!

Aroma - Fresh aromas of Northwest hops are all over this, citrus, pine, spice, etc. There is an initial blast of caramel, but it steps aside quickly to allow the hops front stage.

Appearance - Clear, deep amber pour with a with a creamy, off white head that settles quickly, leaving a nicely patterned lace in it’s wake.

Flavor - The citrus rind hoppiness is well balanced by a healthy dose of caramel malt. Bitterness builds into the lengthy finish, but isn’t harsh.

Palate - Medium body and carbonation, somewhat resinous, sweet malts coat the palate initially, but the bitterness leaves a dry, pleasing finish and clean mouthfeel.

Overall - This is a well crafted, balanced, and very enjoyable beer.

Bottle. Pours a clear amber color with a tight off white head that leave thick lacing rings down the glass. Aroma is piney, citrusy hops, mixed with the faintest hints of caramel malts. Taste is very much the same as the smell tons of hops, but the malt comes much more into play here giving the beer a nice even taste that works well. Mouthfeel is sticky and thick. A very enjoyable beer to drink.