Tröegs Nugget Nectar
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Where can you get a blast of aromatic, flavorful hops that are richly draped with caramel malty goodness? If you’ve read the title of this post, then I’ll give you one guess.
Nugget Nectar from Tröegs has been recommended to me almost constantly since I began this one-a-day challenge. Because I had trouble finding a bottle of Nugget Nectar, I found myself drinking HopBack Amber and the Tröegs Pale Ale. If those two beers made me fans of the Tröegs brothers, then Nugget Nectar has elevated my affection to the point of idolatry.
Somber but fragrant, the Nugget Nectar poured from its 22 oz bottle and filled the lower half of my tulip glass with a surprisingly clear, pale amber elixer. It produced a foamy white head that left a lace sweater down the side of the glass as I drank.
Hoppy aromas pushed up from the glass — rich, herbal and viney hops overlaying a sweet caramel base. Hops strike the tongue on the first sip, quickly mellowing into a sweet, caramel malt and lingering for a warm finish. Overall mouthfeel is wet and not-quite-oily. Quite satisfying!
The beer reminds me a lot of the HopBack Amber, and for good reason. The Tröegs website explains the Nugget Nectar is based on the HopBack recipe:
Squeeze those hops for all they’re worth and prepare to pucker up: Nugget Nectar Ale, will take hopheads to nirvana with a heady collection of Nugget, Warrior and Tomahawk hops. Starting with the same base ingredients of our flagship HopBack Amber Ale, Nugget Nectar intensifies the malt and hop flavors to create an explosive hop experience.
The biggest difference between my experiences with the Nugget Nectar and the HopBack Amber was the aroma. I could barely pull much detail from the HopBack aroma, whereas (using the same glass) the Nugget Nectar bombarded my nose with fragrant hops. But there are smaller differences too — HopBack is spicer and more citrusy, and Nugget Nectar is maltier and more potent. (Nugget Nectar clocks in at 7.5% ABV and about 93 IBU.)
I’m glad I bought a 22 oz bottle of Nugget Nectar — absolutely delicious in every sense.
Recommended reviews of Tröegs Nugget Nectar:
- Oh…A Beer
- John LeMasney’s BeerCritic (watch the video!)
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2 Comments
April 23rd, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Thanks for the trackback, and great review, Andy.
April 24th, 2009 at 8:23 am
you are right on about the aroma. It pulls me into the beer everytime.