First bred by the U.S.D.A. in 1970 and released in 1983, Nugget is a hybrid of Brewers Gold and a high alpha acid male. As the second most widely grown hop in Oregon, Nugget is fairly resistant to many of the diseases in the area allowing it to store well. Nugget packs quite a punch of bitterness from its high alpha acidity and has a very strong herbal and woody aroma. Because of its versatility, Nugget is utilized in a wide variety of (mostly American) styles from India pale ales to stouts to barley wines, imparting earthy, herbal flavors with a hint of spice. Beers made with Nugget hops are also characterized by good foam retention. Today’s beer flight sample honors Nugget in our Craft Beer Crosscut 5.2.18: A Flight of Nugget Hop.
Oskar Blues Old Chub
8% ABV, 25 IBU
Old Chub is a Scottish style ale brewed with copious amounts of crystal and chocolate malts, a dash of beechwood-smoked malts and Nugget hops. While Oskar Blues’ Dale’s Pale Ale is a showcase of both hops and pale malts, Old Chub is a celebration of malts. The cola-colored beer features a dense, tawny head, a creamy mouthful and flavors of caramel, chocolate and lightly roasted malt. Complex and rich, it finishes with a whisper of smokiness that calls to mind a fine single malt scotch.
Ecliptic Capella Porter
5.2% ABV, 39 IBU
Ecliptic Brewmaster John Harris, known for creating other award-winning porters (Black Butte Porter), created the recipe for Capella Porter, which is named after a bright star in the constellation Auriga. Capella pours deep brown with a tan head. The aroma has chocolate, rich smooth malt and hazelnuts followed by a nice medium body. Flavors of chocolate and caramel meld with just a touch of roast. A collection of Nugget, Chinook, Centennial, and Cascade hops brighten this lively porter.
Modern Times Havnor IPA
6.7% ABV, 60 IBU
Modern Times Beer’s February monthly release is a style mash-up combining the San Diego/Portland’s hazy IPA malt bill and low bitterness/high aroma hopping style with the clean fermentation character of its West Coast IPAs. The result is a supremely drinkable IPA that puts the focus squarely on the Mosaic, Chinook, Simcoe, and Oregon-grown Nugget hops, which means grapefruit hops, resin and grassy and bready malt.
Upright Supercool IPA
7.3% ABV, 65 IBU
Upright Brewing’s Supercool IPI employs open fermentation with the Portland brewery’s house blend of saison yeasts at cool temperatures, allowing the profile to only hint at its Belgian-esque roots. The Supercool drinks like a classic American IPA, with big, dank flora hoppy resin nose with fennel and sticky pine. On the tongue, Nugget, Columbus and Santiam hops hit notes of lemon, orange, wood and sticky pine, while the unique processing and yeasts lend background flavors of apricot and white pepper. The bitterness is firm but smooth all the way to the extra dry finish.
Stone Ruination 2.0 IPA
8.5% ABV, 100+ IBU
Filling one of our 5-ounce sampler glasses with Stone Brewing‘s Ruination 2.0, the beer pours a dark gold, just on the edge of orange. The aroma is immediately super dank and resinous, piney, just West Coast classic turned up to 11, before giving way to grapefruit and orangey fruit notes and grassiness. This beer wears its 100+ IBUs, with Magnum and Nugget hops providing a hefty dose of standout bitterness. Citra, Simcoe and Azacca hops provide the bountiful tropical fruit and resinous pine aromas. Combined, the rich tapestry of hops results in a taste profile rife with citrus, melon and tropical fruit flavors.
