Rogue Smoke Ale

Brewed by Rogue Ales
Style: Smoked
Newport, Oregon USA

Hazy dark pumpkin orange appearance. Frothy biship’s collar at the top. Head evaporates quickly. Nice color, not much else. Wonderfully smoky smell, like burning embers in a fire pit. Would go great with jerky or barbecue. Charred wood and slow-cooked meat. The smoky Rauchbier flavor (even though this is an ale, not a lager) comes through, like sitting near a fireplace. The hops are a sweet accent tot he smokyness. Tangy and zesty! Watery feel but still real strong. Needs to be thin to balance out the rest of the flavor. This baby makes you FULL! This beer is a meal unto itself. Very smoky and filling. Tremendously pleasing.

Whoever sent me this as an extra, thank you and cheers! Pours a golden/red color with a healthy head that turns into a patchy crown and good lacing. Smells of smoke. It’s not just a clever name. There’s some hop underlings there but it’s no secret what the focus of this was. Tastes very good, again the smoke is the focus. Light hops, an almost lagery background. Mouth is great at medium body and high carbonation. A great beer, I’ll look for this one again.

Bomber. Poured medium milky orange with a short cap of eggshell head. The aroma picked up meaty bacon and smoked beechwood over a semi-sweet caramel base.. some earth on the back of the nose. The flavor had a little bit sweeter caramel at the core with bacon and sour smoked wood surrounding.. some vanilla and earth peeked through at times.. the sourness through off the balance. Medium-bodied with rolling carbonation clashing with the tacky malts and the sours on the palate.. didn’t flow well, but there were some solid components there.

From the Bottle at Chris O’s, GBBF Week 09/08/2008 Some carbonation. Amber coloured strong in alcohol and hoppy with a little dryness in a crisp smoked roast finish.

Medium Brown pour with a with head. fair amount of carbonation. Nice balance of smoke flavor. Not as powerful...though not as good...as a rauche beer from germany. Nice mouthfeel and a cean finish on the palate.

Bomber into a pint glass. Pretty mild compared to most, a good transition rauch for newbies.

Rich Amber almost bronze. Smells smokey - surprisingly! Sort of bonfire smoke, not a coal fire, nor your usual open fire. The palate is built around a rich malt base - nice a fat with some light fruit charachters. Then the smoke kicks in. Second swallow, third swallow like what you get from the hops in a big rich IPA. Here it’s the smoke. Maybe it’s that I did smoke when young but this has some funk and I love it.

Bottled:
Pours hazy dark orange with a small head. Sour smoke and toffee on the nose. Flavour is somewhat sweet and has notes of caramel and smoke.....but where is the "intense hop finish" the label promised??