5 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 20/20
Draft. This one blew me away. Pours dark straw/orangish with a nice head and lace. Aroma of huge hops, fruit, grapefruit, chardonnay, spiciness, and some malt. Tastes hoppy, fruity, with a nice crisp finish. The intense fruitiness and spiciness balanced the hops perfectly. For #700, I give you the 4th perfect score I have ever given. As a caveat, I have not rated, or drank, the bottled version. I had this on draft at the Green Leafe cafe in Williamsburg, and I have no deductions for this one.
5 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 20/20
Bottle. Quite hoppy with citrus tones. The quite moderate use of a little wheat makes it a touch cloudy. Probably more of an IPA than a traditional bitter. Starts intense and finishes beautifully. The perfect pale ale for my palate.
4.8 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 20/20
The last time I had this ale it was called Brutal Bitter, it is now called Brutal IPA and is not available in Colorado in six packs any more. A good friend brought this 22oz back from Oregon.
Aroma: This one has big hops on the nose which combine with the malt accents to really give a big floral and citrus bouquet. There is also a solid grass aroma throughout.
Appearance: I poured this one vigorously and there was significant head which is still there after these many minutes of waiting for my computer! I did have a two finger head which is now a one finger, but wow! I love good head retention, hopefully I have not done damage to the suspended hop oils. The color is a hazy amber with hints of red in the depths. Very good looking ale.
Taste/Palate: Very well balanced for a west coast American style IPA. There is the immediate burst of lovely hop flavors and an almost apricot malt backbone. The ale then reveals a slightly sweet mid-palate which lends itself to a rich and full mouth-feel. Then a hint of biscuit malt peeks through before the rest of the awesome hop bitterness takes over to wash all of that away and leave my mouth in IPA delight! I really like the emphasis on citrus malt and hop character in well made IPA’s!
Overall:I love this damn IPA. It was one of my first IPA’s back in NC, and it has really kept its charm. When I taste a really well made IPA, it changes my day for the better every time! I wish I could still get this ale in Colorado, maybe it will be back one day.
4.8 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 19/20
Not a beer for the meek. This hoppy ale is one of my all time favorites. John Maier has outdone himself brewing this one!!!
4.8 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 19/20
Got my nose a little too close to this fabulously smelling beer and inhaled some head, but that was the only downside of drinking this beauty. Hoppy, yet mostly in the start, it develops into a truly wonderful ESB, though it mostly makes me think of IPAs. Spectaculur.
4.8 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 19/20
A chewy, toasty, malty bitter from the geniuses at Rogue! A clean-tasting, no frills bitter with hints of honey and wood. Excellent!
4.7 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 19/20
My new favorite beer, but Mocha Porter will always be up there, too. If you love hops, this beer is your best friend.
4.7 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
UPDATED: DEC 21, 2003 What a brutal beer... Very Hoppy. Along the lines of the Imperial IPA, but a tad maltier. Great Rogue brew!!
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