When Real Ale Fails
Last evening, I had the pleasure of trying Troegs Nugget Nectar on firkin. A seasonal brew they describe as a Imperial Amber. Coming in @ 7.5ABV and 93 IBU’s, this beer can be a real beast.
While the beer was OK, it wasn’t the experience I had hoped. I don’t think it was cellared properly. While you may think this isn’t too big of deal, the beer was as cloudy as many of the primary fermentations I’ve run and so active that they were pouring foam into pitchers, then into my glass. The result – real ale with all the natural carbonation knocked out of solution. 
On the positive side, it was amazing how 93 IBU’s were masked in this beer. It was extremely easy drinking and enjoyable outside of my other experience.
I hope my little story tells you how important a good cellar man is to real ale. You can’t have one without the other.
Update #1 (2/19/2010 1pm): This is not an attack on the place of business that served the firkin, I really enjoy the variety of beers served, the food and the staff. In fact, I purposely didn’t even mention their name because I didn’t want Google holding onto that forever. I merely wanted to tell of my experience and elicit feedback and thought. FWIW, I will continue to enjoy great beer at this great pub. I am fascinated by real ale and will continue to seek it out.
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