Smuggler's Hazelnut Stout

22 ounce bottle into pint glass; no bottle dating, but was released fairly recently. Pours nearly opaque dark brown/black color with a 1-2 finger dense tan head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toast, dark bread, light nuttiness, light vanilla/cream, light smoke/char, herbal, floral, and yeast/roasted earthiness. Nice and pleasant aromas with good balance and complexity of roast/bready malt, moderate coffee, and light earthy hop/yeast ester notes; with solid strength. Taste of big milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toast, dark bread, light nuttiness, light vanilla/cream, light smoke/char, herbal, floral, and yeast/roasted earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, toast, dark bread, light nuttiness, light smoke/char, and herbal/roasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of roast/bready malt, moderate coffee, and light earthy hop/yeast ester flavors; with a nice roasted bitterness/sweetness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready, and lightly sticky/chalky mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very good English style coffee stout. All around good robustness, compelxity, and balance of roast/bready malt, moderate coffee, and light earthy hop/yeast ester flavors; and very smooth and easy to drink. A nicely enjoyable offering.

On tap. Pours brown with an off-white head. Milk cocoa and hazelnut in the aroma. Flavor is similar, but mixes a significant amount of coffee flavor in. Really nice and well-made, though a lighter stout.

tap at the brewpub last summer - Pours black with a light tan head. It smells of roast malt and hazelnuts. The flavor is really nutty with the roast malt and a hint of chocolate secondary. It’s medium bodied and some roast coffee lingers on the palate.

Draught pint at the brewery on 5/12/06. Deep, midnight-black beer is opaque and almost looks chewy-thick from just the appearance. Creamy-caramel head is fairly well-retained, though not much lacing sticks. Nose alerts to the presence of hazelntu immediately, with lactose-like sugars, oddly enough, followed by a crunchy, not quite acrid, roastiness that has notes of heavy coffee and hersheys syrup fudge, bolstered by hazelnuts. Well I would rate the rest of this, it’s lovely and tastefully done, but I have to go drink a Drie Fonteinen beer. (and keep that nitro off of this!)

On tap at The Hideout. Dark brown body, medium light tan head. Roasted malt aroma with toast and milk chocolate. Dark chocolate flavor with coffee and, yes, nice hints of hazelnut to soothe the palate. This was a tasty beer that would benefit from the "nitro" treatment to complement the hazelnut with a softer mouthfeel.