Rogue Smoke Ale

Brewed by Rogue Ales
Style: Smoked
Newport, Oregon USA

on tap at rogue in newport. nice idea, big bacon and charcoal aroma, surprisingly light-bodied, similar flavour as aroma but seemed slightly muted

Poured a dark amber with a light yellow head. The head goes away once this warms. The aroma is mellow. like other smoked beers I have had, I am reminded of smoked salmon. The taste is a little salty and fishy. The smoke is definitely light. This also has a little bit of bubblegum. The mouthfeel is medium, but it sticks to your teeth.

Clean smoky aroma. Orange-tan body with small bubbled thin head that reduces to cover. Just enough smoke so that you know it's smoked without it being the dominant characteristic of the beer. Fruity spiciness with orange undertone and a lasting resiny bitterness. Good mouthfeel and smooth medium body. Bottle.

Bottle: Hazed orangy amber hue with a fading fizzy head, minimal lace. The aroma is well...SMOKE, oh some piney hops and mocha malts behind all that. The taste has a tangy citric tone, bittersweet, and again smoky. This would a GREAT beer with summer sausage and aged smoked gouda cheese platter. Still some malty sweetness would provide a better balance. The feel is very dry and woody, fizzy and lively enough. Overall, good enough for matching with foods, but this is one not to try if you know smoky tastes are not your thing.

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.

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.

A Rogue is there behind the smoke. I may like it without all the smoke. Thanks MDS, Radekfest 05 sample 28. Medium mouthfeel.

Bottle (650ml). Shared with GregClow, my bottle. I really wanted to love this one - Rogue; rauch style (shaddup, jerc!) - what’s not to love? Hem. Poured clear deep copper with a small fizzy off-white head. From the neck on first pop, it was really smokey; sniffing it out of the glass it was funky, almost vegetal, grainy dry malt, the smokiness of a recently dowsed campfire, quite leafy and mild. Taste - ahhh, cowbarn. Seriously, my cousins had a cowbarn, I know that funky/dungy tang - we got dry funky hops here, and woodsmoke - on the plus side, this beer really tastes natural, no chems or preservatives, but dang that barn-y funk was something. Average body, mouthfeel was astringent and smokey, with a long bitter-herbal-smoke finish and aftertaste, Greg’s wife noted it was like the aftermath of a barnfire - or burning cowpats (not quite dried enough). And ultimately, it wasn’t even all that smokey. Glad to have had it, though - while I can’t in good conscience agree that this is a "rauchbier", it was unusual - and another Rogue sampled!