Fuzzy Nudge
Tröegs Brewing Company

 

 

Pint can - freshest by 11/13/19 - poured into a squat tulip pint at 45F.

Pours an intense, deep, dark, super hazy burnish orange, with slightly scarlet lowlights, topped with half a finger of loose white head, which eventually recedes to a thick, loose collar and film. No visible effervescence.

Nose: Dense oaty malt, beneath an interesting bouquet of fruity, juicy hops, sweet, tart apricot, peach flesh, brown sugar, and a creamy, chalky vanilla note. The apricot aroma is very natural smelling, and truly smells like a mix of fresh ripe, and dried apricots. There is a green, leafy hop note amidst everything as well.

Palate: Interestingly enough, the flavour and aroma completely match each other, down to the quark. Starts off with a massive pillow of oats, on top of which rides a very unique combination of hops. I can't put my finger on any one in particular. Maybe Azzaca? Amarillo? The hops are intensely dank, with lots of overripe stone fruit notes, and a bit of grassiness. Then, the apricot comes in full-force, tasting like nothing short of completely natural, ever-so-slightly fermented apricot. There's this really odd sweetness to it, perhaps from lactose (in which case, it woukd be the best example of a lactose beer I've had) - but it translates as this sticky brown sugar sort of note. Like pure, raw brown sugar. Vanilla and a hint of molasses. It isn't overbearing ot cloying, and the hops resins work to quickly cut into and dry out the sweetness. The finish emphasises the green, grassy, dank hop notes, as the sweet apricot and oat flavours vanish. Very mild bitterness, which itself fades very quickly, leaving a shockingly clean aftertaste for a beer loaded with fruit.

Mouthfeel/Body: This is where this beer truly shines. The body is just so incredibly thick, chewy, and even a little bit viscous. It has a syrupy feel to it, without any syrupy sweetness. Viscous is definitely the word. Despite all the heft up front, the finish becomes clean, dry, and shows no sign of what you just experienced ten seconds ago. Generally speaking, effervescence is on the lower side, but for a 9% ABV beer with this much heft to it, it is actually surprisingly sparkly.

Overall: This is a very unique and interesting beer. It reminds me of what a milkshake IPA would be, if they were actually good. The flavour combination takes some getting used to, with the dank grassy hops, squishy apricots, and that brown sugar/lactose? note. The flavour shows no signs of its ABV, which is impressive, and the body/feel is luscious enough to be a dessert. All that, paried with the fact that the beer never gets too sweet, sticky, or cloying, makes this worth checking out at least once. It may not be for everyone, but it's certainly a beer to try, if you're feeling adventurous.

 

New England style Double IPA (9%) with peaches and apricots. Oats in the malt Bill and lotus, El Dorado, and azacca hops.

Pours out of the can with chunky bits of yeast. Hazy golden with some snow globe effects. Fruity stone fruit nose with [maybe a touch of butyric acid (I've found I am very sensitive to it)]. Flavor is lots of sweet peach and apricot initially, there is brief spike in pithy bitterness that fades fast. Flavors melt away fairly rapidly. The 9% ABV is never detectable under the fruit flavor. It delivers on it's promises of peach and apricot. But it seems lacking to me pin the “beer“ attributes. I think fruit juice + vodka could get you a pretty close approximation of this beer.

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure if this was made just for the Peach Music Festival where Troeggs was the 2019 official beer partner, but it was on tap and very good. The peach flavor was refreshing with no off notes. The smooth feel, attributable to the oats according to the label, was velvet. Pretty sweet and not very hoppy, it is a "double IPA" I would give to hop-averse drinkers.