Sea Dog Riverdriver Hazelnut Porter

Brewed by Sea Dog Brewing (Shipyard Brewing Co.)
Style: Porter
Topsham, Maine USA

Short lived light brown head, also pouring brown. Aroma is predominantly hazelnut, go figure. Not an impressive porter in my book. I was hoping for more from this beer, but I’ll say it was worth the dollar I spent on it.

Pours with a brown color and not much head. Flavors and aromas are dominated by hazelnuts. Body is too light to support this flavor. Not really a porter maybe more of a nut brown. Not my favorite, pretty poor actually.

12 oz. bottle. Pours a deep brown with garnet highlights when held up to a light. The head is initially very deep at almost three fingers, but quickly dissipates to a thin film in a matter of minutes. The aroma is without question this beer’s best quality. Hazelnut, lightly roasted malt and coffee abound in the nose. The flavor, however, is a bit disappointing. The hazelnut and roasted malt have an almost burnt taste which overwhelms any other attributes. Dry finish. This beer was promising so much at the beginning and did not deliver at the finish.

Good sized ceamy light tan head of fine bubbles. Light carbonation. Wonderful aroma of hazelnut, sweet honey, freshly baked brownies and some vanilla. Color is a very dark brown. Kind of fizzy in the mouth with lots of flavor again. Hazelnut, light coffee, roasted grains, sweet malts and bit of dry bitterness. Finishes clean and roasty with a lingering weak coffee flavor. A surprisingly good brew.

Pours a rich a mahogany color, looks clear, not much of a head with sub-par lacing. Aroma is awesome! Never smelled a beer like this before. Main note of interest is the hazelnut, but there is a touch of chocolate and roasted barley behind there. Taste is just as awesome! Nuts, caramel, chocolate. Very appetizing. Could be a real refreshing dessert beer. On second sip, this riverdriver starts off smooth, then dry, then relaxes into an almost oil-like quality. I like Sea Dog’s fruit beers, but this porter took me completely by surprise. I’m very happy to know that Hegedorns also sells 6 packs of these.

Small light brown head fades quickly. Deep dark red barely translucent body. Sweetish sugary licorice aroma with no resistance. Deep dryish licorice and roasty caramel taste. Watery mouthfeel. No real aftertaste. Kind of boring and one-dimensional. (0.355l bottle at Oliver Twist.)

A nice dark mahogany brew with a solid, but quickly dissipating rocky tan head, this brews most appetizing quality is its nutty malty aroma which I found to sport more caramel aromas than hazelnut. For all the strength of the aroma, however, the mouthfeel is somewhat thin and drying. A present bitterness accompanies the otherwise sweetish swallow. Notes of mocha and hazelnut drift welcomingly into the aftertaste. A solid entry, but a little more body would have been welcome.

Deep dark mahagony color with off-white head. Overwhelming hazlenut aroma - but not any other scent apart from this. Very light flavor, not much body to this beer. Some sourness and roasted, smokey flavors and bitterness near the end and in the finish. Carbonated mouthfeel.