Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar

Aroma: “Hazelnut, caramel, chocolate, and almost a maple-syrup thing. I want to pour this over ice cream or maybe concentrate it and put it on pancakes. Some really nice raisin character. Very light booze character.” Flavor: “Lots more hazelnut, caramel, toffee, some vanilla, and oak coming through. Fairly sweet with some alcohol and oak to balance. Moderate bitterness that lingers into the finish and strips the sweetness away. Really nice plum and raisin flavor at the back of the finish. Finishes sweet with a lingering caramel note. Light chocolate in the background.” Overall: “Hazelnut is often overdone in beer, but it works really well here. It ties into the caramel malt and barrel character nicely. The finish isn’t overly sweet, making for a drinkable beer.”

Aroma: “Some dark malt character with hints of caramel, coffee, red apple, and smoke.” Flavor: “Big flavors with toast, rich malt, and piney hops. Red Lifesavers candy. Spruce tips. Moderate sweetness and bitterness. Full body. Well-attenuated, so it’s not overly heavy or sweet. As it warms up, complexity presents itself, and the chocolate starts to rival the roast and coffee.” Overall: “Excellent robust porter. Lots of big flavors and aromas. Full body. Like a comfort beer. Instead of hot cocoa, I want to have this in my pajamas in front of a wood fire while a snowstorm rages outside. The hops really tie it all together nicely.”

Aroma: “Toasty malt with a hint of roast and chocolate and a touch of cherry and raspberry followed by piney and citrus hops. Nice toasted nut flavors. Bright chocolate, biscuit, and caramel malts followed by balanced hops and yeast esters.” Flavor: “Light malt sweetness followed by firm bitterness that sticks around well past the finish. A touch of rye or pumpernickel spice adds intriguing complexity. The hops come through more in the flavor with pine, grassy, slightly earthy, and grapefruit pith character.” Overall: “The lightly roasted interpretation of the style is endearing—it lacks the sharp edges typical of so many browns. This is what I want to drink on a crisp autumn afternoon—it’s so crushable and balanced, you could take down two of these while looking for pumpkins and still have enough of your wits about you to PR a corn maze.”