Rogue Black Brutal

Brewed by Rogue Ales
Style: Schwarzbier
Newport, Oregon USA

Serve in Dimpled mug, Lager glass, Stein

Draught. At Cole’s in Buffalo NY with blankboy, tupalev and rudolf. Poured very murky opaque deep brown with a large foamy tan head. Bitter aroma, but I seemed to detect more malt than the others - hint of root beer herbaceousess, burnt caramel malt, ultimately dominant dry bitter herbal hops in profusion. The taste - simply, like thicker, burnt Brutal Bitter - carbonized herbal bitterness in a long finish and aftertaste. Thick body, astringent, mild carbonation - some citrus notes in the bitter finish. Maltier than you’d think, but generic hop/bitter dominated - the carbonization would make this a good pairing with food, I wish I’d had it with, rather than before, my Kobe beef bleu cheese burger.

On tap at the South Hills Mad Mex. Dark black body with no head and a rather thin appearance. Thinness carries through to the mouthfeel as well. Aroma of dark fruits, a little roasted chocolate malt, and a strange astringent bitterness. Flavor similar to aroma but unbalanced and overly bitter.

Very dark. Roasted malt aroma with citrus hints. Roasted malt taste with hints of coffee.

Draft... Very dark, cloudy, caramel-colored lager when held up to light... otherwise, black with a small, creamy, white head. Good retention. Leans heavily on the bitter side of balance. Deep roasted barley and grapefruit with hints of caramel malts and smoke phenols. Full-bodied and astringent with lively carbonation. Lengthy, bitter finish.

Draft at El Bait shop in Des Moines, IA. Poured a clear brownish-black color with reddish-orange highlights. Head was white with decent retention and lacing. Aroma was of roasty malt and citrsuy hops. Dry on the tongue ample hop bitterness. Roasty malt flavor with a hint of coffee.

UPDATED: DEC 31, 2007 On tap at the Mad Mex in Robinson, near Pgh. Big 20 oz glass for $5. This stuff is BLACK, just black with a brownish tan head. The aroma of this stuff is like a strong impy stout of foreign stout. The smell reminds me of a mature campfire that has been extinguished with a gallon of water. You know something is coming when you smell a brew like this. Bitter and high hops initial flavor burst. The taste of this is impressively offensive, I can’t believe this is not an imp stout of foreign stout. I’ve never tasted schwartz so bitter. Barely any carbonation here. Wow the bitterness just overwhelms any other complex taste sensations that I’m searching for. Do I taste coffee? Do I taste black licorice? Very difficult to enjoy. Please, Lisa. get me a glass of Weyerbacher Old Heathen to chase this down with. Burnt wood, charred chicken skin or charred hot dogs remind me of this. Finish is bitter and medicinal, with qualities that just won’t quit. Does anybody know what charred grapefruit rinds taste like? I was going to rate a couple of other beers but this one ruined my taste buds for the day. Just like the commercial description. I wonder why this is not rated higher by the imp stout lovers on this sight? Perhaps because it’s incorrectly styled as a schwartz and not an imp stout? This does not even come close to Shiner 97 Bohemian Black Lager in taste. Again, are we sure this is a schartzbier?

First off I have to say all the people in Knoxville who rated this from the same place must somewhat enjoy cat piss. They all rated it with the smell of cat urine and yet scored it between a 2 and a 6. They must somewhat like it. I wonder how the taste of feces would rate on their taste scale. How can some one rate piss above a 1. REALLY. Beer on tap can have a number of things affect it’s taste. Like bad storage. Over shelf life. Someone not cleaning the lines etc. I may seem overzealous in my chiding but it’s because I really loved this beer. I am going to make this review really short and simple. It tastes like brutal bitter only with the hops turned up to what they used to be and maybe even a little more. I really enjoyed this beer immensely.

On tap @ The Sanctuary. Served a clear very dark brown with a one finger beige head that faded to a film before very long. Aroma of citrus and spicy hops, some caramel and toasty malts. Flavor was big bitterness and scorched caramel malts, and a dry bitter (7 out of 10) finish. Some grassiness was noted after a while. Low to moderate carbonation and a medium body. I’ve not had many Schwarzbiers, but I don’t think this is one.