Humboldt Red Nectar
Boasting a ruby hue and an exquisite floral aroma, Red Nectar is a robust yet elegant brew with distinctive accents of toasted malt, caramel, spice and residual sweetness.
The beer that started it all… Red Nectar was considered a strange bird when it was first released in 1987. After all, where did a robust, handcrafted all-natural amber ale fit into the massive flock of American industrial lagers? Answer: it didn’t. So it blazed its own trail, helping set the pace for the craft brew revolution.
Enjoy Red Nectar for its dazzling reddish copper hue, original flavors and caramel spice accents. (Editor’s Note: originally brewed by Humboldt Brewing Company as "Humboldt Red Nectar Ale" until their acquisition by Firestone Walker.)
The beer that started it all… Red Nectar was considered a strange bird when it was first released in 1987. After all, where did a robust, handcrafted all-natural amber ale fit into the massive flock of American industrial lagers? Answer: it didn’t. So it blazed its own trail, helping set the pace for the craft brew revolution.
Enjoy Red Nectar for its dazzling reddish copper hue, original flavors and caramel spice accents. (Editor’s Note: originally brewed by Humboldt Brewing Company as "Humboldt Red Nectar Ale" until their acquisition by Firestone Walker.)
3.4
536 reviews
Arcata, United States
Community reviews
A totally whatever lightly spicy American amber with faint hoppiness and lightly cerealy maltiness.
Good run of very decent beers going. This one too. Red Amber, clear moderate carbonation. Toasted malts moving to a lemony hop profile, but smooth. Hits the spot between a brown and a pale nicely.
Rated on 01-05-2016 (Bottle) The appearance is a huge foamy beige head that mostly diminished, light hazy copper body, fast rising carbonation, and spotty amounts of lacing. The aroma is caramel malt, citrus hops, fruity, light spice, earthy, and a tad soapy. The flavor is moderately bitter, sweet, citrus hops, fruity light spice, earthy, and a light malt and hop finish. The mouthfeel is light carbonation and this beer is medium bodied. Overall a quaffable beer, but I have drank and rated better of this style.
I'm not sure if I got an older batch or just not for me but I found it overtly bitter overwhelming any sweetness to be found.
Pours hazy copper color with off white head. Aromas of toasted malt and pine. Similar flavors. Medium body with average carbonation.
Bottle. Deep amber in color with a large off white head. Love the floral aroma and the taste is well balanced with a floral taste. This was pretty good.
Humboldt Red Nectar is a robust red ale and a nice brew. Nice copper red pour with a mild head that dissipates a little too fast. Not much aroma detected. Taste has a bold maltiness and a nice floral hop profile. Red Nectar is a decent red ale.
This one wasn’t for me a little bitter seem to linger on the back end. Dose pour a nice red amber no head.
Nice red color. Big sweet, malty nose and taste. Slightly creamy mouthfeel. Pretty good Amber.
US pint on 25th May 2015 at The Yard House in Irvine Spectrum Centre. Clear body with a red hue to the amber/copper colour (it was very dark inside the yard House: on top an off-white head. Malty and clean flavour, the nose also malty in nature. Mild hop bitterness towards the finish but mostly a semi-sweet malty brew which seemed a little one dimensional overall.
12 oz bottle poured. Pours a dark copper amber color with a huge foam head. Nutty grain aroma. Flavor is quite nice, with some nutty malt, sweet floral hops, and a nice, just hint, of spice. Very tasty, nice looking brew for sure. Enjoyed it.
Pours an amber color with a foamy white head. Aroma is floral hops and caramel. Flavor is sweet caramel with lightly bitter floral hops. Enjoyable and refreshing.
Clear amber with lasting frothy off white head. Malty. Bready. Toasty. Nice pleasant fruitiness. Englishy. Semi dry. Nice balance. Avoids being a boring amber. Id have this again.
Bottle. Beautiful red color with fine bubble head. Creamy palette, a little zesty. A decent red ale.
(Tap) Nice, a bit sweet. It’s a nice and refreshing beer without being too light. I’d drink it again
Sampled from a bottle,
this ale had a clear red-amber pour and gave about a one finger faint off-white bubbled head that receded to a ring and thin film, it left small spots and a few fingers of lacing on the glass as I drank,
the nose had nice citrus and floral hop aromas with toasted malt, caramel, a little bread with malt and candy sweetness,
it had flavors toasted malt with citrus hops, caramel, and pretty similar to the aroma of the beer,
the finish had a light to medium bitterness with some malt trailing afterwards,
the mouth feel was light, creamy and had average carbonation,
this was a nice amber beer drink.
Bottle. Murky orange-amber pour with a light cream head. Caramel malt and a hint of citrus. A little dusty. Not bad, but not really my thing.
Draft. Pour is clear red with a small white head. Aroma and flavor are light malt with bready yeast and a faint sweetness. Light with a touch of malt and hop in the finish. Not much going on.
Location: 12 oz bottle from State Line, 2/13/15
Aroma: It has a clean, malt-forward aroma, slightly fruity, some buttery notes, nuts
Appearance: Pours a clear reddish-orange color with an off-white head and some streaky lace
Flavor: Flavor is along the same lines, a decent mix, with some slightly off flavors as well
Palate: The body light-medium, with an okay mouthfeel, and a slightly sticky finish
Overall Impression:
I thought this one was pretty unexciting. Feels okay, but also feels slightly flawed. Not bad, not great.
Poured from a bottle it is a cloudy red amber color with a thick head. The aroma is malty and the taste is a strong bitter
Taste with a lingering flavor of citrus
From a 12 oz bottle poured at home. Pours a hazy amber with a thick ecru head. Flavors of orange and herbs. Smooth finish.
12 oz. bottle from BevMo. Pours two fingers of head on a clear dark straw colored body. The aroma is caramel malt and a hint of cinnamon. The initial taste is caramel and malt quickly moderated by mild citrus bitterness: a well balanced complexity. Lively carbonation keeps it smooth and not too sweet. Very refreshing and drinkable.
12 oz bottle with a July 2014 date stamp.
Poured deep reddish amber topped by a fine bone-colored head that leaves some webby lacing on the glass.
Aroma: Dank, earth English hops with some biscuit in the background.
Flavor: hop forward for style, Mildly bitter.
Feel: both crisp and smooth.
Bottle poured into a shaker. Labeled as nectar ales red nectar. Pours a dark ruby with a half finger of off white head. Aroma of some light citrus but mostly heavy on the malt side, loads of caramel and toffee. Taste is light bitter and light sweet. Meh, not the best. Not something I would seek out again.
Bottle. Very dark and hazy copper almost brown. Tan head. Clean aroma of fruits and strong caramel malt. Tropical fruit hop presence but not a hoppy beer; nice for balance. Well done dark dried fruit malty ale.
"lots of flavor, malty up front, with the rather intense hops (for this style) to follow. darker than many, and quite enjoyable. one of their better ales."
Bottle from Lazy Dog Macon. Pours amber with tan head. Aroma of sweet fruits, honey and hops. Taste of fruit and nectar. Not too shabby
Bottle-Hmmm this one doesnt work, could be the worst beer i have ever had from Firestone Walker (this is contract brewed there). Pours dark copper hue very red with a small fizzy dark eggshell head and no lacing. Nose is musty malt, wet cardboard and lite earthy hops. flavors follow suit with lots of wet malt soggy flavors and muddled hops. Body is thin as well. this is an amber ale for the masses. Not a quality product that i would expect from this brewery.
Bottle. Hazy maroon brown color, medium off tan head. Aroma of mixed summer fruit. Taste is sweet and fruity. Not bad.
Bottle. Pours brown with red hues and off-white head. Aroma is citrus, caramel, light aromatics. Taste is malty, medium carbonation, fresh grain. Good.,