Hooray for hops! The picture on the bottle says it all, Tröegs squeezes hops for all they are worth to make this wonderfully hoppy beer. I have had this beer on tap, on hand pump, and in a bottle. It is interesting to contrast the three, as well as how the beer has changed over the years. For this review I’m using a 2010 bottle poured into a pint glass, conveniently branded of course.

Nugget Nectar pours a deep amber color with a fluffy white head that dissipates into a good amount of lacing on the glass. The nose is very floral with plenty of hops coming through. Decently earthy smelling with some malty backbone keeping everything in check. There are some citrus and pine notes present as well.

Nugget Nectar is crisp and citrusy with the bitterness of the hops balanced out by caramel flavored malts. The hop flavor in this beer is wonderful; it doesn’t kill you with bitterness and is perfectly refreshing. The sweetness of the citrus also helps to create a decently complex IPA. You know the hops are there, they stand out very well, but combined with the other flavors of the beer they just excel beyond what you would expect. Let this beer warm up a little bit and the flavors only become more complex as the beer gets sweeter as its temperature increases.

In Greek and Roman mythology a nectar is the drink of the gods and I feel that Tröegs is getting close to this distinction with their Nugget Nectar. It is a great, wonderfully hoppy IPA that doesn’t go too far into the extreme end of the hoppy beers. It packs the right amount of sweetness with the right amount of bitterness. Worth checking out for both hop heads and newbies alike.

Overall: 9/10