Driving Me Nuts!
Aldus Brewing Company

This may seem counterintuitive, but thanks to my long hours at work & drinking less as a result, I am finding more beers in my backlog that I want to drink! Aldus is a small brewery in (relatively) nearby Hanover & I have been buying their bottles (gasp!) on occasion, usually to fill out a mixed sixer. It suddenly struck me that I have enough for a brewery horizontal, of which this will be the fourth.

From the Bottle (aaah!): "Hazelnut Porter with Natural and Artificial Flavors." "What's that smell? Why, it's freshly-made Hazelnut Praline and dark chocolate. This libation begins with flavors of caramelized sugar and sweet hazelnut and ends with a 'coffee with cream and sugar' finish."

Having Pop!ped the cap, I once more went with a heavy-handed aggro C-Line pour into the awaiting glass. As hoped,this resulted in a pseudo-cascade that settled into two-plus fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, deep-tan/light-brown head with very good retention. Color was Black/Opaque (SRM = 44) with cola highlights only at the edges. Nose was very rich with dark chocolate and toffee with a lighter hazelnut than I would have liked. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but on the approach. The taste was much like the nose - I got a dark chocolatiness along with a toffee sweetness, but the hazelnut flavor was wanting, especially when it got top billing. For some, this might be perfect as a little hazelnut can go a long way. Believe me, I understand as I have a CAN of Hazelnut Coffee & it is only used sparingly with the regular stuff to augment, not be the sole focus. Here, however, it should have been deeper & richer to be more evocative. Speaking of coffee, I agree with them on the finish: coffee-like with a lingering semi-sweetness. Not bad, but I wanted MORE! from it. YMMV.

Pours solid black with a 3-finger tan head that settles slowly. Nose is sweet caramel malts with coffee, cocoa, and a slight nutty undertone. Flavor follows in line with a slight bitterness to be found on the back end that goes between roasted coffee and mild hop. Finishes with a lingering mild sweetness to lead in to the next sip. It’s a winner in my opinion. Will buy again.