Sunday Beer Blog: Hazelnut Brown Nectar

Today’s blog centers around a beer from Rogue. Brewing out of Oregon, Rogue boasts its own farm. On this farm they grow all of the ingredients used to brew their many delightful beers. I am in awe of their control issues, and I mean that as a compliment.

They have their own beer farm! Cool.
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The Hazelnut Brown Nectar Ale’s bottle lists the particular 14 ingredients used during brewing, and includes “free range coastal water” which I found amusing. I’m quite sure the brewers at Rogue plotted this amusement as they do other smile-inducing notes on the bottles of their varied, an numerous, other brews. (While serious brewers, these guys know how to have fun with it. For instance, the words “dare” and “risk” are on their bottle necks.)

This particular offering was the 2011/2012 Gold Metal winner at the American Beer Festival in the Specialty Beer category. The smell was nutty, toasty, and familiar for a brown ale. I wanted a stronger hazelnut taste, but perhaps with the right meal it would be more confident. After a tingly mouthfeel, the ale ended with a pleasant yeasty aftertaste.

Happy Sipping!
-Traci

Beer Name: Hazelnut Brown Nectar
Beer Style: Brown Ale
Brewer: Rogue
Purchased From: Wine House

Sunday Beer Blog: Punkuccino

It’s officially fall here in Anchorage, so I was feeling like beer socks and a pumpkin ale. I grabbed a favorite, Elysian’s Night Owl, and saw Punkuccino next to it. Always willing to take a chance on a coffee beer, I picked it up too.

The Elysian brew doesn’t disappoint. While I didn’t get an overwhelming pumpkin flavor, Punkuccino offered a strong coffee taste combined with a light, effervescent mouth feel. The best part? A distinctive cinnamon and nutmeg finish. Quite like a dirty chai.

Derek’s take was “that’s a lot of coffee.”
My take was “Christmas beer with coffee added.”

Beer Name: Punkuccino
Beer Style: Pumpkin Ale
Brewer: Elysian
Alcohol Content: 5%
Purchased From: La Bodega

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Sunday Beer Blog

Years ago my husband and I started a very personal relationship with beer- we began to brew at home. As all good home-brewers know, it’s required by law that one drinks while brewing. (This honors the beer god Brewlius and almost guarantees a great batch.) Sadly, as with many good things, time created a couple of monsters out of us. Now we find ourselves fascinated by brew regardless of brewday.

Due to our affliction for which we know of no cure, I have decided to raise it to an artistic level because everyone knows that once it’s “art”, it’s ok. As a matter of fact, it usually catches on and is deemed socially acceptable and glorious. Admittedly my beer knowledge comes from great discussions with smart people, reading books and articles, and a pure excitement for the stuff, so please take this “with a grain” and hopefully my words will add to your adventure with beer.

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