Tröegs Brewing - Nugget Nectar

Nugget Nectar is a 7.5% ABV Imperial Amber ale from Tröegs in Hershey, PA. I believe this is a seasonal release that comes out in the winter or spring, and it's distributed where Tröegs is usually sold. We don't get it in California, so this was also received in a trade.

Appearance: Rich red/brown, like auburn, or redwood. The head is fairly impressive and leaves concentric rings of lacing on the sides of the glass. The beer is perfectly clear in the glass.

Smell: Nugget Nectar has a surprisingly hop-forward aroma, considering it's an amber (even an imperial amber!) Pine and floral notes dominate here, with a hint of sweetness from the malt.

Taste: Really interesting, and very good! I definitely get a resiny pine character from the hops that is very upfront, and a bit of sweet nuttiness that blends really nicely with the earthy, rustic profile from the hops. There is a hint of lemon zest, but the earthy notes dominate.

Mouthfeel: This beer is an average medium-bodied beer. It's slightly oily and creamy, and a bit sticky on the finish. It's not super impressive, and probably my least favorite aspect of this brew.

Overall: This is a great tasting amber, with its hop kick that lends lots of character. The mouthfeel, though being medium bodied, had a slickness and stickiness that left the residual impression of the beer being heavier than it was. Other than that point though, this is a pretty enjoyable brew. I've been making my way through a six-pack of this this week, and I've been savoring it!

4/5

Heretic - Evil Twin

American Amber/Red Ale, 6.8% ABV
Heretic brews Evil Twin year-round, but they just started releasing bottles within the last few months. The brewery is located in Northern California, but we see it down here in LA periodically when they release new batches. I grabbed this and other Heretic brews at Red Carpet.

Appearance: Heretic is very dark reddish brown with a pretty decent head that rises about 2-3 fingers. The color is really kind of special in person -- it catches the light very nicely and gleams red.When the head recedes, there is minimal retention but great lacing on the sides of the glass.

Smell: Caramel malt backs resiny hops and there is a bit of tropical fruit character as well. A bit of heat from alcohol also rises to the nose.

Taste: More mango, grapefruit, and pine, definitely with some heat from the alcohol kicking in and informing the body. The malt character is also present and adds the taste of sweet bread.

Mouthfeel: Light to medium bodied, with a slightly sticky finish. The carbonation is nice and balanced.

Overall: This is a beer with bold flavors that is actually ultimately pretty drinkable. Though I'm overall not a huge fan of ambers, this one was balanced slightly in favor of hops relative to a lot of other ambers, so I liked it better than most. Another solid offering from Heretic, though (for obvious reasons) I prefer the Evil Cousin, the DIPA. There will probably be a review of that coming up...

3.5/5