How sexy is that label?
Hello beer review, long time no see. You’ve been doing well? That’s good. Now that we’re reacquainted, let’s begin:
Thanks to Jess for egging me on to get back to writing…I needed a little push 
Anywho, since many of you know that I’m such a huge hop head, I’m always down for a good IPA. But Kraiggles the Bagels had been raving about a beer for months that’s a super hoppy non-IPA. Now before I go any further with this review, I need to clarify something since this is one of the first reviews I’ve written on a hoppy beer. I mean, c’mon,I need to give some explanation to any of you aspiring brew connoisseurs that are currently epic noobz (you know who you are). First off, hops are one of the key ingredients to all styles of beer and act as a preservative. Furthermore, they balance some of the sweeter, malty flavors and if enough are added, make the beer bitter tasting. The reason why I mentioned IPA (Indian Pale Ale) is because that style of beer always is defined by hop character. But the main point I’m trying to make is that all beers have hops and no one distinct style is loaded with them. And since any style can be hoppy and capture different hop characteristics, let’s jump into this beer style: the American Amber.
The American Amber is a beer that can easily be tamed and is characterized by appearance. Ranging from a light red to a dark, deep red hue, the American Amber is pretty much an umbrella style that includes many, many beers. Although color in beer does not tell very much about what the beer tastes like, with every amber you can expect certain things. Since the amber color is created by adding a lot of grain to the brew batch, most beers under this style feature a malty backbone. But other than that, these beers can have relatively low to high hop levels, could be simple to complex, and could really feature any number of different flavors. This one in particular is a super hop bomb made with five different hops. I can’t wait to have a hopgasm: this review is for Troegs Nugget Nectar.
The label for this puppy is really friggin’ sexy in my opinion. Bright orange with a fist-sized hop: labels do not get any more blunt than that. Get ready to be punched courtesy of Hop Norris…Chuck’s beer cousin? Yeah, I swear I just make this stuff up as I go…Poured out, this beer looks a lot like cream soda. It’s completely transparent and clear looking with some “meh” head retention. And yes, meh is on the official scale of measuring head. Overall, sort of boring looking…the rest of its qualities better make up for it.
The smell of this beer definitely is impactful. Hops, citrus flavors (particularly orange) all burst into your nostrils to create an overall sweet aroma. Other than that, it’s really nice smelling and the hop complexity of the beer definitely rubs off on you.
Fortunately, the look of this beer is definitely compensated by its taste. The only real flavor that hits you is hop. However, unlike hops in IPAs, which generally can be sharp, to the point, and strong, the hops in this beer are completely incremental. As I enjoyed each gulp and swooshed it around, I could taste each of the different hops that this beer is loaded with. Since I myself love hops, I did not find this beer to be harsh or scary and believe that those who normally don’t like hoppy beers could enjoy this. Additionally, Troegs really perfected the release of flavors with this beer; nothing is nullified from a different flavor and it’s possible to really taste each part of the beer. Although the mouthfeel wasn’t anything spectacular and was a bit thin for my liking, it was so delicious that I didn’t care. Definitely really drinkable and definitely a beer that I’d be happy to have a few of. Just get ready to kill your palate, the hops tend to do that.
Overall, I really enjoyed this beer but I just wish I had written this article sooner. For some strange reason, this brew is seasonal to February, even though it’s really an all-year round beer. I’m not sure if you’ll be able to get your hands on this beer right now since they’re no longer brewing it at this time of year. However, next year, go buy yourself a six pack of it and give one to your good friend Evan…after all, he’s the one who told you about it 
Here’s my BA rating: A- / 4.1
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | drink: 4.5
Yay pictures! Okay, more posts will be coming, I promise. I’ve got like 4 reviews lined up, so I just gotta crack down on them. Please keep sticking with me – it’s worth it!
-
- How sexy is that label?
-
- I’m sure Kraig will be happy I posted this one
