Rogue Imperial Red

Brewed by Rogue Ales
Style: American Strong Ale
Newport, Oregon USA

Serve in Snifter, Trappist glass

Love these bottles - ceramic swingtops. Maybe the coolest bottles I’ve ever seen, from any brewery. Pours dark for a red ale - this looks more brown - with a thin beige head. Caramelized hops on the nose - hops are certainly prominent, but there’s a ton of malt to counter in here. Enough that notes of chocolate and molasses almost come out. Hops are far more obvious in the flavor - like a tug-of-war between the super-sweet caramel malts and the dry, bitter citrus of the hops. Just like a red should be, in my mind. I appreciate that it isn’t as dilute as most Rogue brews are, but this one loses a notch or two for being simply too sticky. Definitely one of the best I’ve seen from the brewery.

Red-amber. Long, beige head. Aroma: Caramel, malt, fruit. Flavor: Same with alcahol burn going into the finish. Even the finish has notes of fruit and caramel. This is not a typical Rogue as it isn’t as strong in the hop department. Still, it’s well worth trying out.

Source:Ceramic bottle.
Glass:Snifter.
Appearance:Ruddy brown pour with a two finger off white head.
Aroma:Caramel and toffee with a hint of earth.
Flavor:Caramel and toffee malt base, with brown sugar and molasses in the finish along with a mild bitterness.
Palate:Full body with solid carbonation.
Overall:Better than I expected. Probably would have been better fresh, but still excellent.

Ruby red body with a 1-inch eggshell head. Aroma is reminiscent of caramel, toffee, and brown sugar. Flavor is fairly sweet but has a mild nuttiness and just enough hops to get you to notice. A pretty tasty beer.

Ceramic swing-top bottle. Pour almost brown with just a tinge of red to it. Aroma of sweet malt and dark fruit. Similar flavor with a bitter hop finish. Nice carbonation and a soft, smooth mouthfeel. Definitely got better as it warmed. Very nice beer, just horribly overpriced.

UPDATED: JAN 20, 2009 On tap at the sanctuary. Very creamy, nice bitter finish. Good beer yum.

On tap at Ginger Man. Pours a dirty brown with a thick tan head. Aroma of caramel and toasted malt, flowery hops, and perfumy sweet malt. Flavor of cracker malt, sweet fruits, raisin, raspberry leaf cookies, and slight iced tea. Nice and tasty.

Tap at Blind Tiger. Pours a deep, dirty red with a strong, white head. Aroma hints at the potent sweetness of the beer. Plenty of caramel and toffee, along with notes of dark fruits. The flavor is like a sweet kick to the face: Caramel abounds, along with brown sugar, toffee, chocolate. Pretty big in body, syrupy, with average carbonation. Alcohol may add to the intensity of the flavor but is not necessarily noticeable. A very good beer, and really, really sweet.