Hazelnut Brown Nectar - Rogue Ales

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

3.33/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

A darker beer, light brown, some red in the light prism. Nuttyaroma, euro hop smell.

Nutty and malty, but not overly thickening. Thinner than the appearance. Kinda tastes like it has oats even though the ingredients say no such thing. Chocolate nuts. Very slight chocolate. A real malt bomb without being thick. Not for hopheads. Always pricey when it comes to these guys.

Serving type: bottle

07-17-2010 22:45:15 | More by Beerandraiderfan

jporf911

Virginia

3.33/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a tall mug from a 22oz bomber with no freshness date provided.

Appearance- 3.5 out of 5. Two fingers of extremely creamy tan lace top a dark ruddy-brown beer. It's enthralling to watch the remarkably active carbonation tear through the brew. There is no hint of any discoloration from the extract. It is clear in the light but otherwise opaque, making it more umbral than a normal brown ale.

Smell- 4.5 out of 5. There's nothing standard about the nose. Rogue was clever to take a typical Brown Ale note and amplify it with actual extract; this stuff smells like hazelnut mocha mixed with beer. It's unusual but interesting. Hints of caramel and bread crust linger beneath the nuttiness. Regardless of how it tastes, I'd be tempted to leave a few glasses of this lying around the house just to make the place smell nice.

Taste- 3 out of 5. Toasty, roasty malt backs up a huge wave of hazelnut. It's intense but still a hair away from being overpowering. Caramel, cherries, and plums mingle in the mouth along with a strange smokey-sweet combination. Whatever hops Rogue used are utterly lost in the hazelnut wave, as is any taste of alcohol. A smokey, nutty aftertaste sticks around for a while. The taste is pleasant, but I'm not inclined to drink great quantities. This seems like more of a dessert beer.

Mouthfeel- 3 out of 5. Creamy but still manages to stay moderate in body. Because of the strong hazelnut flavor, it's easier to sip than quaff. A bit of stickiness lasts on the lips.

Drinkability- 3 out of 5. With some smoked barbeque or some German chocolate cake, this would be awesome. In the absence of complimentary cuisine, however, it's a bit too strong to drink more than one 22oz bottle-- even I had a hard time finishing it. It was a good experience and not a bad drink by any means, but barring a drastic influx of pork and cake into my diet, I won't be picking up another. It would be great to split with a friend or two after dinner.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2010 15:17:08 | More by jporf911

estlinska

Arkansas

3.33/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Served in a standard shaker at The Saucer. Pours a deep, pretty brown color with some ruby hues and limited light penetration. It lacks any head to speak of and leaves no lacing to the glass. The nose is a good strong, sweet malt with some woody, earthy hops undertones. It has a strong smell of toasted cereal and just a hint of that hazelnut. The flavor is just too much hazelnut to me. The hops do a good job of cutting down the double whammy of malty sweetness and the hazelnut, which in this case tastes almost like Starbucks hazelnut syrup has been added. Finishes dry with a pretty good palate feel. I hesitated to review this beer due to my growing distaste for hazelnut purely because I'm sick of all the flavored syrups at coffee bars. Therefore, I really tried to review this one with the style in mind first of all, and my palate second of all (which is what I try to do no matter what). I even when back for a second round just to finalize my thoughts. I really think that overall, the hazelnut was just too much and overwhelmed the natural malt goodness of a good brown.

Serving type: on-tap

04-07-2013 18:56:36 | More by estlinska

delta490

Virginia

3.33/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

A- cloudy light brown with a long lasting creamy white head
S- sweet and nutty
T- a little sweet, with maybe some hazelnut but it lacks the richness and depth of hazelnut. Or any other nuttiness. No hops noted. Not much roasted malt flavor that I would also expect from a brown ale.
M- a little thinner than I wanted. No carbonation.
O- not bad but sort of a one note song. Lacks the depth a brown should have.

Serving type: on-tap

06-17-2013 11:53:03 | More by delta490

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.35/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Sampled at Brick Store Pub with the Atlanta B.A. crew. Hops and added flavour. Are browns needed? If I am going to have this, it might as well be on-tap. Colour-brown. I can see it appealing to some people and transitioning from coolers. A bit too much on the sweet side for my palate.

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2006 04:18:35 | More by northyorksammy

drabmuh

Maryland

3.35/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip glass. Beer is brown and mostly clear. Forms a decent sized head of small off white bubbles that leaves very little lacing on the glass. Looks OK.

Aroma is simple and has this roastiness to it.

Beer is medium to light in body and has an almost ash like backward flavor it. Carbonation in the mouth is minimal but the beer is quite drinkable. No aftertaste. All and all its an average uninteresting beer.

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2010 11:10:14 | More by drabmuh

blakelive784

Colorado

3.35/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

1 pt 6 fl oz brown glass bottle served in a snifter, reviewed live:

A - Pours a nearly transparent shade of ruby/amber, with a pretty creamy tan head of 1.5 fingers. Retention is average, though there's a good bit of lacing on the glass. Appealing.

S - Heavy, heavy crystal malt. Cream and light spice notes are present as well. It's slightly nutty, though I wouldn't necessarily pick it out as hazelnuts. Moderate strength and pretty generic.

T - The hazelnut works quite well, though I think it's a little more subdued than I'd like. Crystal malt and caramel form the majority of the taste, though there are faint hints of both toasted and roasted malt. There's a very mild hops bitterness. It's balanced extremely well though, as the nuttiness counters the sweet malts quite well. I don't find anything about it to be groundbreaking or remarkable, though it's a good beer.

M - Medium bodied, thick, and coarse.

D - I was expecting something more given the current ratings. It's a pretty good beer, and I like the nut flavor quite a bit, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2012 00:25:11 | More by blakelive784

stegmakk

New York

3.38/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a beautiful dark brown almost black with a nice thick tan head that lasted a bit before dissappearing...
Aroma was slightly nutty...actually minimally nutty...sweet malt
Taste was more of the same...slightly nutty sweet malt maybe some roasted malt flavor...tasted like a typical nut brown ale...there was not enough taste to my liking...many other rogue beers are very flavorful...this was not anything special...
Mouthfeel was nice slight creamy feel...
Overall better than average but I will not buy this again

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2003 01:13:56 | More by stegmakk

blitheringidiot

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Well lookie here: A big bomber gives up the ghost with mahogany brown hues topped off by 1/4" of craggy dark khaki head cap.

Oooo that smell: Waffles and syrup scents lightly meander to the nose. Sweet caramel and fuzzy cocoa malts.

Tastes like chicken: Sugary Maple syrup flavors overtake the palate. Buttery taste with some light pecan nuttiness and delicate cinnamon. Lingering spice cake like flavors stick around for a bit. Leaves a hazy fuzzy feel with cocoa and light chocolate notes.

Can ya feel it? Medium bodied with s sticky lip smackin' sugary tack.

Gas 'n go: If there is a better brown out there , I'd be curious to try it. That being said, this is a good brown but on dimensional and cloying. I won't try this again, but it was cool to try. Forgetable, but not regreatable and edible.

Serving type: bottle

07-22-2005 01:43:41 | More by blitheringidiot

Vancer

Illinois

3.38/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I messed up - I don’t like hazelnut, and asked if this one tasted like it. Nope was the answer. Well it does, what a surprise.

Oh well, clear and dark oak pour, surprisingly little head. Hazelnuts and caramel in the aroma and taste. Also noted some chocolate and coffee. I would have luved this one without the hazelnut extract.

Medium bodied. I won’t get this one again, but because of the hazelnuts – did I mention I the hazelnuts nauseate me?

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2006 12:20:31 | More by Vancer

bjoyce12

Massachusetts

3.38/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A 750ml bottle purchased from a small packie. Was a little dusty so it age may be why it turned out to be a disappointment. Inital pour was impressive; nice clear caramel brown color, good head, and excellent aroma. Distinct hazelnut odor, along with caramel and sweet malt aromas. My expectations were dashed once I tasted it though. Initally sweet, the beer lacks any aftertaste as well as any hazelnut or any kind of nutty undertone. The head quickly dissipated and it ended up tasting very flat. Again, it may be caused by an old bottle. Worth trying again, but don't get your hopes up.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2006 20:55:46 | More by bjoyce12

genog

Ohio

3.38/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a medium brown color that is transparent most of the way. A bubbly tan head forms at the top of the glass. Smell is a nutty presence but mostly seems a bit off with some grain and corn type aroma. Taste does remind me a little bit of peanut butter. Mouth feeling is strange since this one is kind of watery and little carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2007 00:03:10 | More by genog

katan

Colorado

3.38/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22 oz bomber into a pint

A - I guess it passes the eyeball test on what a brown ale should be - although the light does reflect some almost cherry colors to it as well. Formation of the head is quick and leaves just as quick. Seems to be off-white in color. Lots of carbonation going on inside.

S - Almost a sweet maple syrup smell to me (make note of a possible reduction in food). Some hints of nuts. No hops or yeast.

T - Starts off rather thin - neither malt or bitter aggressiveness. Mid-stream increases the bitterness ever so slightly. Maybe a hint of the spiciness of our old friend the pac-man yeast. Finishes with a nutty hit from the hazel nut. Aftertaste is generally not present.

M - A higher than average carbonated beer. Makes it a hair stringing on the tongue. The body of the beer itself seems too thin.

D - Moderate to low drinkability. I find the flavor profile to be somewhat repetitive and the carbonation heavy on the palette. ABV is manageable.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2009 03:14:06 | More by katan

bark

Sweden

3.38/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

The gigantic (no, really) head is pale brown. The clear liquid is dark brown.

The mild smell got notes of nut crème, a touch of wet dog, roasted nuts and a mild bitter flavour.

The first taste is bitter. Notes of nut crème, but much more dry than the "real thing". Some sweetness and a fine bitterness. Hints of wood. The aftertaste is dry with notes of hops, crushed hazelnuts and a touch of phenols/soap.

The carbonation is mild, the small bubbles are smooth. The liquid is a little sticky.

Not the explosion of sweet nuts that I had hoped for. Still a good brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2009 13:30:26 | More by bark

gregb13

California

3.38/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This one is pretty strange. At first pour it looks amazing; deep reddish amber, small head, tight bubbles, great carbonation. Nose gets a little weird; biscuity, malty, and hazelnut... which doesn't seem to quite fit. Taste is very malty, syrupy sweet with hazelnut overtones. Sweetness lingers. Overall a nice effort, pretty much as expected.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 04:58:21 | More by gregb13

chunkylover53

Ontario (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

Well here's an interesting one... It poured very dark with absolutely no smell and no head.

The mouthfeel was weak, and there was very little taste at first. I wondered why on earth it was called "hazelnut" when it tasted more like water. Then I swallowed it and *BAM!* Hazelnut hit me completely outta nowhere. Weird.

Definitely a good session beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-29-2004 04:13:49 | More by chunkylover53

Osiris9588

Ohio

3.4/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer arrived brown with rusty undertones, wearing a beige head with slight retention and lacing. The aroma consisted of caramel malt, hazelnut, vanilla, coco, and tobacco.

The flavor is nutty, predominantly hazelnut, as one would expect, with a trace of bright beery, sweet caramel malt, and a light dash of syrup.

The mouth is light to medium, a little bright on the front, dry semi-dry and nutty on the finish. It's drinkable, but after sampling it both on-tap and in the bottle, I doubt I will give it another taste. I think it was better overall in the bottle--better carbonation and complexity. But it failed to knock my socks off in either format. I would suggest looking elsewhere in the Rogue catalogue.

Serving type: on-tap

10-03-2006 00:28:23 | More by Osiris9588

AlesRTasty

Texas

3.4/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - pours dark brown with amber tints. little to no head retention
S - chocolate malt, hazelnut...a little like candy
T - sweet, hazlenut and chocolate much like the aroma. light hop flavor.
M - light carb, medium body
D - this is alright, no my cup of tea. The hazelnut is a bit sweet to me so I can't imagine drinking much of this.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2006 01:23:10 | More by AlesRTasty

sleazo

New York

3.4/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A-Pours a dark chestnut brown. Cafe au lait coloured head dissipates quickly which is disheartening.

S-rich roasted bread and caramel dominate with hints of roasted generic nuts

T-Seet caramel with roasted nut undertones. hop presence is minimal. There is maybe a hint of bitterness there. The sweet taste is pleasing though.

M-Medium bodied with a decent carbonation.

D-Overall this is tasty but not the best brown ale I have ever had. A tad more hops would be welcome

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2007 01:20:53 | More by sleazo

ThreeWiseMen

California

3.4/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2

Had this on-tap last night at Spike's. Served into a pint glass.

Appearance: Body is a deep, dark mahogany color with not a whole lot of visibility. Head is thin and white (or maybe off-white - room was poorly lit) and drags light lace.

Smell: Toasted malt is quickly eclipsed by large hazelnut aroma. Piney hops add a pleasant sting in the finish.

Taste: Loads and loads of sweet hazelnut, followed by pine, spice, and citrus. Hops provide for a clean, mildly bitter, ending. Definitely good, but hazelnut needs to be toned down in my opinion.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, chewy, and clean-finishing. Carbonation is right where it needs to be. Really great, except the body is a tad syrupy and heavy.

Drinkability: Too much sweetness for me to call this one drinkable. On top of that, body is beefier than I'd like. This is a great beer to try, but I wanted to be done with it after half a pint.

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2009 20:18:09 | More by ThreeWiseMen

BatsforBeer

Delaware

3.4/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

No freshness date, bottle had some dust on sides, but not an unusual amount. poured into english pint glass

Appearance: head-very little head, off white, leaves slick of residue on top of a deep brown mahogany body with hints of red. A slow stream of light bubbles rises with virtually no activity on top. A small ring of head is present throughout the beer, but leaving no lacing.

Smell: Aromas of watery scotch (whisky), flowers and peat upfront eventually overpowered by nutty hazelnut; overall aroma is sweet.

Taste: Sweet roasted bready malt with hints of honey and dark fruit fads into intense hazelnut coffee with caramel creamer. There is an off flavor that presents the beer to be artificial and a bit like cough medicine.

Mouth: Thin and watery, lacking carbonation sticky like cough syrup; lacking any sufficient body.

Drinkability: At first I thought this would be a drain pourer, however the second sip was better. I will not be buying this beer anymore, however I enjoyed the experience. I love hazelnut however I think it is a bit misrepresented in the beer, almost artificial.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2009 03:51:57 | More by BatsforBeer

Offa

California

3.4/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Rogue in Portland, this is good but not great. It has a strong hazelnut character and not much else, so it's great if you're into beer that tastes like hazelnut candy but not if you're not. As for me, I'm not a big hazelnut-beer person, but that said, it has a firm, clean hazelnut quality. The biggest problem is that I think the hazelnut should be one element adding to a complex whole, yet here it is pretty much hazelnut with the other elements just barely able to show themselves.

Dark brown with some red hint, it has a thin tan ring.

Aroma is hazelnut with a toasty hint.

Taste is hazelnut up front, then joined by some sweetish toasty maltiness and light earthy bitterness to balance. It's balanced, neither too bitter nor too sweet, pretty drinkable, and the character is, as said, clean and firm. However, the hazelnut definitely dominates, and too much in my opinion, rendering it rather one-dimensional, so I doubt I'll actually buy it again. Hazelnut to me can be good in beer if it is a slight additional element adding to complexity of a beer that does not overall taste like hazelnut.

Serving type: on-tap

08-11-2010 19:23:07 | More by Offa

draheim

Washington

3.4/5  rDev -16.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz into a snifter. Pours a clear ruby amber w/ a minimal head that dissipates quickly to a thin film, then disappears almost completely. Moderate carb rises from the bottom of the glass.

Aroma has a light roasty nuttiness I can't quite ID, must be the hazelnut. Not getting much, and this beer is not cold.

Taste has the same roasty hazelnut character as the nose. Some sweet caramelly malt blends with the slightly bitter roast, a hint of cinnamon. Dry bitter finish.

Mouthfeel is a little thin, but balanced. Maybe a little prickly.

Overall, I'm not really sure what to make of this one. If you're crazy about hazelnut, maybe this is your desert island beer. For me though, there's just not much here to latch onto. I almost feel like I got a bad bottle because this is just disappointing and... meh. It's not bad, I was just hoping for more.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2012 05:07:46 | More by draheim

LarryKemp

Texas

3.43/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

If you like 7-11 coffee bars, you will like this beer. It poured a nice dark brown with only a fairly thick white head. The lace disappeared soon after beginning to drink. The aroma was nearly nonexistant. Malt and hops were supposed to dominate the taste, but I only tasted the hazelnut. I was particularly surprised that the hop characteristics were not more evident. The mouthfeel was medium light and not really exceptional. I would drink this beer again but because of its unique flavor, I think I would limit my intake to one pint.

Serving type: on-tap

06-22-2003 06:04:33 | More by LarryKemp

GreenCard

Oregon

3.43/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

22 oz. bottle of the Morimoto version...

Appearance: dark brown w/ a dark tan creamy clingy head, good lacing (as always with Rogue), great clarity, lots of clinging bubbles

Aroma: caramelly sweetness, slightly roasty, subtle nuttiness, a touch of woodsy hops, metallic twinge

Flavor: luscious maltiness balanced out with a restrained piney hop flavor and bitterness, slight tanginess, some coffee notes, the nutty hazelnut essence sort of hangs back in the palate, aftertaste verges on an acrid quality (without that, it would be a 4-4.5)

Mouthfeel: medium body, gentle carbonation, some astringency on teeth, pretty smooth

Overall Impression: If you read some of my other Rogue reviews, I was pretty disappointed by their lack of balance. But I've kept trying more of their beers because I they are a highly respected brewery. This is the third one I've found that I am happy with. Nicely balanced, tasty, unique. I can now safely say that Rogue is a capable, diverse, respectable brewery. Not all of their beers are hop-bombs.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2003 20:24:51 | More by GreenCard