Rogue is a brewing company I've only had one run-in with before, that is when I tried their “Dead Guy Ale” on the day of the supposed Mayan apocalypse. Y'know, 2012, ooh ahh scary. That was a nice ale. Nothing ridiculously outstanding, though.
Anyway, this is my second foray into their catalog of
beers. In fact, most of their catalog of brews is in 22 oz. bottles,
so this is one of the few brews of theirs I've found in 6-pack
packaging. The beer in question is their Hazelnut Brown Nectar. My
immediate thought: Nutella in liquid form. Sweet. So I picked it up. Here are my thoughts...
Appearance:
4/5
Hazelnut Brown is a nice, deep amber ale. It almost
looks like a porter, but it's not quite opaque enough. It looks nice,
almost visibly creamy. The head was great: a nice, thick, 1-inch
layer of caramel-colored suds. As I sip on the beer, it leaves nice
lacing which doesn't stick around for too long, but looks good
nonetheless.
Nose:
5/5
Immediately I get a strong aroma of a light chocolate
nuttiness. As contradictory as that may sound, this isn't a stout so
it's not going to smell strongly of chocolate like, say, Brooklyn's
Black Chocolate Stout. But I must say, it smells great. I get a good
whiff of the stuff before each sip and simply love that.
Taste:
3.5/5
Opposite to how this beer noses, the taste is rather
more nutty like a nut brown ale. While it's almost a let-down because
of how it smells, I like it. It's nutty and dark and lightly
chocolatey.
Mouthfeel:
2.5/5
This ale feels not too heavy, but also not too light.
It's medium-bodied and dark.
Finish:
4/5
The ale goes down smooth, with not too much of a crazy
or complex finish. But it does leave a lingering nutty/chocolatey
taste which leaves me wanting more.
Total
Score: 77/100
This is a pretty solid ale. It's dark, rather complex,
has a great aroma, and is generally enjoyable without being too
heavy. If you're not a porter or stour kind of person, this is a
perfect ale to sample the darker end of beers with.
-Blake
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