Nugget Nectar

Bought a case yesterday with Jan 04 date.
Had 3 last night.
Very disappointed.
What a waste.
Nothing special about this beer that I usually love.

What now?

 

Crap. Once its down here in the DC area, I am definitely only picking up a 6-pack to start with. After getting burned last year with a full case of it and not really enjoying it, I don't want that to happen again. Too much inconsistency among batches it sounds like from everyone this year.

 

My case is 1/8/13. Good but not great, malty with a dry bitterness. Missing the juicy goodness I fell in love with years ago.

 

My case was from 1/11/13 and I think its just as amazing as always.

 

My case is from 1/12/13 and it tastes amazing. Anyone who is comparing it to last years should feel the same way. A lot of last years NN was messed up in some way but the problem has been solved.
The firkin Saturday at the brewery was unbelievable! However, the time it took to get just a glass was also unbelievable. They need to fix that quick... !

 

So, I have read many comments that the 1/8/13 batch is ‘bad’ and you mentioned that the 1/17/13 batch is ‘bad’.

During your contact with Troegs was there any mention on why there are bad batches?

Cheers!

P.S. The King of Prussia Wegmans has a boatload of Nugget Nectar. Unfortunately they all appear to be from the 1/8/13 bottling (I checked 3-4 bottles for their bottling date).

P.S.S. I have a case from the 1/11/13 batch and it is very tasty!

 

My two sixers from the 1/8 batch were great. Not sure what all the fuss is about.

 

The 1/11 is as good as any Nugget Nectar I've ever had. From the bottle, of course. NN on draft (though I'm in the minority of strongly preferring regular draft to firkin) is a double-dip cream dream. My experiences with draft last year was that it was way off. I hope it's returned to form in the same way as the bottles.

 

My case is from the 1/3 batch, and it's incredible.

 

“I'm in the minority of strongly preferring regular draft to firkin …” Are you sure that is a minority position? I also strongly prefer the regular draft over the cask version. I posted about that topic on a recent thread:

“On a related matter I once had the chance to drink Nugget Nectar on cask and regular draft side-by-side (at TJs Everyday). The Nugget Nectar on regular draft was very aromatic, vibrant and a very tasty beer. The Nugget Nectar on cask had a muted flavor/aroma and was a ghost of the regular draft version. I did enjoy the smooth mouthfeel of the cask Nugget Nectar but I greatly missed the hop flavor/aroma presence.”

http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/lagers-on-cask.60627/#post-822743

Cheers!

 

I'll be getting some from a BA in a week or so. I'm excited to try it. I like malty reds that aren't overly hoppy.

 

“I like malty reds that aren't overly hoppy.”

Hmmm, you might want to age your Nugget Nectar then.

Cheers!

 

Interesting. I have mentioned my preference for the regular draft a few years ago and got a number of replies to the of disagreement and not one from someone who had the same preference. Interesting to see I'm not alone on this. I, too, don't care for hoppy beers in general on cask for the same reason. It really seems to mute the aroma which is one of my favorite characteristics of a good, fresh, and hoppy beer. I usually try one if I see one, but have never preferred a hoppy cask beer to regular-ass draft.

 

Nah, I like hop bombs as well. I just can't wait to try it.

 

“It really seems to mute the aroma which is one of my favorite characteristics of a good, fresh, and hoppy beer.”

The descriptor I like to use for what cask delivery does to a hoppy beer like Nugget Nectar is that it “dumbs down the flavor/aroma”.

Why somebody would prefer a dumbed down hoppy beer is a mystery to me. If you desire to drink a beer with ‘less’ hop flavor/aroma, then why don’t you drink a different style of beer?

Cheers!

 

"I like hop bombs as well." Well then you are in for a treat! Nugget Nectar may not be as 'in your face' as a West Coast style IPA but it is indeed plenty hoppy.

Cheers!

 

Or if you don't want to age it you can try to get one bottled on 1/8.

 

My anticipation grows!

 

Have you tried contacting Troegs like JMRSN did for his batch?

“I have a case from 1/17 and it's definitely off, similar to what Slentz experienced above. Contacted Troegs and they are swapping out the case for me. Great customer service.”

Cheers!

 

i have nn bottled 1/4 and some bottled 1/8. i've enjoyed the 1/4 batch so far (i've had about 10) but i'm gonna do a side by side comparison tonight and see if there's a difference in taste.