Off Piste takes the classic porter format and adds hazelnut flavouring to a chocolate-forward dark malt base. The lactose does important work here, bridging the two flavours so they read as integrated rather than competing. Challenger hops are present but restrained at 10 IBU, keeping the bitterness well in the background. It pours very dark brown to near-black. The aroma is rich: chocolate and hazelnut together, with the sweet malt backdrop you expect from a porter. On the palate the combination is well-executed, the hazelnut deepening the chocolate rather than tasting tacked-on. It's sweet and indulgent, closer to dessert territory than session beer. At 20 kcal per 100ml it sits in the mid-range of Big Drop's calorie count. Gluten-free but not vegan due to the lactose.