Hazelnut Brown Nectar - Rogue Ales

LampertLand

British Columbia (Canada)

4.7/5  rDev +14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Rogue Brewing "Hazelnut Brown Nectar" @ 6.2% (Originally tasted from a cask at GCBF/11)now from a 650 ml bottle served cold into a stein
A-poured a hazy mahogany with red hues , frothy khaki head , lots of creamy lacing
S-toasted malts , sweet aroma of hazelnuts and some fruit
T-roasted malt upfront with a whole lotta hazelnutty sweetness , quickly followed by a spicy hop moving the balance of the beer nicely onward
MF-smooth and creamy , medium to thick bodied , moderate carbonation
Ov-Oh yeah , damn fine beer , very tasty , hard to find , highly recomended for a brown ale !!

Cheers LampertLand

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2012 05:28:14 | More by LampertLand

aracauna

Georgia

4.68/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

This is an excellent beer. Rich coffeeish flavors with the nice hazelnut hints make it one of the best dessert beers I've ever had. This beer also has less hop presence than the typical Rogue brew, but I don't think a lot of hops would match the rest of the flavor in this beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2002 07:15:26 | More by aracauna

DarthMalt

Virginia

4.68/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

"Move over Frangelico! Now there's something meatier!"

After the middle-dark ages of the fruity-fruit beers, you would think a concoction like this was just another '80s anachronism sitting on the shelf. But ohhhh no! This beer, to me, defines what the next great era of beer will be--pure, self-determined, democratic, entrepreneurial, take-no-prisoners, kick-in-the-balls, "take-that-you-macro-swilling-skug" beer.

It's hard to even begin describing what a beer like this has forgotten. Thick and seductive like a rare doppelbock, but creamy, sweet, puffy, and wet, like a ......... nevermind, you get the picture!

How many decimal places to the right did Yon Brewmeister nail the precise hazelnut component? How many a pedestrian brewer would have f**ked-up such an ingredient? But Rogue man wields like an alchemist extraordinnaire!!!!!!!

I really don't know what I'm tasting, except pure heaven!

"Eat, Drink, and be Merry!"

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2002 13:24:06 | More by DarthMalt

MLegendre

Oregon

4.68/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A: Now that's what a beer should look like! Dark brown with some ruby highlights, and slightly hazy. Nice fluffy white tan head that disapears at a steady rate leaving a thin skin on the top of the beer.

S: Roasted malts overtaken by maple syrup. I'd be lying if I said it didn't smell good, but it definatly dosn't smell much like beer.

T: Roasted malts are first to come out, not strong, but still good. Midtaste some bitterness comes forward as well as the maple syrup flavor detected in the nose. Very good balance of typical brown ale roasted malts and hazelnut.

M: Medium bodied and a very damn smooth beer.

D: I tend to not like beers that have other flavors added to them such as this one, however this was seems to work. I don't drink this one often, but every now and then (such as today) I'll get a craving for it. Sometimes this beer just hits the spot.

*note* Since I reviewed this beer I have been drinking one of these almost everynight! It's damn addictive and damn good, I had to jack up some of my points because of that.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2006 23:23:17 | More by MLegendre

nasty15108

New York

4.68/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a pint glass.

A - Poured a deep, dark leathery brown with sligh riddish hues. The pour produced a thick head of tannish foam that quickly subsided into a thin bubbly foam.

S - Smelled sweet and malty. definite nutty aroma with hints of graham cracker and almond chocolate biscotti.

T - Malty and buttery upfront followed by a big helping of delicious hazlenut with slight hints of chocolate. Like drinking a glass of nutella.

MF&D - Smooth and creamy. Easy drinking for such a medium/full bodied ale. I admit, I'm a huge brown ale fan, and this one is top notch. Due to the sweetness of this ale, I'm not sure it would make a good session drink, but then again I only had 1 bottle and it went down with great ease. I definitly need to get some more, much more of this stuff.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2008 01:28:17 | More by nasty15108

LewisMartin

Montana

4.68/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

22oz bottle into a pint glass.

A - Brown with just a hint of red. Monsterous 3 finger tan head which left plenty of foamy lacing.

S - Like a creme brule or a hazelnut toffee. Deep but not powerful.

T - Covered in hazelnut and coffee. A hint of chocolate but not overbearing. Almost buttery in its sweetness but not sweet.

M - Very very balanced. Just a hint of carbonation and not too heavy while still being bold.

D - Its medium sweet and not over carbonated. I would call this a great evening beer but not quite a session beer unless you are really into browns. A little sweet for that perhaps.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2010 22:56:35 | More by LewisMartin

MABZ

Nebraska

4.65/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I had forgotten how much I enjoy this nectar since joining this site and reviewing beers I hadn't tried yet every night. This is THE beer that finally made me decide that I will never drink another of the big domestics ever again. After revisiting this for a proper review, I think I will once again have to start drinking the shit out of this brew.

The beer pours to a nutty brown color (imagine that?) with a slight red haze when held to the light. The head could have been better, but it was enough to keep my beer fresh from the stale air without being too much. The smell is also quite bland compared to the explosion of sweet caramelized malty goodness paired with hints of hazelnut, chocolate, coffee, and hops bitterness. I am hard pressed to think of a tastier brew, especially after having polished off a few bombers of this at my friend's house just a moment ago. I would recommend this to anybody, regardless of their preferred style.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2005 09:56:08 | More by MABZ

mynie

Indiana

4.65/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I'm not a big fan of American brown ales, they're usually kind of dull.

And then there's Rogue.

Pours very dark, intense ruby brown, nearly opaque. Very nice, tight two-finger head.

Smells like brown sugar and hops. A roasted hazlenut sweetness mingles with chocolate malt. Very nice.

Complex and delicious! Robust coffee beans upfront make way for a split second of Rogue hops, falling into an incredible bittersweet hazlenut aftertaste. This is better than coffee mate. Lingering aftertaste of sweetness and coffee. Wonderful.

It's got one of the nicest bodies I've ever felt on a beer, too. Creamy and smooth, much like a coffee with a helluva lot of creamer in it. Only tastier.

Such complexity. Such balance. This beer is truly one of the kings of its style.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2005 01:03:39 | More by mynie

nickss

Texas

4.65/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep ruby brown with a 1/8" cap of foam. Looks tasty (which it is if my memory serves me correctly).

mmm... smells like nutty brown malty goodness. Deep and full and luscious smelling... gorgeous... how a brown ale should smell. I wish the smell was just a bit more pungent, but my nose is stopped up, so I'll cut it some slack.

OMG DELICIOUS. Ahem... must... retain.. professionalism.
Seriously... amazing taste. Nutty and rich and mildly spicy... like cinnamon without the kick.... wondeful... absolutely incredible.

Mouthfeel is thick and luscious... imminently tongue coating. A perfect desert beverage.

The only reason I dont give the drinkability a 5.0 is because its a bit sweet, as a desert beer should be.... but really, I could drink a whole lot of this beer, and the abv isn't so high to make that a problem. A must try in my book.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2005 01:50:15 | More by nickss

SwillinBrew

California

4.65/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had this on tap at Hollinshead.

Ap - this poured a deep pine-bark brown with mohogany hues and a solid cream colored lace.
Sm - scents of toffee and nuts hit your nose in a very pleasant bouquet... some sweetness that i cant peg.
Tst - Mmmmm, delicious caramel, toffee and nuts (hazelnuts i'll assume) grace your tongue with hints of a chololate and vanilla blend. This is really damn good stuff.

Very tasty and complex this one. I'm not a nut-brown fan, but maybe i am now. This had a good medium body and could possibly pass as a porter... subtley complex if that makes sense. I will definitely serve this on the holidays and keep a bottle in my refrig.

Serving type: on-tap

10-24-2005 17:49:21 | More by SwillinBrew

sinistrsam

Maryland

4.65/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The Rogue Hazelnut brown had very dark body and little to no head. The aroma was very impressive with chocolate, brown sugar and nutty hints. The mouthfeel was clean and very smooth, and it had a wonderful sweetness, characterized by chocolate, toffee, caramel and nuttiness. It finished excellently with a sweet smoothness I rarely find in browns. I highly recommend this to people like myself who are constantly unimpressed with browns.

Serving type: on-tap

10-24-2005 18:31:06 | More by sinistrsam

LPorter33

Massachusetts

4.65/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

22oz bomber from Charles St. Liquors

Appearance = Dark brown, opaque with not a hint of transparency. Head fades quickly into tiny ring. Lacing is adequate.

Smell = A little light in the nose but what's there is good. Malt dominates as it should. A bit of honey and molasses, Tiny bit of toasted grain and yeast presence.

Taste = Delicious. Sweet honey and nectar just as the name implies. Light presence , full of flavor- hazelnut addin is so perfectly blends with the rest of the components. Mouthfeel is exceptional as the beer feels like liquid satin in my mouth. Aftertaste is perfect, brining honey and toasted grain. The sweetness is perfectly balanced, not overwhelming but present in force to create an absolutely delicious beer. I can't stress enough how well the hazelnut works in this beer.

Overall = After drinking this beer, so far, I've come to the undeniable conclusion that Rogue is the greatest brewery in the USA. This beer is a masterpiece of taste, and I greatly recommend everyone go out and buy it.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2005 19:38:10 | More by LPorter33

dblinkhorn

California

4.65/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 650ml bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance - Has a nice finger thick off-white head. This quickly dissipates to a semi-thick layer of patchy head that floats on the brew and remains for the duration of the drink. The color of the brew is a rich mahogany amber color, which is perfectly clear.

Smell - Sweetness (lots of brown sugar scent) and sourness from the hops right on the nose. Also a slight bitter character and some citrus accompany the former. Some fruit is noticeable, plum and fig, but this aroma is mild. A nice bready (almost toasted) malt smell comes through all of this as a foundation.

Taste - Sourness and a nice bitterness from the hops up front. A slight sweetness of caramel, dark chocolate, and some candied fruits. A strong nutty flavor, which is very defined in this brown ale. Earthiness and some tart but slight-toasted malt character are also present. The finish comes in with more earthy flavors, along with some mild bitterness from the hops. A very complex and pleasing taste.

Mouthfeel - Oh so smooth with a solid medium-body. The carbonation is just at the perfect level to keep this hearty beer lively and refreshing. Not so much a bite as a nice massaging of your mouth. Divine.

Drinkability - This is a rich brew, but oh so tasty. The carbonation level helps to keep this beer's drinkability higher than it would be with a lower level.

Definitely the best brown ale, from any country, that I've had to date. The flavors are very complex, with an excellent nutty character to the beer. A superbly smooth and wonderfully carbonated mouthfeel make this beer a definite repeat-pleaser. A must have once, or twice, or three times...you get the point.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2006 02:35:51 | More by dblinkhorn

Gambrinus1184

Connecticut

4.65/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 22-ounce bomber into a Ten Penny Ale pint glass.

A: Poured a rich tan color with ruby highlights and a two-finger head of light brown foam.

S: Smells quite sweet, with big doses of sticky, sweet caramel malt, a hint of cocoa and raisins, and a smack of sugary hazelnut.

T: Taste is sweet, liquid heaven. A delightful blend of roasted, nutty malts with a great big hazelnut flavor. This is complimented and balanced with a nice stride of spicy hop bitterness near the middle before finishing with a sweet, premium flavored coffee taste.

M: Mouthfeel is medium-full bodied and an excellent sipper.

D: The dessert beers of dessert beer. Great on it's own, and fantastic with the chocolate chip cookie I had with it. Very drinkable and quite a nice, lighter after-dinner beer.

With its liquor-like sweetness and great melding of hazelnut extract with a balanced blend of sweet-roasted malts and s bit of spicy bitterness, this is one world class brown ale. Very nice.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2008 03:36:53 | More by Gambrinus1184

m1ked

California

4.65/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle from new beer distributors...got in before 5.... barely.

A- Pours a clear coppery red with an impressive off white head that is gone quickly but leaves sticky lacing everywhere. Thin hazey cap left behind.

S- Sweet caramel malts with unmistakeable nuttiness. I get a thin layer of milk chocolate in there too.

T- A sweet caramel base that is outshined by roasted hazelnut with a lingering nutty finish. Once again I get a touch of milk chocolate with light roast coffee creaminess.

M- Light bodied with a fine creamy carbonation.

D- I've had their hazelnut nectar which I remember loving. I am not sure if this is the same, but I love this Morimoto. Going to try pairing it with food.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2009 02:01:35 | More by m1ked

justincolts

Indiana

4.65/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Pours a light but solid head, a dark brown, caramel coloring. The head dissipates rather quickly, leaving a think layer. Has the smell of caramel, malts, and maybe something like a raisin aroma. Upon tasting it has an excellent, light, solid, but not overbearing nutty brown, malty, caramel flavor. Very satisfying. Enough subtlety to not scare one off, but enough flavor to know its good. Very solid, yet not heavy mouthfeel. More of a sipping beer because of its complexity and quality, but go ahead and put a couple back.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2010 01:32:32 | More by justincolts

UCLABrewN84

California

4.65/5  rDev +13.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

On tap at the Lazy Dog Cafe in Valencia, CA.

A - Color is a strongly brewed iced tea tone that came with no head. Very little lacing on this one.

S - Sweet malts, chocolate, hazelnuts.

T - Bittersweet chocolate mixed with toasted hazelnuts. There is a slight bitterness to this beer that is fleeting.

M - Leaves a slight coating feeling in the mouth. Good carbonation.

D - This is a very good beer. I had it with a hickory smoked bacon and blue cheese butter burger and it was a fine meal indeed. I would definitely get this one again.

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2010 05:04:31 | More by UCLABrewN84

Bitterbill

Wyoming

4.63/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle: Gorgeous Amber/brown colour with ample head that remained throughout.

The smell is a bit on the light side....sweet but no hint of what the taste will bring.

The taste is fantastic! Wonderful mix of chocolate and hazelnuts that are balanced to perfection. I've had this many times before and, Rogue willing, will have it many times in the future.

Can you tell that it's one of my favs? ;^)

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2005 00:11:49 | More by Bitterbill

KarlHungus

Minnesota

4.63/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This brew pours a dark brown, almost black, with a small with head that recedes within seconds. The aroma huge. Chocolate, nuts, more chocolate. The taste is chocolaty too, with roasted flavors as well. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with ample carbonation. Overall, this beer seems like a cross between a brown ale and a porter. Whatever it may be, it is damn good.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2005 18:48:21 | More by KarlHungus

Px2GrafX

Virginia

4.63/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

presentation: 22oz. bomber with the traditional rogue printed bottle. printing is brown and tan. with rogue big across the top, there is a bearded, brown shirt and glasses wearin' balding man holding a stein of hazelnut brown in one hand and his other hand in a fist in the air. "world champion brown ale" on a medal. ingredients are listed as usual on the right, above rogue's description of their brew, above graphic images of a cow and a pig (what to pair this with) above the brewing specifications. "oxygen fixing caps". with all this information, you'd think there would be an abv or freshness date posted, but you'd be wrong.

appearance: pours a nice rich dark brown with deep ruby highlights in a stein mug. head is a light tan 1 inch, tight but fluffy. drops to a patchy capper after a few minutes. good initial retention, but once it's gone, it's gone. no lacing.

smell: caramelly sweet bread and nutty. some lightly earthy and spicy hop aromas. there is a sweet hazelnut aroma that makes itself the centerpiece.

taste: toasty roasted malts with lightly spicy hop balance. not as strong a hop presence as dfh's india brown, but seemingly more balanced. some chocolate and dark fruits as well. maybe some currants. hazelnut flavor is obvious and brings about memories of the hazelnut syrup in a starbucks hazelnut latte with every sip. finishes a tad sweet with a light malt bitterness. aftertaste is a tad astringent and woody.

mouthfeel: nice creamy medium mouthfeel with great carbonation. rolls around prickling and has a little bite in the swallow, but swallows very smoothly.

drinkability: very drinkable. stein is gone, refilled and gone again. very tasty with a mild aftertaste that allows you to drink as fast or sip as slow as you want.

overall: excellent american brown. i didn't think i'd have much better than the india brown by dfh the other night, but i think i have. aroma is better here, and taste and balance is the slightest little bit better as well. two thumbs.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2005 02:21:13 | More by Px2GrafX

DoubleJ

California

4.63/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the Yard House in Costa Mesa, on to the beer:

From the tap, it's dark brown in color with some red hues mixed in that's crowned by a nice head. Lots of toffee and other sweet stuff in the smell, but that's just a sneak peak at the taste. Wow! Does this count as dessert? I first noticed some espresso-fumes and cream, then hazelnut, then butterscoth, then toffee. A splash of hops come in to keep this from being too sweet. A very well-made brown ale with plenty of flavors to choose from.

Serving type: on-tap

06-20-2007 19:49:16 | More by DoubleJ

pheggeseth

California

4.63/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22oz bottle poured into my Surly tulip glass

A: Deep reddish brown with a decent head that quickly dissipates, not much lacing

S: Sweet, sweet hazelnuts mixed with brown sugar and some caramel, from the smell of it, I'd expect it to taste too sweet

T: but it doesn't, there's a lot of hazelnut, yes, but it's more balanced with the malt, and generally combines to be quite pleasant

M: medium bodied, but with a thicker end, very smooth

D: This is my favorite nut brown ale, and a terrific "regular" beer to have around. I could be stuck on a desert island with only this and be content

Serving type: bottle

12-18-2007 02:09:07 | More by pheggeseth

seanyfo

United Kingdom (Scotland)

4.63/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

2004 vintage

A- Aggressive pour into imperial pint glass. creamy 3 finger tan head, dark copper body with little light perception.

S- Lots of toasty roasted malts, liquorice is very noticeable, sweet caramels, hazelnuts

T- mmm, caramel and nuts, lots of nice roasted malts, brown wholemeal toast and bread. Some nice nuts in the finish. The sweetness in the beginning makes it taste bock-like but the roasted flavours bring back the ale qualities

M- Creamy, low carbonation, full bodied

D- Superb drinkability, well balanced in the caramel/toffee notes with the roasted, wholemeal flavours.A superb brown ale!

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2008 22:49:06 | More by seanyfo

AmishT

Alabama

4.63/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A - deep crimson brown in color with a pretty nice foamy tan head that retains fairly, but only leaves a small amount of lacing. Lucid.

S - Very bold aromas of hazelnut and brown sugar (big surprise there) in the nose. It really gets my mouth watering for that first sip. If only I could stop smelling it....As it warms, I think i'm getting a more roasted aroma. It's pretty damn good

T&M - Delicious. A very rich, nutty flavor. A hint of some earthy hops blending with a roasty character in the finish. Light bodied. Good carbonation helps the flavors develop and aids the drinkability. The flavors develop and endure very well when held to the tongue. I'd like the flavor to be a bit fuller, but it's really damn good.

D - Man, I could easily knock these down one after the other. It drinks so easy: great flavor, light body, abv isn't too high...A very tasty, very sessionable brown ale, to say the least.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2008 02:03:55 | More by AmishT

Guzzler78

Missouri

4.63/5  rDev +13.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

One of My favorite Brown Ales. This was the first Rogue beer I had the pleasure of tasting. This beer has a fantastic aroma - hazelnut, caramel, chocolate. Very smooth nutty flavor and a clean malty finish. A very well balanced brew. If you are a fan of Brown Ales you must try this one.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2008 05:42:24 | More by Guzzler78