Nectar Ales Nectar IPA

Enjoyed from a 12oz bottle in a whiskey snifter. The beer pours a medium to deep amber color with a slight white head that quickly disappears. The nose gives a strong indication that my sample has been extensively, and likely overly, aged. Notes of medium and high crystal malts to the nose, with a precipitous lack of hop character. The palate is more in the realm of English ESB, with an almost tea-like malty character at first, before giving away to some faint caramel notes. At most, the hops serve to balance the malt. Overall, not unenjoyable to drink, but it seems as though the beer may have been far different when it left the brewery.

Bottle, pours clear dark gold with a lacy white head. Medium body, light carbonation. Caramel citrus aroma and taste, along with just a skosh of bandaid.

Deep orange with white head. Aroma is strongly of pine with a little lemon. Flavor is again of pine and some citrus. flavor lacks malt and resulting mouthfeel is a little thin and watery.

12 oz. Clear, copper-orange with a lasting frosting above. Nose is resin, caramel, florals. Flavor is flowery citrus, resin, earthy tea leaf, caramel apple. Near medium body is smoothly carbonated, a little sticky and well dried on the finish.

Poured from Bottle into Tulip glass. Pours a medium orange that glows in the glass and has a finger of off-white head that slowly dissolves into a fine layer atop the glass. Aroma is full of resinous hops, pine, sap, and some touches of bready malt. The flavor is a nice combination of malt and sticky hops upfront and finishes with nice piney bitterness. Its medium bodied and lightly carbonated with a slight dry finish. Pretty tasty stuff. The nose is very hoppy and the flavor is nicely balanced.

My favorite of all the Union Ale beers (contract brewed by Firestone Walker) sampled at the new brewpub. A bright fruity hop nose which is well balanced by a sweet malt presence and a dry bitter finish. Orange color with a white foamy head.

Poured from a bottle in to a pint glass. Clear copper with thick white head and lots of lacing. Smell of instant hops and pine that quickly turns sweet with citrus and melon. Medium mouthfeel. Slightly oily with moderate carbonation. A very wet finish. Tastes of mild hops, pine, grassy, citrus, and floral. It has a very nice malt base. This is a very drinkable IPA. Just the right balance of hops and malt to enjoy sip after sip. At 6.7% ABV I could see this one catch up and blind side you before you know it. I really enjoyed this one. 26Aug2009

12 oz bottle from Bier Stein. Pours out a clear amber with mild lacing and a thick cap of white head. Aroma is full of citrus hops and some grassy notes and the flavor is a little more grassy than citrus with a mild biscuit malt finish. Average IPA at best.