Rogue Smoke Ale

Brewed by Rogue Ales
Style: Smoked
Newport, Oregon USA

smoky and hoppy. I’ve never had a rauchbier before, but I was definately impressed with this one.

On tap @ SF Brewery, poured deep brown with a two finger tan head. Nose is a bit sweet and subtle. Flavor is the same, with a smooth smokiness and a sweet, clean finish.

En amerikansk røgøl - med pudsig markant bitter finish. Herlig røgaroma og smag med lidt sødme at arbejde med - men lidt enkel og "let".

22oz Bomber. Served in a snifter. The aroma is a mix of malt, caramel, and smoldering campfire. Amber colored. Lots of initial malty sweetness, light fruit, and light earthiness to start followed by a moderate amount of smoke, not so much hammy smoke, but campfire smoke that is nicely balanced by the maltiness and apparent residual sweetness, which is absent in the balanced finish. Possibly a nice intro into the smoked beer style, certainly more drinkable than the typical smoked beer, but with this beer I found myself wanting.

This was a fairly old bottle. No date but it was a nip size. That coupled with the fact that I bought it years ago puts some age on it. Poured an almost clear copper color with minimal head. There was still a big smoke component. It was smooth but dominant. The flavor had a light semi-sweet malt taste with some smooth smoke running through it. The taste is good but you can tell the beer has past its prime.

Bottle. Amber colour with an off-white head. Aroma is smoked , hop. Flavour is smoked, hop, fruit, caramel, malt. Weak but a pleasent beer.

Bottle, 22oz. A hazy golden pour yields a dense, off-white head with long duration. BBQ-smoked nose with a bacon-like note, and malty aroma. Not much hops fighting its way through. Smoked flavor too, but not as smoked as the aroma. There’s also caramel and malt, as well as a little fruityness. Surprisingly thin body, tending towards watery. The finish is rather short and smoked, but some fruity hops and bitterness lasts longer, quite subdued though. Sure not a bad beer, but I would go for other smoked or Rogue beers before this one. (080314)

22oz Bottle. An ashy smoke, mostly of hardwood. Salty. Light pork fat. A bit of standard malt. Pretty standard smoke nose. Pours a nice clear amber with golden fringes and a tall two fingers of perforated banana-flesh head. Flavor has a sustained smokiness. There’s a mixing of an amber ale with light toasted smoke. Nice balance, I suppose. Creamy malt, with a bit of hop leaf. Lightly chewy. The smoke is just too subdued. It’s a mid-range malt body, with a few wisps of smoke. Alcohol backs up the profile a little. Fresh, clean, and a little too safe. Normally, I might like a little more of the deeper malt character that runs in this beer in a more robust smokey beer, but it seems to fight with the higher ash. Overall, much too bland for the style.