Rogue Smoke Ale

Smells like a big ol’ country ham biscuit. Cloudy, brown (Early American woodstain) colored with a beady white head. I really am getting annoyed with the Rogue labels - I like the paint, I hate the subjects. Buffered tanginess, astringency up front and in the back, the smoke ends up tasting a little artificial, although it appears that they’re drawing flavor directly from smoked malts. The only big flaw is that it’s a shade underbittered. Mostly dry, a little fruity tartness in there. The dryness and the smoke makes me really want to try this out with turkey. Finish is only mildly cloying. Pretty good, just a little disappointing.

At first all I could taste was smoke. Then, as I got used to the flavor I am unfamiliar with, it backed off and really let the malt through. Ity ended up a sweet, malty beer with a dominant caramel malt character. There was a touch of herbal noble hops in there, but not much (not enough). It seems like the smoke substitutes for the hops, providing the contrast to the malt. While I like the caramel malt flavor as well as the smoke, the problem is that the smoke doesn’t balance the mat sweetness like hops do. Instead it seems to sit right on top of the malt. The finish ends up being too sweet. Also a bit empty on the back end where the hops would be. I never thought I’d say this about a Rogue beer, but what this really needs is some more hops.

Brown color with a tanish head. Sweet body with some nice smoke. Tast GREAT. I picked this up in at the Brew Pub. Newport, OR

Not as smoky as the smokiest of the smoked, but still smokin’ tasty. Now replace every instance of ’smoke’ with the corresponding variation of ’smurf’ and see what fun you have! Anyways, there’s much here to like, such as the mild smokiness and subdued meaty flavors that make it easier to pair to foods that aren’t smoked. There’s the cleansing shot of hops at the end, there’s the toasted cereally malt that carries the middle, and there’s the drinkability. Very nice smoked beer that isn’t over the top.

Rogue Smoke is in fact and ale, and not a lager, so it really isn’t a traditional rauchbier, in that sense. The first time I sampled this beer, my experience with it was not a good one. The bottle was old and stale. I remember commenting at the time, "I don’t know what they are smoking at Rogue, but it is not the malt". Rogue turned me off by making this beer part of their X-Series and only marketed in 7 oz nip bottles, that were very over priced. They have since returned them to the 22 oz bottles as well, and I have easy access to this beer. I often pick up a 22oz bottle of this beer at my local good beer store for $3.50 a bottle. I recently sampled this beer fresh on draught at the brewery in Newport, OR and it was smoky and delicious. Having tried rauchbier at its source, and now sampling this beer, I am happy to say, while Rogue Smoke isn’t a traditional rauchbier, it is a very good take on the style, and is a very impressive beer. Rogue Smoke pours to a deep amber color with a nice white head, and a moderate carbonation. The nose on this beer is very inviting. Sooty, salty, smoky aromas flood the nose. Fresh, the smoke character is quite pungent in this beer. The palate is a firm malt base. Some nice estery fruit flavors marry with a touch of caramel malt flavor, and more smoked malt flavor. This beer finishes as smoky as it started, more salty, sooty malt flavors up front, and a very dry, salty finish. Hops are in this beer, but only to balance out the intense smoke flavors. Some nice hop bitterness can be found in the finish as well. This is a very good smoked beer in my opinion, a good showcase of rauch malt. I’m a traditionalist in many ways, so I would put this beer a step below authentic, stylistically accurate rauchbiers, which it is trying to emulate. This beer would go fantastic with grill and smoked meats, as well as smoked cheeses.

(22 oz bottle: $4 at Rogue Brewhouse in Newport, OR) The nose is lightly caramely and vaguely grassy, but smoke doesn’t have much impact here. It’s more in the flavor where the smoke really shows some assertion, reminding me of smoked bacon, matching the sweet and caramely maltiness step for step. Not quite as smoky as the Schlenkerla Märzen, but along the same lines in terms of base malt flavor and solid smokiness. Body is barely medium and could stand a bit more heft. Carbonation is pretty typical. Amber in color and somewhat hazy until the last few ounces are poured and the fine sediment begins to trickle out, casting a dense cloudiness upon the beer. Tall, bubbly head is also quite fizzy, diminishing rapidly to a thin layer. Could use a bit more smoke in the nose and more body, but otherwise, quite a nice smoked beer.

This thing seriously smells like smoked salmon. The bottle immediatly fizzed out a cream coloured foam, but amazingly didn’t produce much of a head when poured. I’ve been wanting to try a smoked for quite some time now. Frankly, I’m a bit scared to. It looks thin and glows reddish/orange. It’s a smoked beer alright. Strong smoked malts flavour. It’s not that I think this beer, or style is bad. I’m just finding myself to not really care for it.

Brown color with a beige head. Sweet body with smokey notes. Rather thin finish with light smoke on the palate.