Rogue HazelNut Brown Nectar

Brewed by Rogue Ales
Style: Brown Ale
Newport, Oregon USA

Clear, bubbly brownish red appearance. Head fades quickly. More red than brown in the light. A unique sugary sweet (but not at all cloying) brown aroma that is unlike any other brown I’ve ever had. It’s like cake and bready brown sugar with that dry hazelnut adding richness. Just tremendous; it’s a nutty, bready confection. The taste is sweet, like real bready brown sugar. Grounded with sweet, bready yeast. Beautifully balanced between the sweet sugar and the nutty hazelnut. Hints of oatmeal and cocoa powder. The feel is so dry and thick, like a light milkshake. Perfect consistency for this style. It’s a great, sweet (but not saccharine) beer. Bready and confectionary. Wonderful and nutty.

22oz bottle. Pours dark amber brown with a beige head. Big hazelnut aroma. Flavor is dominated by caramel malt and hazelnut roast. Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation. Surprisingly delicious and a fine example of the style. One of my favorites from Rogue.

Hmmm... I like Rogue... I like them a lot, but this is not their best effort, in my opinion. I am surprised by it’s 96 percent rating. Anyhow, it could look more enticing, small tan/brown head, nice colour though - pours a deep ruby red/light copper-brown. I could tell straight away that this beer was going to be lacking in body. The aroma is fair, woody, like damp forests, quite interesting, after that then there’s yeast, light malts some chocolate. Flavour is OK, tastes a little false, not quite as pure as I was expecting, almost a little synthetic... lots of vanilla flavour, roasted malts but all in all it’s a bit thin and not massively complex. The palate is too carbonated. The basic problem with this beer is in it’s lack of body, it needs to be heavier and smoother. I can’t taste the alcohol at all, but in this case I’m not so sure that’s a good thing, as what I taste more is wateriness... And the vanilla really has an additive quality to it which I don’t appreciate, especially from a brewery of this quality. Not a total disappointment but I certainly expect more from these guys, and if this is your first Rogue beer then please don’t judge them by this one, I’ve had at least 5 or 6 of their beers previous to this and they have all been top notch. On the upside it is quite refreshing despite it being a brown ale. This is indeed a "Rogue" beer from the Rogue brewery.

Served on tap into an imperial pint glass. Poured like a cheap cola, no head, highly carbonated, but overall watery. Nose was of that chalky trademark yeast, bleh. Tasted like someone took a newcastle and added a little bit of cocoa and some of that handpump hazlenut syrup you get at starbucks. Tasted like carbonated stool.

Wow...there is nothing subtle about this beer. Aroma of malt and nuts, brown sugar, choclate, and a little roast. Poured dark brown in color with a litte ruby too. Nice to look at. Complex flavor with malty hints of hazelnut, nut, roast, choclate, cream, vanilla and oreo cookies. Heavily sweet but neither bitter not sour. Finish is sweet and short. Overall, nice flavor .

Bottle. Chestnut hazy brown with a small head. Aromas are lots of hazelnut with lots of weetabix malts and chocolate. Flavours are sweet chocolate and toast malts with weetabix and some burnt notes. The nuttiness is resinous and fairly syrupy. Dry on the finish with more nuttiness on the aftertaste. Some light metallic notes. Good.

I don’t have good notes for this guy, but I bombered it into a pint glass and it was a nice beer.

Serving: 22 oz. bottle. Appearance: Deep amber brown with a large, foamy, tan head. Decent head retention and lacing. Aroma: Very nutty, a small metallic note, wood, a touch of soy, and of course hazelnuts. Taste: More nuts, but completely lacking body. A little cardboard and a slight tart note. A little oxidized perhaps. Not so good on the tongue. Palate: Medium, smooth carbonation with a medium-light mouthfeel, watery mouthfeel. Medium-short, nutty finish. Overall: Lacks depth and flavor. I am taking this with a grain of salt because I think this bottle may be a little oxidized. Rebuy: Perhaps to test the oxidation theory, but otherwise no.