Rogue Morimoto Soba Ale

Brewed by Rogue Ales
Style: Specialty Grain
Newport, Oregon USA

Pours a clear copper colour with a fluffy white head. Sort of dissapointing in flavor- it had a mildly watered down grainy taste and characteristics that tasted like pale lager. Aroma is a little grassy with hint of spice.

Bottle. Nice head with good duration. Color is golden. Aroma and taste are rich hops, malt and notes of citrus and fruits. Very nice balance.

This ale poured a cloudy light yellow colour with a short lived rocky head. To the nose there are scents of cheese, cream and ??? First taste is watery. Flavours of butter, malt and hopps. Very slight flavour on the palate of hopps but not much at all. Different. Somebody mentioned urinal cake...I can see that.

Aroma: Nice. More hoppy than I anticipated, with a pointed citrusy edge. The soba is subtle to the max, bordering on being undetectable... but it’s there, sweet and wheaty. There’s also a scent of honey and, surprisingly, quite a bit of buttery diacetyl. I want to say this beer kind of smells like pancakes, but that doesn’t do it justice. It’s more complex than that. Appearance: The color reminds me of jasmine green tea, a clear, burnt, earthy yellow. Head is white and fluffy/seafoamy, and it sticks around quite a while. Flavor: Good stuff, but not as good as the smell. You can definitely taste the soba, especially in the aftertaste; it’s a rich, grainy, nutty flavor. Fruity hops are pronounced very clearly, and the buttery taste is also very strong. This would go well with - what else? - soba. Especially zaru (cold) soba. It would also be great with fried rice, or any teppanyaki dish. I like the idea of having it with yakisoba, but I’m afraid yakisoba sauce might overpower this delicate brew. Palate: A bit flat and weak-bodied, but there’s a bit of graininess in the texture that matches the flavor very well. Finish is nice and dry, with the hops and the soba hanging around long after you swallow. Overall: This is a nice, subtle, light-bodied beer with a unique flavor. Very drinkable, although it is a tad on the pricy side.

Pours golden with very little head. It is cloudy and overall pretty unimpressive to look at ... I would think that if I poured a bud and made it slightly more cloudy it would look just like this brew. The smell is inviting, hopped up with a slight sour tinge. It tastes of wheat, slightly sour with nothing more than average flavors, nothing really stood out. The mouthfeel is alright, very carbonated and thin. Goes down easy enough, but overall not an impressive mouthfeel whatsoever. It seems easy enough to drink but I think the drinkability suffers because of the fact that after drinking one, it was so uninteresting that it was not easy for me to convince myself to drink another.

Grain smell. Amber color, medium cream colored head, good lace. Grainy lemon flavor. Becomes nuttier in the end. Helles-like, distinctive, and delicious. I’m quickly becoming a Rogue fan.

Slightly bitter aftertaste with a sweet mild finish. Nothing too crazy yet still quite tasty. This beer is worth trying yet I don’t see myself buying it again.

Bottle - Thanks HogTownHarry- Pours a golden orange colour with zero head: Grassy orange aroma, some hops too. A bitter yet dry flavour, wet grass and hop flavour with a sour long finish,... not bad, not great either, nice though