New Beer Weekend #81

Double Nugget Nectar by Tröegs



Dangerously easy drinking 9.5% Amber ale from the folks in Hershey, PA. I enjoy many Tröegs beers, but to be honest Nugget Nectar is hit-or-miss for me year-to-year. This years version was very enjoyable, as is this Double version.

The aroma was a pleasant mix of peach and citrus. Murky brown-yellow body produced a nice foamy head with very good lacing throughout the tasting.

The body was very flavorful with Simcoe apricot and peach notes (love their Peach Shebang, sadly brewery only) and a nice finishing bitterness (from the Nugget hops?). Some malty sweetness from the Munich malt nicely counterbalances the bitterness without muting it out. A background pine flavor rounds things out.

Good mouthfeel and body as with the standard version.

I’m not alone in hoping this one is part of their yearly release schedule from now on.

 

Yeah I only bought a single but I’m probably going to buy a full four pack. Very tasty.

 

Sad to be posting this but it had to be done, not doing so wouldn’t change the retirement of Larry Bell.
Pours pitch black, like a good imperial and brewers licorice and charred malts. It smelled better than that looks, those are just the smells I got.
The taste rather followed, deep malts surrounded in bakers cocoa and coffee and a faint taste of black licorice - fresh it still has the bitterness associated with hops even though the ibu is listed at 0. So not sure what I'm getting. Doesn't distract from the overall flavor.
The feel is good, slightly creamy, it almost seems as if the non-visible head is lining the inside of the glass and the (for lack of a better word) foam adds to the smoothness.
Bittersweet here, I'm happy to be able to drink this but sad it's Larry's Last.

 

Alright! Now that I've consumed three Delirium Tremens and my Belgian cravings have been temporarily satiated, it is time to move on to some new beers!

First up is an IPA from TRVE Brewing--Derelict Satellite. The hops are Amarillo, Mosaic, and Mandarina Bavaria. I'm assuming this is brewed to their characteristic "No-Coast IPA" fashion.



And unlike my normal beer reviews/ratings, which are somewhat prearranged, my NBS contributions are purely improvisational. I write my review as I go along. Anyway! Here goes.
The beer poured out a pale straw color, slightly hazy but still see-through. The head is foamy and soapy. Partly dissipates fast, but a small head remains and leaves chunky lacing.
The aroma is mostly Mosaic, and some Amarillo. Weedy dankness, honeydew melon, and pineapple. Hay and earthy tones. Some bitter citrus peels.
The first sip smacks of lemon and grapefruit peels, followed by pineapple and honeydew melon. This is typical of Mosaic hops in my experience, so the Mosaic definitely dominates here. Even the earthy weed bitterness/dankness that lingers is oh-so Mosaic. The malt is crisp and crackery with a hint of that typical peanut nuttiness that I know must be malted oats. I am very keen to pick up on malted oats, and since TRVE uses it all the time in their IPAs, that makes sense.
It finishes crisp, clean, and dry as is expected of TRVE, and that's what I love them. Just a slight stickiness of hop resin lingers. The bitterness is mild and brief, and earthy. My overall assessment of this beer is that not only is this Mosaic-dominant, but a general overall theme of this beer is earth and hay. Very barn-like. But not in a lambic sort of way. When beer reviewers say "barnyard" they think of brettanomyces acidic, complex, funky sourness. But most barns aren't sour. They smell like mud and fresh hay. Which is what this reminds me of. In a good way. Plus citrus fruits. So...anyway, great beer!

 

Sweetwater Hazy DDH IPA 6.2%ABV
4.04/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota
12oz can EB date 4/29/22 into a Spiegelau glass.
L: Pours a dull gray straw yellow w/a 2" white rocky head w/good retention. Well carbonated. Very good lacing & banding.
S: Pineapple, stone fruit, citrus, light breadiness & slightly earthy.
T: Pineapple, orange, lemon/lime zest, pine resin, mango, a suggestion of soft white bread & a hint of gentle yeast. Overall tropical sunny citrus & well balanced sweet/bitter w/a slightly resinous linger that is sour, sharp & pale.
F: Juicy, fairly clean but lightly chalky med-bodied mouthfeel that is fairly drying. It has a med-length finish.
O: A bold tasting zesty Hazy IPA that is both wet & dry. Commanding flavors but not overpowering. A fairly easy drinking tangy ale that is excellent in it's style.
>>I dig these kind of tangy, sharp & lemon/lime IPAs. Very tasty and not too hefty feeling or too high ABV. Cheers Advocates!

 

I'm gonna seek out that brew. Cheers!

 

We went up to a spot not too far out of town called Mt. Washington. The snowshoes ended up being superfluous (I was fine with microspikes, and my partner couldn't find hers so just used hiking poles) since the snow wasn't quite as fresh as we'd hoped, but it still ended up being a lovely winter hike with some incredible views of Mt. Rainier. The birds up there were assholes, though. Stole half the burrito right out of her hand while she was trying to eat it!

 

Another new-to-me TRVE IPA.
Edge of Existence, with Nelson and Strata hops.



I won't be as loquacious as I was with the last post. This has the same typical dry crispness as every TRVE IPA. Obviously the stars of the show are the Nelson and Strata hops. I get the gooseberry and white grape notes immediately. I don't have much to add other than that. It's a very dry, crisp Nelson-forward IPA.

 

Thanks for sharing, I can’t get enough of seeing this stuff. Ever since we went out there I long for the chance to someday get back and explore proper. Luckily there are a bunch of you WA BAers to satisfy the crave until then, thank you.

Those birds sound like seagulls at the NJ shore, ruthless, vicious assholes

Just checked on the map, the one hike we fit in when we were there was Dirty Harrys Balcony, looks like just a little west from where you were. Hard to believe it’s all snow covered now, it was beautiful crystal clear day when we got out. Though I may say the snow makes it even more beautiful.