Rogue HazelNut Brown Nectar

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

Aroma is sweet creamy nuttiness. Dark brown with a light brown head. It made me say "Oh ho!" after my 1st sip. Man this stuff is GREAT! Has a good malt character with a strong sweet chocolate taste. This is complemented by a strong sweet hazlenut taste. Rich, malty, creamy, nutty, smooth, chocolatey. This is one of the best beers I have ever had the opportunity to enjoy. Unbelievable!

Perfection on draft. I would not make this my everyday brown ale -- that’s Newcastle -- because I want the act of drinking it to retain a special aura. They are not kidding when they call Rogue Hazelnut a nectar (of the gods, as the rest of the phrase goes). 6/7/2002 update: Slightly less of a knock-out bottled (although still very impressive). I’m taking the ’Overall Impression’ down a couple of notches because of that. But what beer isn’t better on draft?

Wow. Firesides, friends, and memories. A wonderfully warm and rich sweetness, without being cloying. Fabulous.

Re-rate: Enjoyed another one of these on draft at my favorite tavern. This beer is wonderful and tastes better to me each time I try it.

Original rating 6/5/02:Dark ruby to brown in the glass. Pretty decent head retention. Wonderful aroma and flavors of caramel and nuts. Flavor gets better as the beer warms. Another outstanding beer from Rogue Ales.

Wonderful dark brown/ruby color with a large, thick tan head. The aroma definitely did not come out until the beer warmed quite a bit, then it was full of nutty, chocolate, caramel, bock-ish maltiness. The flavor was sweet...chocolate, hazelnuts, caramel, sarsparilla (whatever is in that stuff), and a nice roasted malt. This beer achieves greatness with its aftertaste...pure chocolate/rootbeer goodness. This is a magnificent brew...worthy of everything great said about it in these reviews.

Wow ’o’ wow, the creamy brown looking brew with a slim tan head is a good one. Smelling of hazelnut, malts, nuts, with a roasted smoke smell. It taste exactly like it smells but better. A Smooth nutty tasting malty sweet brew with hints of cream, hazelnut, toffee, and coffee. Man ’o’ man a goodie.

Have had both in the bottle and out of a keg. Definitely the quintessential Brown Ale. Lovely nose of sweet malt and hazelnuts, with a deep, brown color and a full, light brown head. The mouth begins with rich maltiness which is suddenly chased by a mouth-filling nuttiness that coats the tongue and throat. The aftertaste lingers and seems to change as it lies in the back of the throat. One of the best beers made.

The aroma is not amazingly strong, though it definitely has the hazelnut character the brewer claims. The flavor is equally nutty, and quite complex and malty. Very smooth and drinkable, with a chocolatey aftertaste that fades quickly. From the nice, tan head and dark, rich color of the beer, to the emptying of the glass, the appearance is excellent, whatever that's worth. I personally give far less thought to appearance than to taste, and this brown ale is a winner by every measure. One of my all-time favorites. I only wish I'd tried it sooner.