Rogue Imperial Porter

Brewed by Rogue Ales
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Newport, Oregon USA

Bottled@SBWF2008. Deep rubyish red colour, mediumsized beige head. Aroma is alcohol, wood, caramel some mild nuts and vanilla. Flavour is vanilla, wood, hops and alcohol along with mild dark fruityness. Wellbalanced.

On Draught at Tylers in Carrboro, NC. From the Locker Stock series. A rogue beer I have not tried...exciting. After drinking the DR baltic porter several nights ago, this one had a lot to live up to. Pour was dark dark brown with a small tan head. Aroma was roasty--coffee and chocolate with a little hops peaking out from the covers. Palate was smooth with a velvety roasted chocolate flavor dominating with nice hops in the background. Good, but not quite as creamy and complex as the Duck Rabbit. Still, one of the better rogue ales.

Pours a near-black brown with a compact almond head. Burnt malt and bitter chocolate with earthy undertones fill the aroma. The same is relayed on the palate along with a little anise and quite a pithy bitter dry finish. A mild alcohol burn arises late. This is certainly big but not as complex as I had hoped.

Draft at the Issaquah brewhouse. Very black, almost opaque, with thin orange highlights. Head was khaki and thick with good retention and lacing. Smelled of molasses and chocolate. Very roasty and dry on the tongue. Tasted of coffee and bitter chocolate. There was also a hint of toffee at the end which emerged as the beer warmed. I didn’t detect 7.8% alcohol. Assertive bitterness was present throughout, I assume due to a combination of the hops and heavily roasted malt. Pretty good stuff.

draught. Rogue is not always reliable for producing top-notch beers, but when they attempt a huge take on a familiar American microbrew style, I have full faith in them. I was very excited about sampling this since I enjoy very much their other dark ales. This pours an ink black with a short-lived dark tan head. The aroma is packed with chocolate and slightly soured coffee and bright notes of piercing hops. Upon supping, my palate is pounded with soy sauce. I think the hop choice brings out even more of this soy sauce flavor by adding a sharp acidity that is almost construed as saltiness. The finish conjures up chocolatey notes and an espresso-smokiness is maintained throughout. I like the thickness in body this brew maintains. Great example of a huge porter, but it wasn’t as memorable as ,say, their imperial stout.

On tap; I think I had this one at Blue Palms. I thought I previously had it, but I was wrong. Color was dark brown to black with a light brown head. Aroma of roasted malt and cocoa with a hint of caramel. Flavor was the same. Pretty chocolatey with some earthy hops, coffee/roasted malt and caramel. Good stuff.

Had during the annual Boston/Salem/Marble head tour. Not sure where I sampled this one at it may have been sunset. Brown pour with coffee aroma nice blended roast flavor. It was a good beer.

Tap @ Flying Saucer, pours a dark brown/black with a thin tan head. Aroma is roasty malts, chocolate and some background coffee. Flavor is nicely roasty, with more light chocolate, coffee and citrus hops. Nothing overly complex, but an easy drinking porter.