Rogue Ten Thousand Brew Ale (10,000)

I love how clean this ale finishes. It starts off with a hop run, but finishes off very crisp, separating it from the IPA it first appears to be. Pours a light amber with plenty of carbonation. Very good ale, but I’m not sure that it was worth the $15 for the bottle.

(Ceramic bottle 78 cl) Pours a clear, amber golden with an off-white head. Fresh, fruity and hoppy nose. Medium body, good lightly caramelish malt base and a very distinct bitterness in the finish. Hard to believe that this is only 60 IBU! 160607

Draft. $5 for a ~12 oz. serving, so price was certainly not an issue with this one. Fresh hops and caramel aromas. Amber color with a moderate off-white head. Hints of fresh bread, pine sap and brown sugar as well. Sugar coated hops in the flavors. Reminds me of Calvin and Hobbes with Chocolate Covered Sugar bombs, this is sugar coated hop bombs. Grapefruit, pine surrounded with caramel, light syrup and sweet malt. I find this to be true to billing. Malt and lots of hops. A hint of alcohol, but I expected that. I can’t complain about the price, so this is a nice American Strong with tendencies toward a IIPA.

The 26 ounce bottle poured a clear, reddish orange beverage with a modest white creamy head that was mostly diminishing but left good lacing on the glass. The aroma was very prominent with a beautiful balance between hops and malt. There were notes of citrus and sweet floral hops mingling with sweet caramel and a hint of bread. It was quite full bodied with a soft carbonation and a slightly creamy, smooth texture. The flavor started out lightly sweet with bit of a citrus bite to it. As it aged on the tongue, it grew slightly more bitter and started to warm the chest. The finish was long and lingering. Nice Job!

I got the last beer out of the keg of Rogue Ten Thousand at Roman’s (Milwaukee). And I never believed the idea that beer from the "bottom of the barrel" was different than earlier pulls; howevever compared to Flyer’s draft of this same beer, mine looked a bit different...hazier. This didn’t impede the appearance of this beer, which was an attractive hazy red with a head of inconsistently sized bubbles. It had a nice sweet hoppy smell, like a good but fairly mild-mannered APA. Flavor was a bit different than I expected; it was a bit hoppy and slightly sweet but was less bitter than I expected and had more maltiness than I would;’ve thought. Mouthfeel was dry and a bit astringent. I enjoyed this beer, but was not blown away by it. Recommended.

$18.49 750ml swing top bottle poured into a tulip. Yes, the price was a bit excessive, but I couldn’t resist. This ale poured a hazy orange color with a 1/4 inch thick head of foam that quickly dissolves, leaving little lace. Some carbonation is visible in the glass. The aroma seemed very hoppy when I was pouring the glass, but after it had warmed slightly, the smell was dominated by malts. Aromas of caramel, bread, and some orange notes. Also, just a hint of alcohol. The flavor was bitter, with a good amount of grapefruit upfront, followed by caramel, bread, pine, clove, and orange, finishing off crisp and dry with some sweet malts. I know this seems like way too much, but it somehow manages to remain a bit balanced. The 10% alcohol is very well hidden. The beer is medium-bodied with a nice amount of carbonation. Overall, I would say this beer was a success. I would seek it out again if it was a regular production brew and if they cut the price in half.

From a capped, swing top 1 pt. 10 oz. bottle, bottled in December 2006, a list of ingredients and info along the right side of bottle, stored at cellar temperature and allowed to warm up a bit before sampling in a tulip glass. I paid $17.99 for my bottle. Poured a hazy orangey copper with a small foamy, creamy bubbly creme colored head, good retention, minimal amount of sticking. Smelled like you would expect a Rogue DIPA to, Floral hops, piney, earthy herbs, woody and tropical fruity, bready, a touch of caramel and clear-like alcohol. Good even carbonation and a crisp, dry, hop slick, velvety smooth light bodied mouthfeel, very nice. A good sipper, I was first impressed by this not having an alcohol burn in the palate, then the hops, very oily, pine and herbal, green woody, earthy, dry leafy, a subtle fruitiness, the malts are in the background, toasted grains, softly sweet caramel toffee, the alcohol is very much under control, a clear alcohol taste, like a good gin or vodka, provides only a low grade warmth, and a dry grainy, herbal oily finish. Whether you want to call this a DIPA or an American Strong Ale, this is a winner with me, I enjoyed it, I didn’t like the price, but for a special one-off, in the end, worth it.

Appearance: Pours a coppery honey-colored body with a soapy, medium-sized white head. Smell: A fruity, floral (and piney) aroma of grapefruit, lemon slices, pine sap, and toffee. Taste: Light, sugary caramel flavor quickly moves through to the hoppy, bitter bundle of flavors, which initially is mostly just the assertive (and somewhat harsh) flavor of pine needles, but as the beer warms a bit the fruitier notes begin to come through with grapefruit, peach, and lemon. The finish is certainly bitter and longish, with an acidic, perfume-like aftertaste. Reminds me of a slightly heftier Avery Maharaja. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Slightly syrupy. Drinkability: Accurately hopped for a Rogue beer, as one might expect, but nowhere near as monumental or awe-inspiring as you would suspect a 10,000th batch to be.