It’s a Friday night, and I got home from work and fell asleep. Since it’s already kind of late, we ordered a pizza and decided to watch some TV. While waiting for the pizza guy, I thought I’d crack open a beer for a review. I picked this one up last fall when we were up in Minnesota for a family event. It was part of a Mankato Brewery variety pack.
Location: Poured into a curved pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 6.9% ABV, 37 IBUs, 19P OG, ~200 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s dark brown with some brown highlights when held up to the light. It’s clear with no head, only a thin ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass. There’s a really roasty nutty aroma, almost like a roasty hazelnut.
Taste & Feel: The body is light, and the mouthfeel is crisp from the carbonation. There’s a semi-sweet nutty maltiness up front, followed by a richer maltiness and roasty cocoa flavor in the middle. The finish is a roasty nuttiness, with a slight bitter cocoa flavor. The cocoa and nuttiness lasts for a minute or so in the aftertaste.
Food Pairing: This beer has a good amount of nutty flavors, with some cocoa as well. Therefore, this beer would be an obvious pairing for BBQ, as it would mix nicely with the sweet caramel-like flavors in the sauce.
Overall Impression: I enjoyed the semi-sweet nutty flavors in this beer, but felt that it could have been a little creamier and a little less roasty. I didn’t mind the slightly bitter cocoa flavor in the finish, but would have preferred a bit more hoppy bitterness. Overall, it was a slightly above average beer with some potential.
My Rating: 
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