Sea Dog Riverdriver Hazelnut Porter

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

Courtesy of Matta <P> Mildly roasty aroma, but dominated by the hazlenut aroma. Dark brown with a MASSIVE three finger thick tan head. Fore is big on the hazlenut flavor followed by mild roasty notes hints of vanilla and almond and a smooth clean finish that leaves a tasy lingering flavor of hazlenuts. Fun drinker here.

My bottle does not have the Hazelnut part, so perhaps this is a different beer, but perhaps not.

This beer is incredibly carbonated, no make that over carbonated; it pours with a light brown, large bubbled, four-finger thick head. The beer is a deep brown, mostly black colored beer. The aroma is dry and toasty with a roasted grain note, yet it is also a bit sweet and fruity. Something seems a bit off as well, perhaps a bit of a vegetal note, but I could be imagining it.

The beer is light and frothy when it first hits my tongue. There is a light malt sweetness that intermingles quite well with a roasted grain note. There are ample notes of dark chocolate and some roasted coffee notes. The taste is quite nice; lots of rich flavors yet still light and drinkable, just like a good porter should be. Despite my misgivings with the carbonation and the aroma, I am quite pleased by this tasty beer.

Bottle from Trader Joe’s. Poured a dark brown with an average off-white head that diminished slowly. Medium roasted malt with a sweet tone. Medium body with a smooth texrure. Moderate roasted sweet flavor with a small bitter finish.

My bottle’s label comes bereft of "Riverdriver Hazelnut," but it does add "with hazelnut flavor added," so I’m assuming it’s the same brew. The aroma is a lightly roated malt with a touch of vanilla and a bit of nutty bitterness. Pretty smooth to drink, the roasted taste comes out stronger and the flavor of the hazelnut extract makes itself known. Mildly bitter, toasty finish. This is a good session Porter.

<font size=-4><a href=http://www.traderjoes.com/locations/map/686.a Joe’s, Orland Park, IL<font size=-1>

12oz bottle best before December 04 via my secret santa - Thanks Santa! - Pours deep brown with ruby highlights. Huge rocky tan head stays well and laces like a milkshake on the outside of the glass. Aroma of hazelnut, vanilla, light chocolate and caramel. Flavor is hazelnut, vanilla, coffee, a slight bit of chocolate and caramel. Very much like drinking hazelnut coffee. I got some hops on the finish but not too much. Palate is medium bodied and fairly airy. I love hazelnut so this one was a nice treat for me. I enjoyed it..

Nice porter but too sweet with suspiciously-artificial flavoring? One of the Sea Dog’s better brews, but quality has suffered since ownership change.

Best Before March 2006 consumed on 10/20/2005. Colorful ruby-mahogany brown body with deep magenta-burgundy edges. Large, light-tan head. Well-retained. Smells of vanilla, hazelnut and mild cocoa. Dry, biscuity and crunchy. Kind of like weak dunkin donuts coffee with fake hazelnut sweetener in it. But in a good way. . .I think. Begins rather acidic with that obnoxious, sharp carbonation of Shipyard. Peanut brittle, hazelnuts, and lightly sour milk-chocolate. Kind of a fuzzy, papery peanut skin-like flavor on end. Tastes like some light American hopping as well. Floral and moderately bitter. Not too much hops flavor, but some leafy-greenness in the background. Body is medium. Annoying carbonation yet a slick texture otherwise. Needs real hazelnuts. Surprisingly not watery and the head is well-retained, no doubt because the beer is extremely fresh, which is the only way that anything Shipyard makes can be tolerable.

This stuff is pretty good...OK OK I know it has that artificial "natural" hazelnut syrup added, but I really was not offended by that. It has a good coffee, nuttiness, roasted malt flavor that , in small doses , is a very nice change of pace. Pretty decent!