Red Nectar - Nectar Ales

hosehead83

Ohio

3.94/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a "stubby" 12oz. bottle into a standard pint glass.
Clear copper with a decent head of airy, off-white foam.
Aroma-Faint toasted malt
Taste-Caramel, toasted malt, soft floral note and faint kiss of hops in the finish. Nicely balnced and subtle with a sessionable feel. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 21:45:51 | More by hosehead83

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.89/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Firestone Walker bought the rights to the brand now their brewing in Paso Robles, I was drinking the stuff out of Humboldt County ten years ago, this is still a great introduction ale. I guess it won a 2010 GABF gold medal who knew? Back in Ohio after quite a long departure from the state's distribution I hope Cavalier starts getting some FSWB stuff I'd be amped about even a variety pack of their regular stuff. Appears a dark ruby amber body with light beige head forming thick and dwindling at an appreciable rate, fine speckled lacing coats the sides of my chalice. Aroma pleasant fruitiness sliced red apples and hints citrus greet my nares, with an underlying rock solid malt and hop combo going on. Flavors are dry upfront with a refined caramel breadiness with backend hops that bring earthiness, pine, and mild citrus peel abroad to the forefront of the flavor explosion quite a nice mix of bread, hops, and yeast. Mouthfeel is so dead on hits the palate upfront without overt sweetness and takes the palate on a ride of complexity balanced carbonation, and hop oils all take a ride of glory on the palate nothing bad to say here. Overall I'm missing beers like this that have great flavor complexity that got me into craft beers, that are so good yet often overlooked much appreciated red ale from the folks out around SLO and Santa Barbara brewing world class ales abound.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2013 00:05:03 | More by WVbeergeek

kangarooAdam59

Pennsylvania

4.08/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Down in PA, knockin' some wants off my list:

Into a pint glass:

A: clear, light amber with some brown/red highlights, two fingers of foamy whiteness that fades quickly, no carbonation is seen rising, clingy lacing is left

S: bready and caramel malts, hints of citrus

T: sweet through the previously mentioned flavors, smooth sweet aftertaste and finish

M: light, very sessionable, carbonation is spot on

O: I knew why I wanted to try this and am certainly glad I finally did as I would definitely come back to this, its good for its style as well.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2013 17:34:37 | More by kangarooAdam59

macrosmatic

Florida

3.54/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

Reviewed from notes. Poured from 12 oz. bottle into an Upland pint glass.

A: Pours a clear, light brown with orange highlights. One finger's worth of light brown head forms but fades quickly. Medium visible carbonation.

S: Brown bready malts, hints of citrus hops. Overall fairly muted on the nose.

T: Similar to nose, but has more of the nondescript citrus hoppiness, which is balanced (or perhaps overwhelmed a bit) by the malt sweetness. Still has some bitter hop tingle at the end.

M: Medium-bodied, good carbonation sensation, minimal alcohol.

O: Not objectionable but quite forgettable. It does cross my mind to wonder how old the beer is. It's only quite recently been available in FL, so I assume it's fairly fresh (?). I really wish *all* breweries would date their bottles!

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 21:29:55 | More by macrosmatic

chickenflea

Florida

3.63/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottle. Pours a clear amber body with a medium white head. Floral spicy and mild banana aroma, hints of earth and citrus. Caramel with some light anise. Caramel malt blended with earthy bitterness. Hint of grapefruit. Clean dry finish. Pleasant and refreshing, but just a hint of astringency keeps it from high marks.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 00:13:33 | More by chickenflea

BeerNinja007

New Hampshire

4.44/5  rDev +20.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Single 12oz bottle for $1.30 off the clearance rack at The Beer Store in Nashua, NH. (I cleared them out over two days, like 9 bottles total). Date "06/07/12 09:16" printed in small letters at the bottom of the label. Served cold in a tulip.

A: A moderate pour gives 1/2" of dirty ivory head that settles after a while, leaving one large iceberg and a thick meniscus along the glass. Candy apple red brew, clear as a bell, shows some carbo floating upward.

S: A very nice pungent resiny hop rides on top of a clean moderately strong fruity candy sweetness. Pine, grass, mixed citrus rind.

T: Very similar to the smell. A fairly strong generic resiny hop takes charge at the tip of the tongue and covers the palate all the way down. Mixed notes of pine, grass, citrus rinds. Light candy sweetness with a touch of light malt provides body, super tasty, somewhat fruity like candied cherries or the coating on a candy apple (without any cinnamon or etc). A bit of the pine and grass hop lingers in the finish for just a bit, but it's not too strong.

M: Medium thickness from the sugar, not too malty or starchy, really nice viscosity for how light it is. Soft carbo. Nicely balanced.

O: I love this stuff but its been kinda hard to find. Glad I came across it.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 01:43:48 | More by BeerNinja007

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.84/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz Bottle from Bristol Farms Palm Springs CA for 3$

Appearance - Clear red/copper with an average size fizzy beige coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation showing and there is some decent lacing. The head lasted for around 4-5 minutes.

Smell - Hops, malts, caramel, apricots, pineapple

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste caramel, malts, and hops. There is also some toffee, cherries, and a slight herbal flavour. It ends with a malty sweet aftertaste with a mild amount of hop bitterness.

Overall – This along with their IPA are both solid and tasty brews. Nothing over the top but a nice balanced fruity and hoppy taste. I'd drink it again.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2013 01:13:46 | More by spinrsx

nickfl

Florida

3.63/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A - Pours with one finger of off white foam on top of a perfectly clear, amber-brown body. The head settles at a moderate pace and leaves decent lace.

S - A floral, lightly fruity hop aroma with some caramel and toffee malt in the background.

T - Toffee and brown bread up front with some spicy hops in the middle. Finishes with caramel, light roast, and floral hops as well as moderate bitterness.

M - Medium body, moderate carbonation, and a balanced finish.

D - Not bad, but the hop profile is very old fashioned, with floral notes that don't really stack up against the pine and tropical fruit that most west coast brewers are using in their hoppy red beers today. Drinkable, but forgettable.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 07:45:53 | More by nickfl

pkalix

California

4.45/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

darker, reddish color; off-white foam which dissipates to almost nothing. thick, clay kind-of pasting on the sides as the glass tilts....
smell is more of a softer, floral-type, and less of the pine-y i've become accustomed to in the more hoppier brews.
taste is a soft kind of hop flavor, very pleasant. still a little piney, but softer in that regard. very easy to let pass the tongue with an earthy kind of flavor along the sides of the palate.
either i'm warming up slowly to the hoppier brews or i'm finding some really subtle brews in that style. i'm surprised at the lower BA score as i feel this is a really smooth and great tasting brew. the only thing that i might object to would be the lowered abv of which i've become accustomed to...

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 05:40:56 | More by pkalix

kylehay2004

Florida

4/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Single finger head on a clear amber body. Earthy and subtle citrus hops with toasted and caramel malts as the aroma. Flavor follows aroma with additional metallic hops otherwise very similar. This is like a sweet pale ale as far as hoppiness degree. Good hop degree but too much metallic flavor. Medium body and moderate carbonation. Very drinkable, good flavor. Better than I was expecting.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2013 13:56:35 | More by kylehay2004

jzauder

Florida

4.35/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bought at Total Wine-Pembroke Pines. Poured into a glass with pictures of blue purses on it. I was at my mother-in-laws house, and yes, that was the best glass available.

Appearance: Dark amber, almost brown. Not much head retention

Aroma: Pine and citrus, you definitely get the west coast hops.

Taste: Perfectly balanced mouthfeel. Malt is present but hops are the star of the show. Aftertaste gives you pine again, almost minty. Little hop bitterness

Overall: Sessionable & delicious. A great representation of the style. I'm so glad that Nectar Ales has made it's way to Florida.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2012 02:53:21 | More by jzauder

shand

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Nectar Ales is brand new to Florida so I know this is fresh, but this beer blew away my expectations. Red Nectar pours a beautiful deep red color with tons of carbonation bubbles. The aroma jumps out of the glass, with a solid citrus hop presence over a wonderful caramel malt with some slight toasted aspects. The taste is, again, excellent. The hops are the front line here at first, providing some nice citrus flavors along with a little bit of spiciness and grass. Then, the aftertaste provides a nice mixture of caramel and toasted malts, with a bit of hoppiness lingering, leading to a smooth finish.

The mouthfeel is perfect, the body has just enough heft to it while the carbonation level makes it go down easy. The drinkability is also great. Overall, this is one of the better, more traditional American Reds I've had in a while. It's not hopped to the point of being an IPA as is trendy right now. Instead it provides an excellent balance of caramel malts and citrus hops to make a truly tasty and easy-drinking brew.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 00:04:16 | More by shand

inlimbo77

Delaware

3.58/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz, 4/26/12
Tulip

A: Pours a pretty crimson copper color. Finger of off white fluffy head. Leaves some sticky lacing.

S: Smells fairly malty. Caramel nutty malt notes. Some pine notes behind it but subdued.

T: Up front you get a touch of piney hop bitterness, so they are still there! Then those staple red ale malts kick in. Crisp and nutty. Maybe a little almond flavor. The finish isn't totally dry.

M: Medium bodied. Easy drinking.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 18:15:52 | More by inlimbo77

kagent777

Utah

4.05/5  rDev +10.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle with a date of 5/21/12 poured into my perfect pint.

Appearance: A drop dead gorgeous ruby/amber with a three finger rocky head that settled slowly. The head had large bubbles that left splotchy lacing.

Smell: Pine and orange hops mingle with toasted caramel hops. A bit of a metallic smell also.

Taste: A clean straightforward beer. A lingering bitterness all through the taste is faintly citric. The caramel malts bring some sweetness to balance.

Mouthfeel: The body is light to middling while the carbonation is tingly.

Overall: Not my favorite red ale, but a very good one none the less. I can easily get this one and will visit it again. Solid!

Serving type: bottle

08-22-2012 04:24:19 | More by kagent777

ngeunit1

California

4.33/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a just barely clear copper-amber with a finger of frothy off-white head. The head fades down fairly slowly leaving behind some nice lacing.

S - Aroma is a mix of sweet caramel malts with grapefruit, citrus, and light pine hops with a bit of bready malts.

T - Starts off with a mix of sweet caramel malts with grapefruit and citrus hops and a bit of bitterness. Through the middle, some pine and lightly floral hop with a bit more bitterness and a bit of bready malts. The finish is a mix of sweet caramel malts, pine and grapefruit hops, bitterness, and a bit of bread.

M - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels smooth with a dry and bitter finish.

D - Very drinkable. Really nicely balanced with a good hop profile and bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 04:24:36 | More by ngeunit1

UCLABrewN84

California

3.6/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottled 5/21/12.

Pours a clear dark amber with a 1 inch foamy khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small patches of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of toasted malt, caramel, and some herbal hop aromas. Taste is of toasted malt, burnt caramel, and herbal hop flavors on the finish. There is a mild hop bitterness on the palate after each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is pretty tasty and drinkable but not something I would likely go after again.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2012 03:58:05 | More by UCLABrewN84

Blargimus

Colorado

3.13/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle poured into pint glass. Bottled 4/2/2012.

Pours a crystal-clear brownish red. Not much head and not much carbonation in general.

Not much smell to speak of. The head faded very rapidly, so there's nothing to keep the aromas in. What little I can smell is some faded hops.

Tastes much better than it smells. Good balance of malt and hops. Not a particularly strong flavor.

Mouthfeel on the thin side. Carbonation is light.

I can't say I would buy this again. The flavor is fine, but there's just not much of it.

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2012 22:38:50 | More by Blargimus

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.4/5  rDev -7.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is an interesting Red/Amber to me. It comes across as sweet, by the look of it and the name. I mean, c'mon...nectar. And it starts off that way. It's an amber/reddish color with nice head. Aroma is a bit sticky and malty. Some sweetness comes through. Rosy, almost.

Flavor is sweet up front, but it does stop about half way to introduce a bit of hops. A nice bite on the finish seems grassy and minty.
A good brew, maybe a bit 'syrupy' in the feel throughout.

Serving type: bottle

05-18-2012 01:32:02 | More by Mebuzzard

BucannonXC5

California

3.88/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. About 1 ½ fingers of head. Color was pale caramel brown. Thick caramel lacing with lots of bubble spots on the top. Decent amount of wet, spongy, thick film on the sides that lasted throughout the pour.

Initially got caramel in the nose. Also some mild rye hops. Sweet sugary malts as well. Reminded me slightly of an iced tea in the nose.

Icea tea was a great guess on the smell, because that’s what the taste initially reminded me of. Probably more rye malts than anything else, but I still got some bitterness on the tongue. Nothing too extraordinary overall.

Medium body. Sticky texture. Average-to-above average carbonation. Bitter abrupt finish.

It was OK overall. I’ve had it before, but this was the first time I rated it. I’d still probably still give it another go.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2012 05:41:33 | More by BucannonXC5

PintOHops

California

3.68/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Glass - Pint

A - A perfect Amber colored brew with a 1-finger head that dissipated quickly. Clarity of the beer is high, and you can see some lite carbonation. I got a spot here and there left on my glass.

S - A kick of herbal and rind like hop aroma's upfront. A bit of lemon juice. Soft caramel underneath the hop notes upfront. About it.

T - Herbal, lemon and pine hop characteristics hit me first. Immediately following is a stronger than expect note of caramel, with this weird kinda astringent after taste. Bitterness is pretty mild and a faint cocoa bean flavor lingers on the tongue a bit.

M - Smooth and medium bodied lite-moderate crispness.

O - Not my favorite of the style, but a decent example. I didn't like the astringent thing going on in the flavor profile, after awhile I got sorta tired of it. Overall though I liked the beer, and I'd buy it again if the price was right.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 23:02:52 | More by PintOHops

JosiahS

California

3.5/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

glass: Pint

Pours a clear copper-brown color with a tan 1 finger-head. Minimal lacing, only a few spots retain. Smells like cherries, lemon zest and caramel. Mouthfeel is medium with medium carbonation. Flavors of cherry, caramel, faint chocolate, lemon zest and faint pine. Finishes clean with a slight lingering bitterness. Decent red.

Serving type: bottle

05-04-2012 22:52:40 | More by JosiahS

intensify

Colorado

3.08/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured a good looking foamy white head. The head didn't stick around for long, but left lacing.

S- Grapefruit, peaches, honey and hops. A small earthy smell but nothing special.

T- Peach,tangerine, grapefruit, and caramel. Hoppy backbone, with a finish that was barely bitter. Spices in the beer kicked it up a notch, but still an average beer.

O- Not bad. A good one to pair with food or while fishing. An average beer for an average occasion.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2012 06:09:47 | More by intensify

TWStandley

Massachusetts

3/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured into my Portsmouth tulip (which I proceeded to break immediately following this beer while washing it).

Poured a beautiful amber color with a small off white head.

Smelled of some mild sweet malts and mild hops, very subtle aroma.

Taste followed the smell - was hoping for a bigger hop bite but failed to find it. Overall a relatively boring taste.

Mouthfeel was alright.

Overall this was ok. Don't think I would ever buy again but glad to try it. This beer just lacked depth and character. It was very light. I could polish off a 6 pack of these without a problem, and in a pretty quick time period. Meh...

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2012 23:37:25 | More by TWStandley

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.15/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Another average red. What can I say? Nice red color but the smell left something to be desired...like an aroma! Ok maybe I smelled some malt but was seriously too subtle. Taste was borign as well, nothing stood out. I guess I could knock this back ata barbeque but I won't buy anymore of it.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2012 04:17:05 | More by ArrogantB

Drinkerofales

California

4.03/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours clear cinnared, with a big light tan head that leaves tons of lacing.

Smell is crisp roasted malts, followed by floral, and lightly piney hops.

Taste follows closely behind, with plenty of flavor for 5.5%. Dry roasted malts, a nice bitter dry hop finish. Not overly complex, but well balanced and clean.

Texture is where it should be, smooth and light. Good carbonation.

A long time favorite here, one of the first craft brews I drank in my early 20's. It was nice to revisit, I just wish it had more punch, but, it's not an imp red, so it fits right where it should be.

DOA

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 18:41:03 | More by Drinkerofales