Advent Beers - Hazelnut Stout
Minhas Craft Brewery

 

Had this afternoon a long run when everything tastes better. I thought that was decent, mostly because it is on the sweet side with predominant hazelnut flavor. But even with that, I could still taste the usual alcohol feel in the background that most of these beers have.

I rarely if ever feel a beer is terrible, but this is one of those rare moments where I think one is truly awful. Looks okay, nice dark brown color, decent creamy tan head, but the smell immediately raises red flags, being almost exclusively sugary/syrupy sweet maple and hazelnut. It tastes just as it smells, maple syrup and hazelnut except with some flattened mediocre stout which you barely get a hint of, syrupy hazelnut and booze dominates about 90% of the flavor. The mouthfeel I think is the worst quality of it, thin yet kind of slimy, very little carbonation, flimsy body. All in all, I finished it because it's alcohol and wasn't spoiled, but I'm happy only one came in the Advent pack, because I do not wish to drink another any time soon.

 

Dark brown color, not even close to black, with a decent tan head and some bits of lacing.
The aroma is hazelnut, nice, some hints of sweet malt.
The taste is sweet hazelnut, good but a bit too sweet and syrupy.
The body is light/medium. Moderate carbonation, drinkable but has kind of an odd texture. Altogether, this is a decent brew, the hazelnut is nice but the syrupy sweetness is a little off, still this is a decently enjoyable brew.

 

12 oz can served in a Belgian snifter.

The dark brown body looked a bit light for the style when pouring and the mouthfeel seems a bit light too. It does have a decent tan head. Nice nutty aroma with hazelnut and an odd hint of syrup. The lightly sweet flavor is less nice, carrying some off notes.

Overall. I'm about halfway through the case of 2022 Advent beers and this is clearly the best one so far. This probably reflects the capability of added hazelnut flavoring to mask production problems that have plagued other Minhas Advent beers, and it doesn't hurt that I'm found of dark hazelnut beers.

Poured from a 12oz can.

On the pour a thicker than 1 finger khaki head formed with sticky retention. Body is brown and in a thinner glass, not even close to black.

Aroma is confusing and there's too much going on. Yeasty at first with a brightness, then sweet and lightly nutty, but too sweet. Almost like a hard coffee thing.

Taste is better than the aroma. But also much sweeter. Not much true roast, but a sweet syrupy nutty slightly artifical roastiness if that makes sense. There is a light bitterness in the finish.

Feel is mouthcoauting and syrupy woth a long finish. Not the greatest. On par with thick stouts even though this really shouldn't. Too syrupy and sweet.

Overall this is completely meh. It isn't as glaringly bad as a few of these, but what is here comes off as engineered to try to appeal to as many palettes as possible. Not necessarily malty, these are probably mostly brewed with extracts and adjuncts.