Rogue Ten Thousand Brew Ale (10,000)

Brewed by Rogue Ales
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Newport, Oregon USA

Bottle. Another average brew from a once-great brewery that has lost it’s lustre over the past 5 yrs or so. Nothing to write home about. I can get much better IIPA’s for less than $12/bottle.

Large expensive crock. Poured a clear fiery orange with a nice creamy cap of beige head. Aroma had quite a lovely hop presence with pine, grapefruit, and earthen notes.. a hefty dose of caramel and grapefruit meat supported it.. sweet and warm. My initial impression of the flavor was "a bit messy and warm".. really improved as this approached room temp, though.. bringing out sweet grapefruit, English toffee, and caramel supporting bunches of high-alpha hops.. resiny pine and grapefruit primarily.. hot alcohol singes the back of the mouth as it finishes. Syrupy and warm on the palate.. still a bit hot, but may relax and improve with age.

My Bottom Line:
A piney hop aftershave carries earthiness and leafiness into the alcohol-doused biscuity maltiness. Another proud strong ale from Rogue, but one which fails to keep me interested throughout.

Further Personal Perceptions:
-A thin veil of foam sinks into hazy orange-gold.
-The hop flavor and bitterness is surprising and enticing.
-Maltiness is simple and the brash alcohol doesn’t necessarily help it.
-Ultimately, this strong ale is déjà-vu for Rogue, yet it does deliver what you expect from them.
-The price of this bottle is horrendous for the product it contains.

Bottle.

Draught: Lightly sweet aroma. Smelled of strawberries, berries, and floral hops. Poured amber in color with a medium white head. Good lacing. Clear and sparkling. Flavor was lightly sweet and medium bitter. Tasted hoppy, with notes of berries and alcohol. Medium body. Average carbonation. Dry bitter finish. Nice mouthfeel. Overall, better than I had expected. I must admit I probably liked it a little more because I was able to get it on tap rather than give a kidney to pay for that very expensive bottle.

Shared by someone at DLD. Medium brown color with medium head. Aroma is of toffee and some light fruits. Taste is caramel, pears, and some nuttiness. Interesting, but nothing special whatsoever.

This beer is great. Hoppy aroma, and the taste is hoppy also but also has a hint of maltiness to help relieve the hops. I love this beer.

On tap at Landmark,aroma is all fruit and hops,a very strange combination,but pleasantly workable.Smells and tastes like a overhopped Belgian Brew. That apricot taste comes through big time,with a pleasant bitterness in the finish. That 10 per cent is hard to detect,taste wonderful ,but would not pay 20 bucks for a bottle

Draft @ Grey Lodge. Golden color with a small head. Aroma is sweet with a heavy amount of citrus and grassy pine hops - also some sweet malts. Taste was very sweet with lots of caramel and apricot, mixed with some citrus hops. OK, but a bit off in my opinion. Might age well, but $20+ for a bottle is pure bullshit. If it really costs that much, keep it in the brewpub. Rogue shows its true colors with this overpriced, mediocre beer.