December 17th - Oddside Ales Nutbandit

The original nut bandit!

A quick review tonight, from Oddside Ales out of Michigan, is their imperial brown ale Nutbandit.  Brewed with natural hazelnut flavors.  I'm expecting something good here tonight with this 9.25% ABV brew.  Let me tell you exactly why I feel that way.  

It's about the history here.  Albeit, this brewing company is something new to me that I've only started to see locally just recently.  A few of their beers are on the local distributor shelves including a really odd one (I guess it is in the name, right?), Blueberry Raspberry Lime Fruitsicle, a 4.5% refreshing beer that tasted exactly like sherbet ice cream.  That was, believe it or not, outstanding for my taste!

I thought it was sherbert, until spell check told me otherwise.  The interwebs agrees that sherbert is NOT a real word.  You're welcome for the ELA lesson this evening!

Pouring a nearly opaque brown color with a creamy, light brown thick head at the top, the aromas here were nothing short of hazelnut for sure.  The beer left some pretty decent lacing on the glass the whole way down my nonic pint glass, which makes its first appearance this month!

The hazelnut aroma was followed up by some sweet chocolate and coffee notes as well.  As for the flavor, this was as smooth as it gets with a decent medium body to it.  Roasted and sweet malt take the stage right next to the hazelnut flavors that were advertised.  A chocolate mocha flavor makes a brief appearance as well.  The whole thing finishes off with a light bitterness, but more of a sweet stickiness and just a touch of coffee lingering around after the sip.  

A winner again tonight!  To be honest, having no real rhyme or reason as to why I'm selecting what I'm selecting each night is turning out pretty good.  I just reach in the fridge, see what I'm feeling like trying and let the chips fall where they may.  

Tomorrow is a new day with a new beer review.  Until then, cheers!