Rogue Smoke Ale

Brewed by Rogue Ales
Style: Smoked
Newport, Oregon USA

Sainsburys. Tawny in colour with no head, lightly spiced aroma. palate is slightly more intense, with hints of smoke...not rauchbier, must say I’m not that impressed.

07.21.05 Bomber. Pale copper, hazed, thin beige head fades to ring, light lace. Aroma is campfire, some nut, some graham, apricot, nice and balanced with plenty of beer coming through the smoke. Then there’s a massive attack of floral and grassy hops bite that definitely competes with the smoke. What this stuff needs is more malts, more sweetness (that would translate as meatiness). This brew reminds me of walking into a farmhouse with a brick oven in a pasture of wildflowers and ragweed. Too bad, this one started out promising.

650ml bottle. Chestnut colour. Good fruity malts, smoked meats and slightly bready. Really nice beer, but I was drinking it whilst watching the cricket at Canterbury so wasn’t really paying attention

Bottle. Orange-amber in colour. Aroma of peat, smoke meats, malts and some floral hops. The flavour was of slight roasted malts, smoke, earthy, some bacon. Medium body, medium carbonation. Finishes with a lingering smokey bitterness. Nowhere as smokey as the Schlenkerla beers but still very tasty.

Pours a medium amber body with a nice head. The aroma smells like a smoked piece of meat. It’s really quite different than a typical beer. Aftertaste is a weak ale dominated by smoke. Not really my thing. On a side note, what does this beer have to do with the fall of the Berlin Wall? (It’s on the bottle)

Lightest-colored (amber) smoked beer I’ve had, though this is the first non-porter smoked beer I’ve tried. Initial taste is smoky but rather thin. The "intense hop finsih" it claims is missing, unfortunately. Also, its really pretty metallic; it stays whether poured or drank from the bottle. A truly disappointing offer from Rogue.

Tap at public house in San Francisco. Pours a dark brown in color with minimal tan head. Looks like a porter, and has the body of one, too. However, it tastes like bacon. Not really a big fan.

Copper. Fairly vibrant nose with caramel and sharp floral hops aromas, along with smoked malts, which remind the mind of smoked meat. Flavor is very mild in smoke flavor compared to most rauchbiers, but since it was an ale, it was a bit more unique. Sweeter and hoppier than Bamberg brews, adding different dimensions and more complexity, but I generally like more intensity in rauchbier.