Hazelnut Latte
Taft's Brewing Co.

 

12 oz can, poured into a goblet at 40 degrees F and allowed to warm during consumption. Deeper Roots happens to be my personal favorite local roastery, so I am anticipating this with delight.

L: Pours impenetrably black, because stout. Forms a very short-lived head of dark tan bubbles that vanish entirely and completely by the time one picks up their camera to snap a photo.

S: The nose is very hazelnut-laden, with some burnt caramel and lactose sweetness, and not much in the way of coffee.

T: There's the coffee. It appears right up front, smoothly blended with what tastes for all the world like a hazelnut creamer. There is little complexity to this beer - it is as advertised on the tin, a creamy, nutty, coffee stout. Consistent flavor from first sip to swallow.

F: Full and creamy, quite smooth.

O: A tasty little stout. Not exactly the most ambitious, complex, or layered, but delivers exactly what it says it will.

Canned on 12/28/20. 12oz can poured into a tulip. Pours almost black; small khaki head that fades leaving decent retention and lacing. The aromas have hazelnuts and coffee blending well together. Hints of vanilla. Malts are there. The flavors follow the nose. More hazelnuts and coffee. More hints of vanilla along with some chocolate. Some pecans in the mix. Moderate to low sweetness. Moderate to low bitterness. Malts do their thing. Alcohol is well hidden. Mouthfeel is on the fuller side of light-bodied with active carbonation. It's sharp, crisp, spritzy and smooth.

This is a pretty solid stout. The hazelnuts and coffee notes come through. They deliver on what you'd expect. I like it.

At the point where Stout and latte meet, that's where the brewers of Taft's Alehouse and Deeper Roots Roasters come together with a wintery, coffee-fueled, standard-strength American Stout with the creaminess of milk sugar and hazelnut.

The collaborative Taft's Hazelnut Latte pours with a creamy, sultry darkness of black coffee. As its frothy tan cap rises from the dark, so does a rounded and enticing scent of coffee, cocoa, cream and nuttiness to form a slightly more stout-centric perfume than that of latte. Its taste follows suit, starting with a caramelized nuttiness wrapped with hot chocolate and vanilla cream.

As the Stout pours over the middle palate, the focus begins to turn from the sweeter side of malts and toward the roastier, toastier, coffee-accented taste. A light soilish earthiness brings a candied walnut, burnt cream and playfully burnt taste that's rounded out by the creamy taste of hazelnut and cream. A moderate bitterness late in taste seems as much from coffee as of hops.

Medium-full, creamy, but also carrying a relaxed demeanor in its finish, Extending with a warming sensation of kahlua, the aftertaste is redolent with White Russian cocktails with a bitter twinge to bring the session back to the world of beer.

Poured into a tall clear pint glass. Beer has a dark brown appearance with about a finger's worth of beige-brown head with good retention and lacing.

Smells strongly of hazelnut, a little over-empowering. But I can also smell some roasted coffee beans, chocolate, and cream.

Hazelnut taste follows the aroma pretty well. But I can taste the coffee, chocolate, and cream easier than smell it. Also tasting vanilla. Body feel is medium, somewhat chunky.

Single 12oz can from Party Source
Pours a deep brown color with a thin brown head.
Aroma is dominated by hazelnut and notes of coffee, just as advertised.
Taste follows the nose.
A creamy, silky mouthfeel, very pleasant.

I got a can of this beer off the single shelf from my local Giant Eagle store. It poured an opaque dark with no head and no lace. The scent had prominent hazelnut notes accented by subtle coffee flare. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with hazelnut mocha flare. The mouthfeel was lighter in body with good carbonation . Overall its a good beer.