Nutcracker
Rochester Mills Beer Co.

 

Decent selection from the 12 Days pack but not my favorite. Classic milkshake stout look: rich mahogany brown color with a finger or so of mocha head. The aroma of hazelnuts wafts from the pour. I used to work for a European chocolatier many years ago, and this was an aroma that took me back. Hazelnuts mingling with soft cocoa notes and a slight bitter roast. Flavor is hazelnuts, and it covers up the typical milkshake flavor rather than add to it. Good if you like hazelnut, bad if you like flavored stouts to be, well, stouty. Medium thin feel, and somewhat gritty, if that's the right word. Not something I'd get as a standalone purchase but fine for a variety pack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

16 ounce can into pint glass, best before 5/19/2018. Pours slightly hazy nearly opaque dark brown color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big roasted hazelnuts, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, cream, toasted dark bread, light smoke/char, and herbal/roasted earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of hazelnuts, cocoa, lactose, and dark/roast/bready malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big roasted hazelnuts, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, cream, toasted dark bread, light smoke/char, and herbal/roasted earthiness. Light herbal hop and roast/char bitterness on the finish. Lingering notes of roasted hazelnuts, milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, cream, toasted dark bread, light smoke/char, and herbal/roasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of hazelnuts, cocoa, lactose, and dark/roast/bready malt flavors; with a nice roast/hop bitter/sweet balance, and zero acrid/astringent flavors after the finish. Lightly increasing dryness from hop/char bitterness. Medium carbonation and body; with a very smooth, moderately creamy/bready, and fairly sticky/chalky balanced mouthfeel that is good. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5.2%. Overall this is a very nice flavored milk stout. All around nice complexity, robustness, and balance of hazelnuts, cocoa, lactose, and dark/roast/bready malt flavors; very smooth and easy to drink. Very flavorful with great roasted hazelnut presence, without overwhelming the base stout. Just a little too bitter, drying, sticky, and chalky from the hazelnuts; but still really enjoyable all around.

 

 

 

 

64 ounce growler
Served in an imperial nonic pint glass

L - It is a thick, black, viscous pour. I achieved minimal mocha head. I'm thinking this growler lost some carbonation.

S - It smells like straight up hazelnut syrup. The aroma is all encompassing.

T - It is absolutely loaded with hazelnut flavor. I get a little roasted malt on the finish, but that may just be my imagination.

M - Full, creamy

O - Stout do not get much sweeter than this. Rochester were not messing around when they created this version of their Milkshake Stout. If you love hazelnut, you will get plenty in this beer. I like this beer in moderation. It is a bit much on the senses.