Tröegs Brewing was started by two brothers in 1996. They sold their first pint in 1997 in central Pennsylvania and have grown steadily since then. Now, their beer is found all over the country and still expanding. They now feature 11 year-round brews and several limited runs. Among those limited runs is their Nugget Nectar Imperial Amber Ale.
Nugget Nectar pours copper in color with a slightly off-white head that rose to just over one finger at its height. There is an aroma of hops and pine forward with sweet notes of caramel and a hint of malt. There was some moderate carbonation rising to the top at first but that mellowed quite a bit as it settled.
The first sip features a sweet forward note of caramel sweetness. There is some hop pine and resin flavor that follows. There are notes of a mellowed sweetness, like you would get from a raisin. This is quickly followed by malt before it finishes with some subdued hoppy bitterness. The beer feels light in the mouth and is very smooth with a dry, hoppy finish that lingers subtly. The carbonation is perfectly suited for this beer, giving it an easy and satisfying drinkability.
The beer had some moderate lacing and the taste was consistent throughout with just a slight drop in sweetness as the session progressed.
Overall, this is a fine beer. It does pack some punch at 7.5% ABV but this is a beer with repeat drinkability. It doesn’t have that bite of alcohol that many beers with such a high ABV feature. This is a beer you want year-round and can enjoy on cold winter’s night or a warm summer’s day. The more I drank the more I enjoyed. The unique flavor really made this a fun session.