Sea Dog Riverdriver Hazelnut Porter

Brewed by Sea Dog Brewing (Shipyard Brewing Co.)
Style: Porter
Topsham, Maine USA

Bottle says ’porter’ in big letters and ’with natural hazlenut flavor added’ in little tiny letters that I didn’t see before I bought. Big tan foam head is loose and dissipates almost immediately. Very carbonated dark brown beer, not really porter, not smelling or tasting of ’natural’ hazlenut, but more like the syrup at the coffee cart. Weak body, weak aroma, weak flavor. Not a good brown ale either. Just not a good beer. Vague thin bitter coffee taste is in there somewhere. Dissappointing.

Bottle. Dark reddish brown with beige head. Only a "hint of hazelnuts" they say, I would say a bit too much of it. Sweet and quite thin for a porter. Interesting but too much sweet hazelnut flavor for me.

Bottled. Poured clear, medium garnet-tinted brown with a large foamy cap of beige head. The aroma was quite delightful.. moderately-roasted semi-sweet and darker chocolates, a dusting of hazelnuts, vanilla, and faint sour dark fruit skins blended together well. The flavor had lightly-roasted milkier chocolates and a bit more of the fruit skins at the core with mild herbal bitterness and a long finish of hazelnuts and chocolate.. tasty! Medium-bodied with creamy carbonation.. sourness was a touch too prominent right at the very end. This was a very solid brew!

12oz bottle. Pours a dark brown that shows a reddish hue when held up to light. Dense brownish head that lingers through the entire drink leaving a little lace. This beer smells way more like hazelnut than it actually tastes. A little smoke in the nose as well. Tastes smokey and nutty but not necessarily hazelnut just nutty in general. Sweetness on the back of the tongue. Smooth, doesn’t coat the mouth too much like other porters do, which is good. Decent carbonation. Not at all a bad porter. I rather like it. Even though it doesn’t taste a ton like hazelnut if you’re not a hazelnut fan you probably won’t like this beer.

Black baby! witha thick creamy head. Aroma is watery, wet dishrags..wtf? Flavor is sweet roasty malt and chocolate. I dont even know what a hazelnut is so can’t rate that aroma sucks but flavor is good. Good porter overall and would drink again.

a brown beer with a huge foamy tan head. sweet chocolate and roasted nuts aroma. flavor is chocolate, and roasted nuts as well. dry, chalky texture. medium bodied.

Bottle from Systembolaget, Munkebäck ,Göteborg. Dark reddish brown with a rich beige head. Roasted and fudgy aroma, with a light touch of cigarette ashes. Would not have picked hazelnut in a blind tasting but there is some syrupy touch to it. Medium bodied and smooth. Good balance with a dry finish.

12 oz bottle, best by Sept. ’08. Very dark copper with a light brown head. Nose is mildly smoky malt with a light nuttiness. Flavor is more of the same, with a burnt edge. Not bad.