Beer Reviews: Rogue Ale's Hazelnut Brown Nectar

Availability: Most distributors and many bars. Bottles and kegs.

APV: 6.2%

Website: http://www.rogue.com/beers/hazelnut-brown.php

Rogue Ales is based out of Newport, Oregon and has been in business since 1988. They make a variety of beers and spirits, mostly around different traditional styles of beer. Like many independent breweries, Rogue often takes a traditional style of beer and makes changes to it to make it their own. In the case of their Hazelnut Brown Nectar, they have taken a traditional European Brown Ale and added a hazelnut flavor into the mix.

The ale itself is a dark brown color and appears thick in texture. The smell when opening the bottle or coming off of the glass is a sweet smell with a very nut like aroma.

Sipping on this ale there is an extreme smoothness to this beer. The texture was very smooth, almost like drinking a Guinness Draught. There was very little bite to it, unlike some harsher mass produced beers.

Hazelnut coffee came to mind when drinking this beer. It had a thicker texture than actual coffee. The initial taste was sweet and nutty with the aftertaste being almost like a coffee flavor. There is chocolate in this ale brew so most drinkers will find a note of chocolate right away and again in the after taste. Some drinkers might find a slight bitterness to this ale but certainly not any hoppiness.

This is not a chugging beer and while it is refreshing, this isn't really a hot summer day beer. It is meant to be enjoyed slowly, drinking it too quickly will fill you up and leave little room for more beer. Rogue suggests pairing it with foods such as pork or beef, making it an ideal drink to go along with a juicy burger.

Based on the taste it could also potentially be a desert beer, but if you don't personally taste the coffee like flavor or chocolate notes, it may not be ideal for your desert pairing.

Overall Rogue has created a delicious beer that is slightly complex but still contains easily recognizable tastes such as chocolate and hazelnut. The biggest weakness of this brew is its thickness and heaviness, meaning you'll either be drinking it for a while or switching to a less heavy beer after 1 or 2 of these. It is delicious and worth a try if you find it in a distributor or local bar, but don't expect the stereotypical beer taste.