Humboldt Brewing Company "Red Nectar" - A 5.4% ABV American Amber Ale from Paso Robles, CA

[DonRocks]

If you want my retail beer dollar these days, you have a much better chance if the beer has the words "Red" or "Scotch" in the name - so it was with Humboldt Brewing Company's Red Nectar, which has a completely different label than what's pictured on Beer Advocate (it's blue and tan, with a hummingbird on it).

Somehow, this damned beer *still* manages to be hoppy. I guess by today's standards, it's a session beer, but jeez, I was expecting something closer to a Scotch Ale, and didn't get it - and it was $12.99 for a six-pack, too.

It's thin, sharp, bitter, and without much of a head - I can't recommend it. The color looks intriguing enough, but once you go a level deeper, you see what you have, which tastes like it was made by a child. Somebody on Beer Advocate mentioned a "Root Beer" nose, and I didn't get it ... until about the fifth sip, and sure enough, there it was.

You know what? Consumers like me, with limited amounts of knowledge, are totally hosed in today's retail market.

[Josh Radigan]

So a longtime ago there was this urban myth that Red Nectar had some marijuana buds added to the brewing process.

Not sure what that would have done with such large scale production but again an urban myth.

[DonRocks]

So a longtime ago there was this urban myth that Red Nectar had some marijuana buds added to the brewing process.

Not sure what that would have done with such large scale production but again an urban myth.

Was this some sort of production-line prank, a marketing ploy, or just a who-the-hell-knows-sort-of-thing?

I really wish I liked the beer as much as I like the label, which grows on me the more I look at it.