Nectar IPA - Nectar Ales

muskiesman

New Jersey

3.63/5  rDev -5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

pours a nice amber to copper color with a nice off white foamy head that retained well and remained a solid lacing

Smell is sweet tropical fruits with citrus. Rich and piney, grassy hop oils

Taste follows the nose with a citric fruit and bitters sweet and tart. Mild toasted malts in there too a nice balance between the two s and s.

Mouthfeel is medium light for an IPA with a nice dry finish not too tart or sweet very refreshing overall

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 16:13:45 | More by muskiesman

devinoconnor

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Really nice IPA from the northern California area. Pours an amber brown color with two fingers of head from the bottle.

Taste is a nice mellow citrus flavor with oak and walnut flavor. Yeast is present as well, creating a bread-like note.

Well-balanced and a rather easy drinking IPA. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2012 00:02:51 | More by devinoconnor

JerseyKirk

New Jersey

2.73/5  rDev -29.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A: cooper to red. White head that settled quickly.

S: citrus, pine, grapefruit, lemon. All subtle and weak.

T: Citrusy hop flavors with a slight caramel malt taste. Not very fresh tasting.

M: Medium bodied, good carbonation, lends to the sweeter side.

O: I love bold, hit me in the face ipas. The style dictates really strong smell and taste however this beer doesnt have either. Could be an older bottle or just an average ipa. I'm leaning towards the latter.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2012 19:53:13 | More by JerseyKirk

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

3.53/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Finally got around to trying this after having a bunch of the other Nectar Ales lately. This reminded me a bit of the Hemp Ale but there wasn't much else that was memorable about this. With so many IPA's coming out of California now, there wasn't much to distinguish this from the others and it went down pretty easily, which is not something that I say about this style often!

The pour to this was pretty dark with a decent amount of head and some opaqueness to the hue. There wasn't much of an aroma to this and the taste was relatively typical of the style. Some pine and citrus were found here with a bit of the "skunk" from the weed mixed in. This reminded me of the Hemp Ale from these guys, but this didn't have the caramel or herbal notes to go with it. Because there wasn't much bitterness or carbonation to be found here, this just went right down like flat soda.

As for the alcohol, it was present but not complementary for the notes or for the style. Fan of IPA's looking for a hop bomb or an avalanche of flavor will be disappointed here but for anyone who enjoyed the Hemp Ale and wants a slightly more aggressive take on it, this ended up fitting that bill.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2012 00:01:10 | More by JerzDevl2000

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - A clear amber brown with a nice yellow tint and a half an inch of head that quickly turns to a heavy lace ring. Nice sticky lacing.

S - Well out of the bottle I get a strong smell of citrus and pineapple. Equal amounts of caramel soaked gram cracker keeps it in check. Smells good.

T - Ow darn it's kind of old! The Juicy hops flavors of the smell transition into a smooth lackluster malt beer mostly sweet with only a slight twang of bittering hops in the finish. Gave it a 4 since it's still clean and balanced.

M - Light to medium very easy to drink.

Overall upon further inspection I see a fine layer of sediment in the bottom of my bottle so it's at least 4 months old. Pity since I got a fairly fresh bottle of Union Jack but it's not a complete loss since old this beer is still rather tasty. Will have to have it again fresh.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 01:06:52 | More by DrDemento456

CaptDavyJones

New York

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a clear copper color from a 12 oz bottle, with ABV on the label. The date of bottling is visible only when the bottle is emptied.
Towering head that dissipates slowly and leaves behind some really nice lace.
Aroma upfront is predominantly pine. In between the pine, there are tropical fruits, citrus notes. Very aromatic IPA. As the beer warms up, the malt notes come through.
Taste is slightly bitter on the tongue upfront. Compared to the aroma, the taste is nowhere as bitter. Fruity, citrusy notes in the middle with a nice, clean crisp finish.
Overall, this is a decent IPA. Very good drinkability and mouthfeel is not the most pleasant, but it isn't bad either. Good IPA for those who are venturing into the hop territory. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2012 22:39:22 | More by CaptDavyJones

ummswimmin

New Jersey

3.93/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I had this beer with barbeque and it paired really well. One of my friends at the restaurant asked if any beer didn't pair well with barbeque... I said that really good barbeque makes the beer pair with it. I would almost want to avoid the beer that takes attention from these ribs. This good, middle of the road IPA did the job very well.

You get all of the normal smell and taste of a normal IPA. There is floral and citrus hopping. The look is a light orange, but there was very minimal head on this beer. Bitterness wasn't very present.

This was a good IPA. Not very challenging. I almost would point to this as a good bridge from BMC drinkers to craft.

Serving type: bottle

01-09-2012 02:19:16 | More by ummswimmin

dogfishandi

New York

3.95/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle, fridge temp, pint glass. bottled on 10/17/11 (2 1/2 months?). listed as 6.7% ABV on the bottle.

a nice deep golden color, some orange when the light hits it just right. small head off the pour, but very retentive with some thick lacing. the slightest haze, pretty much clear.

nice west coast aroma. citrus being at the forefront, grapefruit and orange like. floral and piney as well. slightly woody as it warms. just a hint of malt.

citrus turns into a piney then floral, woody hop taste. some light bready malts noticable. a nice dry lingering bitterness in the finish.

light to medium bodied, highly carbonated, makes for a refreshing beer. the more i drank this beer i got a slight tartness in the aftertaste.

pretty basic IPA, but very well done. true to style.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 23:03:53 | More by dogfishandi

udubdawg

Kansas

3.13/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

arrives quite deep amber, nice clarity, topped by a decent off-white head with fair retention and a scant bit of lacing.

citrus, with a surprising amount of caramel behind. Mild alcohol, comes across as a little spicy and generally mixes well with the hops. Clean, no fruitiness, very malt other than sweet caramel.

woah, tons of caramel. Caramel malt bomb. Really detracts from the drinkability. Supposedly fresh, but this is rich, borders on cloying. Sweet background of pale malt, with moderate bitterness with a softened edge. Low hop flavor. Mild alcohol flavor, not too "hot", and a surprisingly big body, creamy in the mouth, moderate carbonation. Not at all the dry IPA I prefer, but nothing really wrong with the style this way. Clean, generally void of faults, but drinkability suffers and the big sweet caramelly body really detract. Decent example, but not one I'll look for again.

Serving type: on-tap

12-13-2011 22:57:21 | More by udubdawg

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.4/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

pours a deep honey color with a minimal head. smells all sweet and malty, pollenated like the label indicates. taste is so sweet and piney hoppy. malts are amber in nature with a particular sweetness and a palatable thick mouthfeel that highlights the hops. well carbonated and strong. this is a good ipa, but not sure i feel like drinking a six pack. also not their best brew, but a little bit different for an american ipa. sweet and sticky, not fully memorable...

Serving type: bottle

12-11-2011 06:30:17 | More by StonedTrippin

fmccormi

New York

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Straight pour from 12oz bottle (pry-off) to Bruery tulip—bottling date of October 17, 2011 (at 1:55PM, if you must know) printed on the shoulder of the bottle (“10/17/11 13:55”)

Appearance (4.0): Three and a half fingers of eggnog colored head dies down in fat little bubbles to about one finger with loose, gobby spots of lacing. Body is clear and orange-honey-colored. Really pretty beer, actually.

Smell (4.0): Orange and pineapple hops mixed with a sweet floral character make for a very West Coast-style hop note in the nose; a little resinous. A lightly toasted malt body with just a little bit of a honey note make for the rest of the nose.

Taste (4.0): Great burst of citrus bitterness mixed with some dank / pine needle bitterness on the palate—very nice hop bite. There’s a long finish, with a grassy-floral bitterness that hangs around for a long time. No alcohol or yeast noticeable—standard for the style. Malt is simple and clean, just sweet enough to carry the hops and not too toasted to distract from them, either. The result is a very good West Coast hop delivery, but the malt is a bit simple.

Mouthfeel (4.0): Great, dry finish. Very dry, actually. Lighter side of medium bodied and very clean. Nice simultaneously foaming and prickly carbonation.

Overall (4.0): This is a great, albeit straightforward, West Coast style IPA. Really pulls off everything you look for in the style, even if it doesn’t add much to the category. This feels like it should be a staple in my fridge—incredibly reliable hop bomb. Very nice, and I’m impressed by my first Nectar Ales offering!

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2011 23:39:46 | More by fmccormi

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Spot on the style. Citrus and very hoppy. Decent drinkability, decent mouthfeel. Golden with an eighth of head and lace droplets.Long citrus-grapefruit tangerine finish. Neutral aroma.Good malt backbone. Fresh bottle from Super Price Right, Jersey City.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2011 01:32:34 | More by northyorksammy

braski

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

appearance- nice copper tone with an off white head that leaves little lacing.

smell- mixture of citrus and pine hopes.

tastes- bready malt flavors with plenty of hops, a little tangy and a bitter end.

mouthfeel- meadium body finishes a little dry.

overall- a well balanced beer start to finish, a great example of a ipa.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2011 02:23:17 | More by braski

UncleAddie

Arizona

3.68/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pouted from the bottle a nice mahogany amber red. Two fingers worth of off white head and left slight lacing.

Aroma of fruity hops and spicy hops.

Balanced piney taste with hints of caramel hops.

Moderately carbonated with medium body mouthfeel.

I am not a huge ipa fan but this one was not bad.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2011 16:49:53 | More by UncleAddie

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.45/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours an effervescent amber with 2+ fingers of cream colored head. Very good lacing & good head retention

S: Pineyness, some breadyness

T: Follows the nose, plus a touch tangerine up front. A touch of grapefruit mingles with pine as this warms, & just a touch of toffee sweetness

MF: Medium bodied, slightly over carbonated, starts to turn a touch watery as it warms; okay balance. Finishes with citrussy & piney notes, plus a tad of pineapple. Almost pulled a 4.0

A decent IPA, but the weak body really holds this back. Worth a shot, pretty quaffable

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2011 14:29:02 | More by russpowell

jtierney89

New Jersey

3/5  rDev -22.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a hazy amber with a thin lace of head with lots of oily citric hops on the nose. Little bit of grapefruit in their as well. Lots of tropical sweetness up front with tastes including grapefruit and pomegranate. There's also some malty sweetness up front. finishes with a nice floral bite, the flavors all go really really well together, im impressed.

High in carbonation and medium in body. Super drinkable. Super surprising find.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2011 23:57:07 | More by jtierney89

Tilley4

Tennessee

3.03/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured at a recent tasting at Maria's in Chicago...

A blend of sweet caramel malts meld with citrusy hops... More malt forward than I was expecting from an IPA... This reminds me more of a hoppy Red Ale...

Piney hops are quickly dominated by a sweet caramel maltiness... Rather balanced for an IPA which I would expect in a Pale Ale but not in an IPA...

Enjoyable but not memorable...

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 03:08:32 | More by Tilley4

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.3/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served in a Chicago Bears shaker pint glass.

Yet another random single picked up on one of my many beer runs. *sigh* It's a charmed life, really... Anyway, this stuff pours a clear copper-brass topped by a finger of white foam. The nose comprises pine resin, grapefruit peel, orange zest, light pineapple flesh, and a touch of light biscuit. The taste seems to bring in more of the same, with the fruits really dominating the biscuit something fierce. But then the pine comes in, guns blazing, piercing the tongue with sharp, resin-y scythe-swaths. The result is an astringent, almost acidic bitterness from the middle through the finish. Very unpleasant to me. Luckily there's more to things here, or this would really be a shameful product. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fairly dry finish. Overall, an okay IPA, but that harsh bitterness just ruined things for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2011 01:50:57 | More by TMoney2591

Nugganooch

California

3.9/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz to pint glass
Bottle date 08/17/11 - $6.99 for a sixer

A: Pours a rich caramel color with good clarity and a thin soapy head. Streaming with carbonation. Lingering lace.

S: Smells of bready pale malts and a fruity floral hop profile. Touch of caramel sweetness.

T: Tastes juicy. Hoppy with pine resins and a spice note that spikes with bitterness mid-palate. Some lingering stone fruit flavors. A sweet caramel bready malt base leaves a residual sweetness. Dry puckering finish. Manages some good balance. Pretty good and juicy.

M: Light to medium body feel with a smooth texture and good carbonation. Dry crisp finish.

D: This is a pretty good everyday IPA that has some juicy hop flavors even at two months old. I really couldn’t pass for the price tag.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2011 23:22:46 | More by Nugganooch

jmvecchio1

Missouri

3.93/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Nectar IPA pours out tangerine in color with a thick fluffy head perched on top. As the beer drinks down, the head doesn't dissipate much and generous amounts of lacing are left clinging to the glass. The aroma off this beer is aggressively citrusy and piney thanks to the generous use of Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Mt. Hood hops. The beer drinks similar to the heavily hoppy smell, but the brewers have paid careful attention to balance the drink of the beer with a hearty dose of biscuity malts. On the swallow, the beer finishes dry, leaves a notable amount of hop oil on the tongue, and a resin after-taste characteristic. Overall, this is an excellent American IPA that hop-heads should seek out and drink up.

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2011 02:55:07 | More by jmvecchio1

Monkeyknife

Missouri

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from the bottle a deep clear amber orange color with two fingers of bubbly off-white head.

Juicy aroma of pineapple and piney hops along with sweet caramel malts.

The taste is on the sweeter side with caramel malts, pine and lemon. Nicely balanced.

Medium bodied and with a bit of chewiness and a moderate carbonation.

I love me some American IPA and this one did not disappoint.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2011 03:18:01 | More by Monkeyknife

paperbackfoster

Missouri

3.98/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - A bright, extremely clear copper body with barely a finger of head.

S - A tantalizing fresh hop smell. High in pine, resin, and grapefruit, with a bit of spice. A very clean, acidic smell. If there’s malt to be picked up, I’m not getting it.

T - Aggressively acidic and bitter in a very pleasant way. After the nose, the hops obviously take the spotlight. A pungent, herbal tang hits right up front. The body is vaguely citric, with a bit of orange or tangerine as well as lemon zest. The finish, while still carrying bitterness, is sweetly floral.

M - Acidic, tangy. The carbonation really rounds out what I expected to be a watery beer.

Overall - This is my first taste from this brewery, and it’s been a good experience. As I’m sure I’ve said on other reviews, this is the sort of thing I look for in an IPA - the hoppy nose, and a taste that rides from bitter up front to floral at the end. Complex without being overpowering, refreshing without holding back. I’ll definitely be finding more from these guys.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 04:50:37 | More by paperbackfoster

CaptainTripps

Oregon

4.43/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass.

A: Semi clear, amber/orangish in color. Pour comes with about 1 fingers worth of off white head. Leaves a great amount of lacing.

S: With the first whiff, you can really sense the balance in the beer. A sweet honey malt paired with citrus/floral hops.

T: A great pairing of citrus hops and a honey malt back bone. Slight lemon grass in the back. Great smooth taste. Everything flows nicely.

M: Light to medium bodied beer with great carbonation. Taste is very smooth and no alcohol is present.

O: A great IPA that seems to be yet discovered. The beer is very smooth and a great pick for a warm summer day.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2011 19:11:14 | More by CaptainTripps

Eltorrente

Maryland

4.03/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - 3.5 - Poured into a standard pint glass. Clear, copper color with medium head. Nice lacing along glass. Very clear.

S - 5.0 - I so happy that I seem to have gotten a perfectly fresh 6-pack. Just a GREAT hop aroma. Wonderful Cascade and Mt Hood combo that gives a perfect american hop signature. The aroma is so strong that I smelled it before I had taken an "official" whiff. Perfect aroma in my book.

T - 4.0 - Very nicely balanced beer. Just enough bitterness to balance the malt with slight sweetness. The bitterness is crisp and drops off rapidly as the taste buds or loaded up with hop flavor. Maybe slight toasted flavor.. but this is a showcase of hops. After each drink the wonderful hop flavor and aroma lingers.

M- 3.5 - Mouthfeel is slight malty and fits the style well. That lingering taste that sits on my tongue after every drink, and deserves a bump in it's rating.

Overall, I was amazed at how much I like this beer. So glad I have a sixpack of it. I was quite surprised to see this at "only" at B-, since I enjoyed it so much. I believe it's because not everyone is lucky enough to drink it when it's fresh. I think the sixpack I got happened to be perfectly aged, based on the storage and shipping temps, time brewed, time on shelf, and time to my lucky glass. The stars aligned and I drank it when it was at it's awesome stage.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2011 04:11:23 | More by Eltorrente

Crossmd

Virginia

4.2/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured 45 degrees Fahrenheit into a shaker pint.

Pours a hazy red-orange with almost no head. No lacing.

Smells slightly of pine and some orange. Not tremendously well projected.

Tastes of the same orange, lemon, and cloves with a round maltiness in the back seat. Malts extend relatively well into the relaxed finish. Pleasantly floral though, with a delicacy and an attention to spotlighting the more secondary notes within that's typically unseen in the American IPA style.

Overall clean and sharp, definitely well crafted and revisitable.

88.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2011 15:39:06 | More by Crossmd