Rogue Ales and Spirits Combines Hops and Hazelnuts

They are two of the most patently Oregon things—craft beer and hazelnuts. One of Oregon’s preeminent craft breweries, Rogue Ales and Spirits, brought them together in what has become a staple of the flourishing beer scene.

Hazelnut Brown Nectar was created by homebrewer Chris Studach and Rogue brewmaster John Maier. It debuted at the American Homebrewers Association dinner in 1993. The brewers chose hazelnuts due to their rich, nutty flavor that compliments the smooth finish from the malts. Rogue has been proud to incorporate local products into its brewing and being in the hazelnut capital of the U.S. made the nuts a logical fit.

In the 25-plus years since its debut, Hazelnut Brown Nectar has become a crowd-pleaser and is a staple of the Rogue beer fleet. It’s not just Oregonians who love the beer; at the 2017 World Beer Awards, Hazelnut Brown Nectar was awarded “Best of US—American Brown Ale.” It has also earned five Great American Beer Festival awards.

The popularity of hazelnuts also led the Newport-based brewery to create two limited edition beverages. Hazelnutely Choctabulous, described as “a candy bar in a bottle,” is a blend of Hazelnut Brown Nectar and Rogue’s Chocolate Stout. To expand their hazelnut fleet, Rogue created a hazelnut rum in the mid-2010s.

Celebrate Oregon’s bounty and crack open a Hazelnut Brown Nectar to toast two of Oregon’s favorites!