Battle Of The Hype: HopSlam vs Nugget Nectar

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLETS GET READY TO RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Today is a very exciting day in the world of Beer Fights. Tonight we bring to you one of those never ending battles of the, "Overhyped" beers. Thanks to our Unofficial Sponsor, Randy, we are able to bring it right into your home. One of the biggest showdowns that people should go out and taste... or maybe sit it out because it is not worth all of the trouble that it takes to get it.

Bell's Hopslam vs Tröegs Nugget Nectar.
This may seem like an unlikely match up, but there is a lot to these beers that bring them some attention.

Tale Of The Pour

Bell's Brewery, Inc. Michigan, United States	From	Tröegs Brewing Company Pennsylvania, United States
January-February	Availability	February-March
Imperial IPA	Style	American Amber
10%	ABV	7.5%
70	IBUs	93ish
12oz	Ounces	12oz
Hallertau Hersbrucker, Centennial, Glacier, Vanguard, Crystal, Simcoe. Simcoe Dry Hop	Hops	Nugget, Warrior, Tomahawk, Simcoe, Palisade. HopBack Hops: Nugget

Bell's Hopslam



Bell’s Brewery began its life back in 1983 when Larry Bell opened a home brewing store called Kalamazoo Brewing Company. Bell's Brewery, Inc. began in 1985 with a quest for better beer and a 15 gallon soup kettle.

Starting with six different hop varietals added to the brew kettle & culminating with a massive dry-hop addition of Simcoe hops, Bell's Hopslam Ale possesses the most complex hopping schedule in the Bell's repertoire. Selected specifically because of their aromatic qualities, these Pacific Northwest varieties contribute a pungent blend of grapefruit, stone fruit, and floral notes. A generous malt bill and a solid dollop of honey provide just enough body to keep the balance in check, resulting in a remarkably drinkable rendition of the Double India Pale Ale style.

Tröegs Nugget Nectar



Chris and John Trogner have been working hard to get Central Pennsylvania on the brewing map. Since 1997, these Mechanicsburg natives have been handcrafting world-class beers that combine traditional English brewing techniques with the eclecticism of new American brewing. But how they reached this point is as compelling as where they are headed.

Squeeze those hops for all they’re worth and prepare to pucker up! Nugget Nectar Ale will take hopheads to nirvana with a heady collection of Nugget, Warrior and Tomahawk hops. Starting with the same base ingredients of our flagship HopBack Amber Ale, Nugget Nectar intensifies the malt and hop flavors to create an explosive hop experience.

The Fight

Round 1: Appearance

HS: Poured a very clean, clear golden yellow with a small, white, short lasting head. Nice color for a DIPA. Very attractive. Constant reminder of the carbonation bubbling up the glass.

NN: Poured a nice golden bronze. Quite a bit darker and it falls into the Amber category quite well. A decent sized off white head that had a little more staying power than the Hopslam, though it dissipated rather quickly as well.

Winner: Nugget Nectar. This was a hard choice because they are both great looking beers but Nugget Nectar got the edge due to the longer lasting head. Longer head, is always a plus.

Round 2: Aroma

HS: This beer is bursting with a lot of tropical and fruity scents. Pineapple comes to mind. You can tell there are a lot of hops in this beer based on the nose, alone. It has a very nice aroma profile.

NN: This beer smells sticky. Very resiny, big, and sweet. Floral, caramel, and clean.

Winner: Hopslam. While Nugget Nectar did not smell bad at all, it just could not stand up to the scents that Hopslam gave off. The aroma is a very important aspect to the style that these two beers are brewed.

Round 3: Taste

HS: It came along very light at first, and then that initial, big rush of bitterness. Mango, passion fruit, and that bite that mellows out shortly thereafter. Floral and a tad peppery with a sweetness that rolls along to balance out the bitterness.

NN: This one started off sweet and moved into a huge wave of bitterness that followed grassy, citrus, resiny, sticky, earthy hop flavors. They all melded well together and tasted damn fine. This seems as if it would always be enjoyable.

Winner: Hopslam. While Nugget Nectar was very solid in the taste department, it just could not stand up the the flavors that Hopslam brought about. Maybe it is just me, but great fruity flavors will always out do earthy ones. No one eats vegetables and tropical fruits make everything taste better.

Round 4: Mouth Feel

HS: I thought this one was a bit syrupy for my liking. A decent medium bodied beer that lingered on and on and dried you out as it finished. A nice carbonation level.

NN: The carbonation level on this one was great as well. Almost carried a medium body, but it had a nice mouthfeel, nonetheless. This one lingered, as well, and I thought it was better balanced with the lower alcohol level.

Winner: Nugget Nectar. I guess I may have given this one away a bit in the last little bit. But it is true. I thought this one was superior when it came to the, insert macro beer buzz word, drinkability of the beer.

It looks like the breakdown at this point is Hopslam: 2 Nugget Nectar: 2. Only one more category but it is the moneymaker in any beer. The way you actually feel about it.

Round 5: Overall

Hopslam is a very good DIPA. A lot of good flavors and very well balanced and made, I say but it is not as good as everyone makes it out to be. I don't understand why people went out and stalked this beer opening day to get it. Is it because it is only around once a year? If this was always on shelves, it would sell better than the Two Hearted Ale, but it would be pushed aside for other beers that are readily available such as, Pliny The Elder, which is also highly sought after but people don't go all crazy about it.

So, as you probably assumed based on that last little section,

The Winner! Nugget Nectar

That makes it 3:2. I just feel that Nugget Nectar was a well rounded, more solid beer... even though it fits in no style at all. They call it an Amber ale... No way in hell. I think it would be safe to call it a IIPA or something. I bet more brewers will start to do something like this in a while and then we will have a new style war to deal with... I do not want to get started on that though...

I would like to thank you for coming out to this fight tonight. It was truly a great battle and I am wondering what your thoughts on these two beers were. Which did you like better?

Cheers!

February In Review

February has been eventful and the past couple of days have actually knocked me off the blog for a bit. Only a few days but I was hoping to fill out everyday this month. Especially since I know May is pretty much not happening at all here. There are some moments I wanted to share, but I guess they will have to wait until March. So, for February, this is what I have done.



I did some Macro Beer Tasting and that was pretty exciting. I mean, who was not making fun of the new Superbowl beer for the ages, Black Crown.

While I was working on that one I finally found everything I needed to do a side by side that I was waiting to do for a very long time, Budweiser vs New Albion. Ever since I heard this beer was being rereleased, I actually knew about the history for years now, I have been wanting to do this.

Though, there was so much misinformation and talk that kind of drove me to the edge and made me go on My Little Rant.



But that is enough about all that. There is a New NC Brewery opening up and I was the first!!!!! I think the official opening date is now set in stone and The Raleigh Brewing Company will be open on March 9th.

I know a few notable beers off of my 1001 list, Sexual Chocolate made heads roll and I went on even more about my New Belgium Obsession.

I had a lot of fun being interviewed by The Cellar Monk this month as well. You should check that out here, A Man In Brewniform.

Top 5 Beers This Month



Dirty Bastard
Hoegaarden
Hop Wallop
Monks Cafe
Ruthless Rye


Look out for a few fun reviews at the beginning of March!

Cheers!

1001 Beers: Budweiser And The Beginning Of Craft Beer

This is going to be hard to do. I am going to try and take myself back to a time where all of the outrageous, insane beers we have today did not exist. I am going to try and live in a world where there is only one beer and it is The King! I am going to try and see what it would be like for a new, obscure, random company that claims to be offering something better and more flavorful would effect my outlook on beer. If I were around, would I make the change? Or would I stay with the familiar...

Beer Number 33: Budweiser



We all know the story about Budweiser and all have our opinions on the company. That is a whole different issue though. So, what I am doing here? This review is taking the classic beer of the time and putting it up against New Albion. The brand new brewery on the block offering a beer that is different from the rest. Beers from overseas that offer more to the consumer. Will it sell or is it just a waste of time? Might as well get this started... without BIAS... as much as I can.

Surely there are more challenging, rewarding beers? Yes, but Bud never pretends to be something that it isn't: this is a beer about refreshment and drinkability, not for sipping out of a china teacup with a pinkie extended.

Budweiser stands for what all beers of this time were like. I mean, they call themselves "The King Of Beer", right? There had to be something to that. They were better than the rest? They actually took the quality of their product to heart. Did whatever they could to maintain freshness and the appeal to their market. This can I have in front of me today was born on 12.12.12... That is kind of funny for me to think of. One brewery was having a major release party and another was doing the same old mundane taste of packaging beer. Interesting.

When I cracked the tab on my can... maybe I should have gotten a bottle, but this was all that the store had in a single... I noticed the this beer was really clear and had a small short lived white head. There is a signature scent to Budweiser. That caramel, green apple scent. A lot of it carries on into the flavor as well. Smooth, a bit of caramel sweetness that fades and green apples comes into the finish. There is a fairly big level of carbonation but nothing you would not expect. Crisp, Clean... dare I say it? Flawless... and you thought I was going to say Refreshing. Though, maybe it is.

Then one day, this guy rolls around. A new beer that promises to be better. Nothing like the beers that are available. Ones inspired from across the pond that actually have... Flavor.



New Albion was the pioneer for the craft breweries of today. People say that Jack McAuliffe literally started the revolution. Back in 1976, Jack opened the doors to this place just five years after he finished college and about 10 years after he fell in love with the beers he had in Scotland. Jack was a man that truly cared about what he tasted when he drank a beer.

I do not know what he liked to drink before he entered the Navy but once he got back, he really wanted to make a difference. While being very vital to the beginning of the movement, he may have came just a little too soon. In 1982 he closed his doors due to a lack of financing and economic trouble. Breweries that are around today, such as Sierra Nevada, give credit to Jack for their success and the start of their breweries in the '80s.



This beer looks like the same that one should be used to drinking. A small white head that dies rather quickly, a very clean straw like color. Though the first noticeable difference is what you smell. Yeasty on the nose and a faint scent of grassy hops. When you drink this beer, you do get a more aggressive ale. The carbonation is high on it as well but there is a sharper bitterness in the finish and not the normal sweet, green apple taste you are accustomed to. It is grassy and piney. Has a noticeable heaviness to it too, comparatively.

I can see how different and aggressive this beer is tasting them side by side. When I had my first bottle of New Albion, while still trying to put myself back in time, I wondered...

What is the big deal? Did this beer just fail because of the price point? Because beer drinkers were not willing to branch out? This is almost the same beer they were drinking.

This has let me see there is more to it than that. Now we are just all washed away with beers that have 739 Thousand IBUs, 10.3% ABV, and Oak Aged with all the colors of the rainbow. New Albion is a truly great Pale Ale. The world of Craft Beer is far different today than it was back then/there was not one, but Jack took the stand and today there has been a lot done in his honor.

968 Bottle Of Beer To Go!

Cheers!

Mo Betta Bretta vs Brett Beer

I don't think I have had the opportunity to drink two beers side by side that were the same beer but by different brewers. This one was going to be a real treat. Especially since I have never had Mo Betta Bretta before but I did get to experience Brett Beer at the New Belgium Brewery. Also, being I cannot get beers from The Lost Abbey here, @LouieM23 sent me a bottle.

From The Lost Abbeys blog.

A long time ago (well, 2004) in a Pizza Port not so far away (Solana Beach, CA), Tomme Arthur and New Belgium’s Peter Bouckaert brewed an all Brettanomyces beer they called Mo’ Betta Bretta.

In April of this year Peter flew from Colorado and the two joined forces once again — this time at The Lost Abbey — to do a refresh of that beer. Below is a video of what happened that day. The beer was released at the brewery on June 9th and should be hitting shelves near you the week of the June 18th.

Here are the facts from the New Belgium page on the beer.

The best part of collaboration is discovering mutual passions. With Lost Abbey, it is the wild, Belgian yeast Brettanomyces. The Lost Abbey Collaboration is brewed simply with pale malts, accompanied by Target, Centennial and Sorachi Ace hops for a hint of citrus. But the brettanomyces is in the spotlight; a full brett fermentation offers bold pineapple overtones and a funky, sour edge. The shining, golden shade is specked with haze, and the beer is warming and dry. The Lost Abbey Collaboration is full of wild wonder and will leave you wanting more.

Going through all that, I was wondering how I would like it. I decided to start with The Lost Abbey version of the beer, Mo Betta Bretta.



The Mo Betta Bretta was pretty nice. Dry and grainy but there was enough citrus on the back end to make it pleasing. The beer had a great body and a nice bubbling sensation in the mouth. Not too floral or spicy but a great herbal character. I expected it to be more sour than it was but I guess that was not the approach of this beer. Something I would drink day in and day out. An excellent beer.



Now it was time to move onto the New Belgium Beer. I thought the Brett Beer was very bready and the Belgian tones were more in your face than that of the Mo Betta. The graininess of this beer was fairly light by comparison though it did still have that poppy bubbly feeling. The spiciness of the beer was at a minimum. I heard that this version was accidentally pasteurized. I don't know if that has anything to do with it but you know.

Maybe it was not a good idea to do these two side by side because I feel they are both excellent beers but when looking at them like this, the Mo Betta Bretta is clearly the better beer. I could only look back on my notes for it while I was drinking the Brett Beer. I guess that goes to show you though.

Cheers!

Blue Moon vs Allagash White

This is a review that I am doing for one reason. My sister and all her friends love Blue Moon. I know I can never convert them from crap beer to Craft Beer, but I am hoping I can open their eyes and make them realize that Blue Moon is not good. They are all complete Winos so I am not sure if this really matters at all. It is just annoying that every time I come over I am offered beer and this is what they have. I was shocked when I came over and they said they had some Deschutes Twilight Ale. I took that! So for this Review, I am going to do my best to give an unbiased opinion on Two Beers, Allagash White and Blue Moon. I chose these two beers because they are both Belgian White Ales and one is from a Craft Brewery while the other is from a Corporate Brewery.



This is not my first attempt to give her real ale. The first Beer I brought to her attention was Dogfish Head Midas Touch. I figured this was very fitting being she is in love with wine, and I think the Muscat Grapes in this beer make it taste really "Winey". She told me she liked this beer like she likes Blue Moon... FAIL! My next attempt was Hell or High Watermelon from 21st Amendment. Which, since it is my favorite "chick beer", I thought she would get a kick out of it and love it. For this beer all she said was, "that is pretty good"... and then she kept drinking her wine. I have five more cans in the fridge and I will make her drink a whole one. So this is pretty much my last attempt.

My main issue with Blue Moon is not that it is made by one of The Big Three. I actually had Blue Moon before I was first into Craft Beer on a suggestion from a friend while visiting Philadelphia. I had already started homebrewing at this point and had never seen the documentary, Beer Wars. When I first had Blue Moon, I almost gagged and sent it back. They brought me out a Sam Adams Boston Lager to replace it. Which, in my opinion, is not much better... but my opinions on The Boston Beer Company is another story. They are just Craft Beer for the masses, not the ones who actually care... I guess I told you my main point here.



So this will be my first revisit since that situation. If she does not like Allagash, I guess I will just give up. Not to mention that I am leaving in a day.

I am not one of those people that think there is a beer for everyone, some people are just not beer people but Blue Moon, really? Maybe I will surprise myself with this review. At this point, only time will tell.

First I will start on my initial reactions of the beers and then get into their flavor profiles, etc. etc. and score the beers on a ridiculous point system. As well as give my sisters opinions in a short blurb.

Initial Reaction

Blue Moon: The first thing that caught my eye on this beer was the twist top. It is a more convenient way for everyone to have access to your beer and satisfies the drinking from the bottle part of the beer society.

I honestly think that pouring every single beer you drink into a glass is just a tad pretentious. If it is the first time I am drinking a beer, or if I am reviewing it, I will always pour it into a glass. After that point, I don't really care anymore unless there is something about the beer that tells me to always pour it into a glass.

Allagash White: I guess it is just the homebrewer in me, but I have problems with bottles that are twist tops. Again though, at one point in my life, I did not care. It is far less work. Allagash uses the classic pop top bottle that you need extra accessories in order to open.

Both Beers give serving suggestions. I, as a beer lover, think that the suggestion on Blue Moon is ridiculous. "Bring out Blue Moon's natural spices by serving it in a Pilsner glass with an orange-slice garnish." That is just a major Faux Pas as anyone would know. The Allagash Bottle reads, "Pour. Swirl. Pour Yeast." Very simple, and very "traditional".

These two points make it very hard to judge but for the fact that you do not need to pour Blue Moon and that you can easily twist the top off, it gets the first point in this review. Though, I am not putting an orange slice into my beer...

Blue Moon: 1
Allagash White : 0

Appearance



Blue Moon: So when I poured this bottle of Blue Moon I was quite disappointed by the fact that there was no head on the beer. It was nice and Hazy like a Wit beer should be but it also had little to no noticeable carbonation apparent on the pour. It was almost the color of a dehydrated persons urine. I love color to a beer, but that was pretty much a major turn off.



Allagash White: This beer poured a nice straw color, which is more common for a beer. It was hazy as well, but again, that is a factor the style. There was a nice, lasting head as well as rising carbonation on the beer. This is a sign of a true living ale.

Blue Moon: 1
Allagash White: 1

Nose

Blue Moon: This beer was really Funky and pretty much reminded me of straight stank. The aroma was not very inviting. I kind of did not want to drink this ale sip after sip just because of the way it smelled.

Allagash White: The aroma was very subtle. It had hints of lemon but it was not very yeasty. The aroma was quite pleasant. It asked to be sniffed, and continuously sniffed throughout the whole tasting process.

Blue Moon: 1
Allagash White: 2

Taste

Blue Moon: I thought Blue Moon was pretty flat, and nearly flavorless. It had a lasting finish of coriander, but not in a good way. It was really overpowering. There was some citrus flavor initially, but it soon faded out to a bland... well, I don't know what I would call it at this point. The beer was very drinkable, but that could have been due to the lack of flavor. I did notice a silkiness to the beer. I am attributing that to the wheat in the beer. It had a light mouth feel, but that is what I expect from this style.

Allagash White: This beer was very light bodied as well, and it had a nice lemony taste that followed what I thought to be a citrusy, orange flavor on the initial sips. Before the orange dropped in though, there was a nice spicy kick. I believe this was coriander as well. It really chopped through the citrus taste and balanced it out. There was flavor all the way through this beer and it left nothing to be desired on the palate. It was maybe a little acidic, but not distracting in the least. The coriander in the Blue Moon really stuck to the mouth, but in the Allagash, it had a really dry finish and left me asking for more.

Blue Moon: 1
Allagash White:3

Overall

Blue Moon: It was far better than my initial taste about a year and a half ago, and it does stand above anything else I had from this brewery. Though, the taste that I had is not something I want in my beer. I see this as a worst case scenario beer and I really do not want a glass of water. It does the job but not for the craft beer lover like myself. I give this beer a 3/5. Would I buy it while out to eat... Probably not, but after this second tasting this is maybe an option. Coors is making money off of this beer without me purchasing it, so I do not really want to contribute to their success, but, like I said, they do not need my help anyway.

Allagash White: This beer was a great definition of the style and it has a high level of drinkability. It is very nice for a hot day, and is, in my opinion, Damn Good. I give this beer a 4.5/5. I am not really a fan of Wheat Beers, but this one I have always came back to as it is just that damn good. It is ashamed that they pulled out of Washington State, but Oh Well.

My sister drank the Allagash White first after having an initial taste of the two and she said it was really good. I think that is a Win, No? For it's price point I do not think that it will ever replace Blue Moon in her eyes, but she was actually interested in this beer and enjoyed it. That is good enough for me. Again, I wish they still distributed in Washington because I feel she would pick it up again, but at this time she cannot.

Therefore, My winner 3:1 is Allagash White. I guess I should have had another category in the case of a tie so I will add another point to the Overall category. Allagash White 4:1... Okay, so maybe that is not fair, but in my opinion Allagash is the Superior beer. Though, there was some complaint about an after taste in the Allagash. Something about a wood barrel taste. I did not pick this out at all... I have no idea what they were talking about. I thought if anything, Blue Moon had an after taste and I did not care for it. To my knowledge, Allagash white is not aged in barrels, unless noted, so I do not see where this taste came from...

Read my opinions on the two, and taste them for yourself. I cannot tell you what you like, but I can let you know what I think. Let me know how you feel on the two. I promise to play nice.

Hooah!