Double Choc Hazelnut Brown
Bad Shepherd Brewing Co.

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 440mL in a pint glass. Special ordered from The Roundhouse Centre LCBO in nearby Windsor. My first beer from the Cheltenham, Australia brewery

Match 28 2025

a baby imperial stout. any more alcohol content it would have been a true imperial stout. below average brew.

Look: A very dark brown, almost black pour. Not a strong head at all. Nothing too distinctive.

Smell: Very aromatic. Strong chocolate notes, similar to milk chocolate. Some vanilla and Nutella notes when swirled. Sweet smelling overall.

Taste: Right of the bat, strong cacao notes almost identical to coco powder in taste. The slightest bit of nut in there but not too much. Bitterness in the finish but through and through you can taste the cacao. Surprising taste for sure but by far the best "flavoured" beer I have tried that isn't sweetened and actually taste like what was advertised.

Feel: Heavy but not a lot going on. Akin to a porter if not just the tinies bit lighter. Long finish and the flavour stays in your mouth.

Overall: Like mentioned before, definitely the best variation of flavoured chocolate beers I have seen. This is also my first time trying an australian brew, grabbed it since it was in the LCBO. I think Double Choc is decent tasting but it's one and done for me. Can't say I'll be buying this ever again but this one time purchase was not a disappointment.

 

 

 

440 mL can from the LCBO; dated Aug 31 2023, best before Aug 31 2024 and served slightly chilled. This is the first Australian craft beer I've ever reviewed - or seen at the LCBO, period - but I hope it's a harbinger of more to come.

Pours dark but not opaque, its chestnut brown-coloured body taking on a brick red hue when illuminated. Two fingers of foamy, light tan-tinted head lasts for a little over five minutes, eventually whittled down to a creamy collar and thin cap; a quarter-inch band of attractive lace adheres to the glass in its wake. Relatively rich/saccharine aroma of cocoa, milk chocolate, hazelnut and caramel, with suggestions of raisin, vanilla and toasted malts.

The flavour profile is similarly rich: cocoa and milk chocolate flavours come forth immediately, supported by hazelnut, roasted malts, caramel and a hint of dark fruits. Big, rich dark chocolate flavours on the back end, with roasty notes, vanilla and chocolate-hazelnut spread sweetness persisting into a mildly boozy aftertaste. Medium in body, with moderate carbonation that tickles the tongue; feels smooth and fairly satisfying, though I must admit I would've expected a 7.2% "double choc" hazelnut brown ale to be a little thicker. Still tasty and a pleasure to sip.

Final Grade: 3.84, a B+. Bad Shepherd's Double Choc Hazelnut Brown has room for improvement, but it's still one of the better brown ales I've had in quite some time. Its main problems are a lack of both balance and depth - it's too sweet, becoming tiresome after a while, and beyond the cocoa/hazelnut pairing there is little else of interest going on here. That being said, if you want a strong, chocolatey brown ale that will satiate your sweet tooth, then this is worthy of strong consideration. A pretty good selection for my 3444th review. Cheers!

Body is dark brown, murky, with a full, steady, sandy head, good retention of several minutes.
Very little aroma, metallic, mountain water.
Flavours of dark chocolate bar, a dash of vanilla, some milky notes, which might be the hazelnut coming through, but it's not prominent; minimal sweetness and residual sugar, the malt comes through clean; medium body and carbonation, the feel is almost crisp, with some velvet tones; the finish semi-dry, a hint of bitterness.

I was expecting something heavier and more syrupy, and it was nice to be surprised - this is instead well balanced, restrained. Not remarkable in flavour, and doesn't quite live up to the name, but it's a nice brew.

440ml can served cold into a pint glass. LCBO purchase for just over $4CDN. Listed at 7.2% ABV on the can.

Appearance - Dark brown with some haziness. Two plus fingers of fluffy light tan head with excellent retention.

Smell - Muted notes of chocolate and hazelnut with a slight grainy backbone.

Taste - Milk chocolate with a bit of dark chocolate blended in. Toasted malts and some roasted hazelnuts for added depth. Flavor fades a bit quickly.

Mouthfeel - Medium-full bodied with a watery finish. Medium carbonation and pretty easy to drink.

Overall - A solid first brew from a very distant brewery, this is one of the first Australian beers that has reached LCBO shelves in a long while. Worth the price of admission as it's nice to have a strong brown ale in these parts.

EDIT - December 21, 2024 - Re reviewing this. Notes hold pat but the nose and flavors are better represented with a slightly higher score for each. An extra 0.25 for both bumps this from 3.72 to 3.88.