Monday 5 December 2016

The 2-4 Beers of Christmas Day 5 Hazelnut Brown Nectar Rogue Ales and Spirits

Beer # 304 Hazelnut Brown Nectar


Brewery: Rogue Ales and Spirits

Type: Independent Brewery Est.: 1988
Location: Newport, Oregon, United States of America
Beer Style: Flavoured Nut Brown Ale
ABV: 5.6%      IBU: 33
Format: Crown Capped Brown Glass Bottle  Size: 750 ml
Cost: $6.95 CAD     Purchased At: LCBO

Twitter: @SawdustCityBeer




Another brewery that I haven't had for a while, and yet are always good for a nice brew. Tonight's offering is a take on a nut brown ale, that has been infused with extract of hazelnut. I'm not a huge nut fan, I think it stems from the time I spent in the U.K. as a kid. At the time I was living with my Aunt in Glynneath, Wales. Behind the town on the mountain-side grew wild hazelnut trees, we called them filberts. My cousin and I would play on the mountain-side and snack on the nuts which were still on the terribly green side. Although edible (just barely), the very green filberts had a lovely tendency to make a belly very ill. I doubt I fully recovered from that.

Onto our beer...

Pours a rich chestnut colour with a gorgeous off-tan head made up of tiny bubbles. Aroma is roasted hazelnuts, sweet malt, hints of bread, frangelico and a little molasses. The first sip is dominated by roast hazelnuts, coffee and french vanilla hot chocolate. Pure dessert in a glass. mouthfeel is medium bodied and slightly creamy. Finish is bitter, with hints of that brown nut paper that rubs off of freshly roasted hazelnut.good balance between bitter and sweet. Slightly intense flavour associated with the hazelnut extract. Overall flavour reminds me of European pastries,  rich, nutty, cakey, slightly bitter, and not overly sweet. Aeration gives us the intensity of the nut extract with some deeply caramel malt, green hops and some light espresso notes. Finish is coffee and hints of dark chocolate.


Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 


Cost: 5/6 
PASS

Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order:  5/6  PASS
Experience: 5/6 PASS
Christmas Cheer: 5/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:


Another really good beer from Rogue. The balance is quite good between sweet and bitter. The only fault I find is that the nut flavour is slightly artificial feeling. I have trouble when breweries use extracts, they usually end up being too intense, and this is one of those cases. However, it doesn't ruin this beer.  Definitely worth a shot, especially if you like hazelnuts. What I would really like to do with this beer, is cook desserts with it.

Cheers


CJT


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