Big Drop - Off Piste Hazelnut Porter

A hazelnut porter, this looks very like a stout when you pour it: near black with a toffee coloured crown. The nose is mostly roasted malt with a little chocolate background. The taste is similarly malty but with some bitterness from the Challenger hops used. There's a pleasant smoky element too but where is the hazelnut? The taste is rather dry so perhaps that is the contribution of the hazelnut flavouring. The mouthfeel is thin, which is a surprise given that the ingredients include milk sugar - which is often added to boost the body of an ale. A dry and musty aftertaste is no more revealing of the hazelnut, which is a shame. There's a good porter in here, but the elements need rebalancing.

3/5