Rogue Hazelnut Brown

OK, I had much higher hope for this beer, because I generally enjoy Brown ales, and Rogue is a well-respected brewer. But last week at Father’s Office, the Hazelnut Brown was definitely not living up to expectations. Poured a dark dark brown, like diet coke or something. Fully diminishing head, and not the greatest smell. In fact, a very odd smell.

Melissa had a Young Oatmeal Stout in front of her, which looked much more appealing. We traded glasses, she took a whiff, and then hit the nail right on the head.

“This smells sour, like turned milk.”

My God she’s right. It smelled (and tasted) like milk gone bad. Disgusting. I wasn’t sure if that was the way it was supposed to taste or if it was a problem with the tap. In retrospect, I should have sent it back. But I just kept on taking sips, trying to find its redeeming qualities. After half a pint it was a lost cause, and I was very disappointed. We ended up leaving it on the bar, still half full.

As bad as it was, this is a beer I will try again. It makes no sense for a beer to taste this bad, there had to be some sort of contamination between the brewery and my glass.

Update: Rating has been removed. This deserves a do-over. Right after I do the write ups for Dead Guy and American Amber. Mmmmmm.

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