This is an Imperial IPA from Rogue Ales Brewery of Oregon. I bought the 750mL black ceramic bottle. The alcohol content is 9.2%. It pours a cloudy burnt orange color with a thick off-white head leaving heavy, rocky lacing on the glass. This is a great beer to look at. The nose is made up of big grassy hops, floral scents, earthy undertones, and a little bit of sweet malt. The taste is an amazingly well balanced mix of bold grassy hops and sweet malts. It has nice sweetness in the background throughout and some citrus lingers in your mouth after swallowing. The beer is creamy and smooth throughout and finishes dry with an alcohol bite at the end. This is a very good beer and avoids the pitfalls of some other over-hopped West coast brews.
This is a Russian Imperial Stout from the Rogue Ales Brewery of Oregon. I bought the 750 mL black ceramic bottle which was dated 2007. This beer pours nearly black with a thick, dark tan head. The alcohol content is a whopping 11% and is discernible in the nose. I notice roasted chocolate malts, mild hops, and some alcohol in the nose. The taste is pretty bold. It has the traditional chocolate and coffee flavors upfront, followed by some oats, bitter hops, and a bit of an alcohol kick. The hops are strong, but very well balanced. The beer itself appears oily and leaves moderate lacing on the glass. The mouthfeel is creamy with a medium body. Overall, this is one great beer. Very warming; very complex. One of Rogue’s best offerings. I will definitely buy this one again.
This is an Imperial Porter from Rogue Ales Brewery in Oregon. This is Rogue’s latest offering and is an imperial version of their mocha porter. I bought the 750 mL black ceramic bottle dated 2008. The beer pours very dark – nearly black, with thin tan head. The smell is mostly roasted malts. The taste is a little bitter at first (coffee) and then sweet malts with a hint of vanilla. The mouthfeel is smooth but thinner than I was expecting. The alcohol content is 8.2%. This was a decent beer, but a bit of a letdown. I like the original mocha porter by Rogue – this imperial version is much more expensive and doesn’t offer much more in the way of taste or complexity. I may try this one again in a year or two, but I don’t think the 2008 version is anything special.
This is an Imperial Pilsner from the Rogue Ales Brewery of Oregon. The beer is 8.8% alcohol and mine came in a 750 mL ceramic bottle. The beer has an impressive name and the bottle was equally impressive. This one pours a golden honey color with a large foamy white head, leaving heavy lacing on the glass. The smell is heavily floral, herbal, spicy, and citrus. The taste is bitter upfront from the hops – but not overpowering. The hop flavor is well balanced by the malts. There are hints of honey and fruit in the taste; they are subtle, but noticeable. The mouthfeel is creamy but finishes crisp and dry. This beer is supposed to one of the best Imperial Pilsners in the world. It lived up to its billing.
Double Dead Guy Ale is listed as a Doppelbock from the Rogue Brewery of Oregon. This beer had three things going for it initially: Rogue brewery is one of my favorites, the original Dead Guy Ale is one of my favorites, and the bottle looks very cool. The beer pours amber in color and leaves lots of lacing on the glass. The alcohol content is 9% and is less noticeable than you might expect. The scent and taste are nearly identical and include caramel, toffee, and dark fruits – it is somewhat candylike in its sweetness. For the price, this beer was not worth it. Think of it as Dead Guy Ale on steroids – an already good beer that doesn’t need to be adjusted (it’s like dating a girl with perfect B/C breasts who goes out and gets D/DD implants – it wasn’t necessary and takes away from the overall appeal). I probably won’t seek this one out again.
Recent Comments