Hazelnut Brown Nectar - Rogue Ales

Trueant1

Minnesota

1.38/5  rDev -66.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Pours a a cloudy looking red brown. A nice thick tan head with incredible lacing that coats the side of the glass.

I am slightly sick by the smell of dank old hazelnut. As if the nuts were in warm water sitting in the sun for a few weeks collection molds and such. Awfull smell to me.

Tastes the same as the smell....

Rarely do I just not like a beer. This is one of those rare moments.

Some reviews are saying that they use hazelnut extracts. I must not like them. Do I rate all ones if i personally do not like the beer???

The apperance was great. I just could not get past the smell and taste of the hazelnut. Was this bottle bad??

I would rather have had a macro beer tonight.

My first drainpoor on BA.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2007 08:45:29 | More by Trueant1

rastaman

United Kingdom (England)

1.73/5  rDev -57.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

A strange one. Tastes like a Vanilla Coke/Newcastle Brown shandy with some hazelnut syrup and a touch more malt. Very odd, and unevenly balanced. The flavours don't blend well at all, really bad, especially when i had such high hopes. Another good reason for me not to like brown ales. Odd.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2003 08:38:02 | More by rastaman

swhitt

Texas

1.83/5  rDev -55.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Wow.
I bought this beer reading the reviews thinking it would be absolutely fantastic. I like other brown ales. Wayyyy weird aftertaste. Tasted like fake syrup had been poured into a decent beer. I opened my 22oz bomber and poured my first glass full of expectations. By the time I had finished half of my first glass, I felt sick to my stomach.

I threw the rest of this bomber down the drain. This is the first time I have ever done this before.

I feel dirty.

Serving type: bottle

07-23-2006 23:51:00 | More by swhitt

Knuckles

Washington

1.85/5  rDev -54.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Apparently this was my weekend for artificially sweetened brown ales. First the Longboat Double Chocolate Porter, and now this. My wife works in the county clerk's office, and has a process server come in on a regular basis raving about this beer. I am not one who enjoys extract flavored beers, but we picked this up anyway just so she could tell him she tried it, and get him off her back.

Appeareance: My wife poured it, and didn't do a great job on my glass. She got the perfect head in hers, and mine looked like an espresso snowstorm. Nice umber colored pour. No, I don't really know what umber looks like. It just sounded complimentary for a beer I basically hated.

Smell: Hazelnut latte. For the record, I drink my coffee black.

Taste: Not as bad as the Longboat. This one almost has a hint of beer flavor to it, but it really is overpowered by the sweetness of the hazelnut. Gives it almost a sweetened iced coffee flavor.

Mouthfeel: Seems a bit thin to me. However, I don't drink many browns (read: any browns at all), so I don't have anything to compare it to. I'll go with my ever-expanding gut.

Drinkability: I couldn't finish the glass. Didn't want to finish the glass, and my wife didn't finish hers. I'd say that out of the 22 ounces in that bomber, we drank maybe 8 combined, and it was 8 too many. I seriously don't know how people can drink this. It's painful.

Serving type: bottle

08-29-2005 16:11:17 | More by Knuckles

FlatRabbitRed

Arizona

2.08/5  rDev -49.1%
look: 2.75 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 1.75 | overall: 2

This beer has a really big rateing ... That is not good, the reviews have to be coming from people that loved Boones Farms back in the seventies, or some of these cherry flavored Vodkas. There are great beers on here that have low rateings and novalty brews with high scores.

I enjoy bold experiments with craft brewing, ...but extracts make me want to gag. I do not believe the beer was brewed with any actual "Hazlenuts" at all!

So.... it was brewed in a way that put the hazlenut taste in the back of the throat, and it did have a bold malted honey taste, but I found myself just trying to get through it and find something else to wash that taste out of my mouth.

Rogue is one of my favorite breweries, this selection was not for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 22:42:42 | More by FlatRabbitRed

wac9

Pennsylvania

2.16/5  rDev -47.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

i dont know what the fuss is about this beer this does a major nothing for me i like brown ale but even the crappy browm ales has more taste then this and it sticks in the back of your thoart so i dont see why this isa good beer what a disappiont here

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 01:36:54 | More by wac9

Thurgoft

Illinois

2.26/5  rDev -44.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 1.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a bomber into a Sam Adams perfect pint.

A: Pours a clear amber brown with a fluffy cream head.

S: Digging the extremely(!) nutty nose but a little nervous how it will taste in the context of a beer. It's nutty, like REALLY nutty.

T: Really, really strong hazelnut "nectar" taste. Like drinking pressed hazelnut juice with a bit of malt backbone and a slightly bitter hop finish. Really not sitting well on the palate.

M: Mouthfeel is a somewhat thin, thinner than I;d expect for a beer like this.

O: Overall the beer smelled good before tasting but after tasting the cloying hazelnut flavor became overbearing about four sips in. By 1/3 of the way through I found the unrelenting concentrated nut flavor to be somewhat nauseating. Sink poured the rest. Was expecting a lot more given the hype. Really seemed to lack subtlety in favor of "HEY WE PUT NUTS IN THIS BEER!" Would consider giving it another go but not anytime soon and not over $7 a bomber...

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 07:00:25 | More by Thurgoft

BeerResearcher

Massachusetts

2.28/5  rDev -44.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Just altogether weird tasting. I don’t like hazelnut coffee or hazelnut beer. The sweet malt and sweet hazelnut are not in harmony with each other and the hops don’t really effectively counterbalance the overwhelming sweetness. This tan colored “beverage” with a fading beige/tan head has a hazelnut and sweet syrupy aroma. The thick oily body and sweet nutty taste, and hint of vanilla is just too much. The light lemony bitterness seems to be an afterthought. Do I detect a faint cappuccino flavor? An odd mealy mouthfeel begs for a chaser to wash away the sweet sludge. Have I mentioned sweet?

Serving type: bottle

06-19-2003 15:03:04 | More by BeerResearcher

Tilley4

Tennessee

2.3/5  rDev -43.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

Man, I wanted this beer to be better than what it was. After reading all of the reviews of this one, I was stoked to try this one myself so I went down to the local bottle store and grabbed one.

It poured just like everyone else said, nice brown color with a small tan head.

This beer smells wonderful. Very rich and nutty. You can definitely smell the hazelnut in this.

Goes downhill quickly here. I wonder if I got a bad bottle or something. This tastes exactly like a Bud Light or Coors Light or something. Is this flat? It has a nice head and smells great, but it tastes horrible. Very watery and flat, no nutty nuances or anything. Big time disappointed in this one. I will probably try this again in the future to give it a fair shake but at $5.99 for a 650 ml bottle, I expect some quality out of it.

I chose this over the Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout next to it which I know is a solid choice so I'm bummed about that too.

Dang, I was hoping for more out of this.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2007 22:18:15 | More by Tilley4

GRG1313

California

2.3/5  rDev -43.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

Pours brown/black with a nice firm medium thick tan head that quickly fades.

Sweet black chocolate, maraschino cherry, hazelnut nose. Quite pleasant and smells like fresh baked goods.

Mouthfeel is thin, watery and without character. A huge let down from the wonderful nose.

Flavors are simple, weak, watery and unappealing. Only hints of flavor, if any, beer has no character, no identity, no flavor and with not much of a finish other than simple yeast.

Yet another flop from what has to be the most overrated brewery in the country. I suspect that Rogue would be out of business if it didn't have such cool bottles! Just my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2009 00:57:15 | More by GRG1313

jlh8643

Indiana

2.4/5  rDev -41.3%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Poured into an imperial pint glass that yielded no head or lacing. Clear, dark brown in color. Hazelnut and some dark malt with a bit of hops in the nose. Hazelnut and the prickley carbonation were the first two things I noticed in the first sip. I think the hazelnut was a little bit overdone because it was in the forefront with the maltiness, carbonation and hops battling to show up. Relatively moderate in body with a bit too much carbonation. Overall, not that impressed. Not bad but I don't think I will spend another $5.00 for another bottle.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2005 00:30:06 | More by jlh8643

Erdinger2003

Iowa

2.58/5  rDev -36.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance is a little lacking, but it still holds a little lacing and a crisp brown color.

The smell is very sweet and reminds me of a coffee, an irish cream splashed with a little mocha cocoa.

The taste is sweet with slight bitter cocoa with traces of irish cream in the nose.

Mouthfeel is fine: not silky smooth, but not hard and watery.

Drinkability is, for me, not enough to go out and buy more, but enough to wait until I feel the need or craving again and the opportunity arrises.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2006 00:44:09 | More by Erdinger2003

bkgodfrey

Georgia

2.58/5  rDev -36.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Let it sit. The warmer this beer gets the better. Fresh out of the fridge the smell and taste leave much to be desired. As it warms, malty notes of honey and hazelnut move to the forefront, however, not quite to the strength I'd desire. I enjoyed mine in a tulip glass. Not sure I'd purchase it again but worth the few dollars I spent at my local Trader Joe's.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2012 03:00:35 | More by bkgodfrey

Tupperwolf

Washington

2.6/5  rDev -36.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours out a dark brown with honeyish-gold notes and a very thin tan head, even with a moderately strong pour. Leaves no lacing, and the head almost immediately dissappears completely. Definitely a low carbonation in this beer.

Definitely smell the hazelnut in the smell - nutty, a little syrupy sweet, almost no hop prescence. Kind of bland, and a little bit fake smelling, which worries me because I know this beer has hazelnut flavoring added.

Ummm... whoa.. how to describe the flavor... it's like. like a syrupy, nutty Dr. Pepper. The more I think about that, the more I think Dr. Pepper as I drink this. Wow, very syrupy, very very fake tasting.

Almost no carbonation - nearly none at all. This is like a flat soda. It's got a medium body and a cleanish finish, but this really isn't like beer at all. It's like a strange soda.

I like Rogue well enough, but this beer is just too fake. Please, please don't add anything to your beers, especially not syrup. It kills the carbonation and makes this taste totally unlike beer.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2006 09:39:22 | More by Tupperwolf

nrbw23

Ohio

2.6/5  rDev -36.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

A- Pours a clear, dark reddish-brown color with an off-white head. Head quickly turns into a layer of bubbles, has good retention and leaves a bit of spotty lacing.

S- Smells very sweet. Bready, caramel and toffee malts with a very strong hazelnut smell.

T- Taste is very sweet, toasted nutty and bread malts. Hazelnut taste comes through here. Overall, just too sweet for my liking.

M- Medium in body and a bit on the lower side of carbonation.

D- Just too sweet for me. I don't think I'll have this one again.

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2010 21:50:08 | More by nrbw23

Kudashov

Massachusetts

2.63/5  rDev -35.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured in a Guinness pint glass 22oz bottle

Dark brown brew with a head that did not last long ..Smells of hazelnut & coffee . This was bought to see if this would surpass my nutty love for the Coffeehouse Porter by The Berkshire Brewing Company . It did not . It is not bad but I would have liked a little more bite/ body to make me happy . Still it is a jolly good brew by Rogue . Will have again

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2007 19:54:22 | More by Kudashov

jonziefle

North Carolina

2.65/5  rDev -35.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Apperance: Poured a clear dark brown, with some reddish hues. One finger head that doesn’t stick around very long; it reduces to a thin layer pretty quickly. No lacing at all.

Smell: Nose of strong bready/biscuity malts and smoky roasted nuts (maybe hazelnut?). Some sweetness is there, deep down, but much less prevalent than the other darker fragrances.

Taste: In a word, “nutty”. The same nuttiness found in the nose presents itself in the taste, overwhelming so. The nuts are strong up front, with sweet malts in the background. A hint of hops at the very end, but the nuttiness is still there lingering for a good while.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodies and pretty smooth. A nice bit up front, and the taste lingers well.

Drinkability: An interesting take on a Brown Ale, but the nuttiness is completely overwhelming and just didn’t work with the style. Maybe if you like that sort of thing, this beer might work for you. I really can’t recommend this beer, and most likely will not try it again.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2009 01:24:42 | More by jonziefle

cproioi

Ohio

2.68/5  rDev -34.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into my pint glass.

A: Probably my favorite thing about this beer. Pours a nice dark brown color with an off white head that sticks around for a little bit.

S: Lots of sweet malt in the smell. Has a hazlenut smell too it.

T: This beers overwhelming sweetness was a little too much. I would of liked at least a little bite to it, which my taste buds where waiting for but never came.

M: Not bad but not really that nice. It doesn't turn me off to the beer but it does nothing to impress me. The feel is just kind of there with no real aspect to make itself stand out to me.

D: This beer leaves me not wanting another one. I don't think I could suggest this to a friend at all.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2006 19:28:02 | More by cproioi

GitcheGumee

Michigan

2.68/5  rDev -34.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a bomber bottle into a pint glass. This is the first time I have tried this beer.

Appearance: It has a a very deep amber color to it. It looks quite nice in the glass. The beer has minimal head. A small amount gathered at the top of the glass, and settled quickly. This isn't what I picture a brown ale to look like, but it does have a nice appearance.

Smell: The beer has strong roasted malt scent. I did detect the hazelnut, but not overwhelming.

Taste: The first sip caught me a little off guard. This beer is much sweeter than I expectedl. It finishes with a nice roasted taste, which I liked. The sweetness negatively affected this beer for me. The hazelnut was very prominent, which was expected, but I guess I just don't like hazelnut in my beer. The 6.2% ABV is very well hidden...little to no alcohol taste whatsoever.

Mouthfeel: This beer felt very thin and watery. This is not what I expect in a brown ale. There wasn't very much carbonation, which accentuated the watery feel. Not much good going on in this department.

Drinkability: I could see myself buying a bomber of this once (maximum) per year. I can't say the beer is bad, but the sweetness, thin, watery aspects leave a little to be desired. One bomber was enough.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2009 02:06:56 | More by GitcheGumee

mschofield

Massachusetts

2.7/5  rDev -34%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a deep dark brown, topped with a two to three finger creamy khaki head, leaves webs of lacing.
Great aroma, very robust, nuts, pine and caramel, light chocolate note.
Very strongly nut flavored - hazelnut I suppose - comes across better in the aftertaste. Sweet, caramel, pine toffee, and light chocolate, but there is too much hazelnut it's overwhelming.
Medium bodied and smooth, would taste good poured over vanilla ice cream. It could have been a lot better.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2004 00:25:10 | More by mschofield

JackTheRipper

Pennsylvania

2.7/5  rDev -34%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

22 Oz. bomber. Bought this one fresh, going to have to try this one again some time

A: Pours a clear brown color. Smallish head sans lacing.

S: I like to go fishing. I've spent many many years doing it. This beer smells like Lake Wilhelm. The (I'll officially name it here) Wilhelm smell tends to overwhelm everything else. Faint nutty smells. No hoppy aroma to speak of. WTF went wrong here?

T: Nice malty flavors. Hints of the hazelnut come late in the tasting.

M: Medium body and carbonation. Alcohol feels about right for the stated ABV%.

D&N: Nothing special here. I'll give this beer another go in a few months. The Wilhelm smell is just creeping me out. Shame to say, but the rest of the bottle in the fridge has a date with the sink.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2005 13:44:15 | More by JackTheRipper

Mebuzzard

Colorado

2.7/5  rDev -34%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

From a 22oz bomber.
Poured a nice shiny brown, with good 1 1/2 finger head. But the head was gone before I sat down, no lacing, no nothing. I was confused.
Smell of sweet malt, some caramel, maple and brown sugar.
Taste was sweet. Mostly maple and some hazelnut; tones of walnut and caramel. No hops to speak of.
An oily feeling. Thin. Smooth, yet sweet.
Can't drink this again. Nothing there to hang my hat on. From Rogue? Hmm...maybe this was a bad bottle.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2006 23:36:52 | More by Mebuzzard

sisterray

Florida

2.73/5  rDev -33.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Was excited to try this on tap and the Ale and the Witch in downtown St. Pete, but I didn't make it in time. Unsurprisingly, it didn't last long.

So, when I saw a bomber at Shep's Deli, I figured I should give it a go - it being the heralded beer that it is. As you can see by the grade, I'm disappointed by my experience.

A: Attractive copper. Light for an American Brown, but pretty nonetheless.

S: Faint. Exceedingly faint. I can just make out some malt hidden deep beneath what smells like some kind of liquid sugar extract. Maybe some honey too.

T: Something is amiss. There's an odd cooked vegetable flavor that keeps peaking through. I can taste the malt more than I can smell it, but it still gives way to that sweetness - and that vegetable flavor. If this beer contains hops, you wouldn't know it.

M: It's clean, but it's thin. I'd rate it lower for being thin, but with the unpleasant taste, I'm actually grateful.

O: I think I'm being a little generous by rating it as average. For the price, it's certainly well below average. There are moments between the vegetable and the sweetness that I was able to enjoy the brew. They were just too few.

Maybe I got a bad bottle.

Serving type: bottle

08-11-2011 16:35:56 | More by sisterray

jujubeast6000

Texas

2.75/5  rDev -32.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Reviewed 6/11/2006 (22oz bottle):

Pours a black/dark brown colored body, with nearly no head, tan in color. Chocolately, nutty aroma, and slight coffee. Has a taste of chocolate, nuts, coffee. Coffee aftertaste. Kind of watery. Reminds me of a porter.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2009 03:31:22 | More by jujubeast6000

GarrisWH

Colorado

2.78/5  rDev -32%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

A - Pours a clear, dark reddish-brown color with an off-white two-finger head that recedes down to a thin layer fairly quickly, but retains well from that point.

S - Sweet, bread, caramel and toffee malt aromas with a pronounced hazelnut presence.

T - Sweet, toasted nutty and bread malt flavors dominate. Very slight bitter hoppiness detectable behind the malts. Decent flavors up front, but a bit bland in the finish and a little bit too sweet overall.

M - Medium bodied with a slightly syrupy feel. Medium-low carbonation level.

D - Not bad at first, but I found this beer to get old pretty quickly. Slightly too blandly sweet and syrupy to drink more than a glass of this at most. Some interesting flavors in there, but I will probably not be returning to this one.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2009 03:58:34 | More by GarrisWH