Rogue Brewer

Brewed by Rogue Ales
Style: Black IPA
Newport, Oregon USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

Tap at Bitter Creek Ale House: Dark brown with a tan head and sticky lacing. I was surprised at the strong hoppalicious aroma and the taste is as equally bitter and over-hopped. The aftertaste is great - it leaves a blunt, dry bitterness lingering. I really liked this one. If more American Strong Ales tasted like this, I would indulge more often.

Deep, hardly translucent and cherry chocolate in color with a milky tan head that encapsulates like good ol’ Euro kaffe. Lovely hopped aroma emits blissful sentiments of sweet rhubarb and strawberry cheesecake, coddling with black cherry goo and some plum butter while we’re at it. Cherry chocolate torte pipes like a spent pipe cleaner in the distance, but it’s the sweet hop rhythms that drive the aroma home. Creamy cascade qualities patrol with chocolate cherry truffles with some pine-infused melanin. Roasted prunes with cocoa butter and simcoe-amarillo hop grit. A clean bitterness hums in the distance with a plum skin on crack tendency. Bitterness cleans off the tongue and then sucks the life off the tonsils when it’s done (all of this happens post-gestation.) Cocoa beans get put in a marinating amaretto-amarillo pool of some abnormality but it’s strangely works (for the most part.) Medium bodied with a substantial hopped liquid filler in between. It’s a fine ale, but an odd benchmark.

dark black appearance with slight hoppy scent, dark well balanced flavor, tastes almost like an imperial stout, very good

From growler, via Whaleman, Kennett Square 2006 after party. Pours a slightly hazy dark brown colored body under a small foamy brown head that faded rather quickly. Aroma is just an in your face intense resiny and piney hoppiness, with some classic Rogue yeast and hefty dark maltiness. Flavor is actually fairly well balanced even with all those hops in there. Up front it’s quite malty and fruity, then fades to a very bitter lingering finish with a touch of yeast. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with a slightly sticky finish and moderate soft carbonation. A very nice beer from Rogue. One of their more aggressive and stand-out beers I’ve had.

Growler thanks to Whaleman at the KSBF. Hazy brown color with a small beige head. Aroma of grapefruit, caramel and some pine. Bittersweet flavor of chocolate malts, grapefruit pith and pine. Becomes more bitter on the finish. Different, but tasty.

On tap at Tylers in Durham, NC., listed as Rogue John’s Locker Stock Brewer.Sable with almost no head. Nose is big, bitter citrus hop. The caramel malt is there, almost as an afterthought, as is some chocolate. After the big whack of resiny hop flavor, the caramel malt sets in, some rum raisin, light bitter chocolate. Warming, bitter chocolate and citrus finish. Beautiful!

On tap at the brewkettle in Strongsville Ohio - Pours dark brown hazy with a pretty good sized offwhite head that stayed well and left lots of lacing. Good roasted malts, chocolate, and caramel in the nose, but there is also some raisin there too. Flavor is big and roasty with chocolate, caramel, and underlying flavors of toffee and raisins. Good body and a creamy mouthfeel. Finishes warm. This seems much more doppelbock to me than strong ale.. Either way it was tasty!

KSBF 2006 RB after party. Pours a hazy brown amber with a small off white head. Aroma of very fresh hops, citrus, I’m assuming they use Simcoe in this one. Also getting some caramel malt. Flavor of the same but almost a vegetable hop presence with a nice light hop bitterness.