Rogue Ales, out of Newport, Oregon, is a legendary craft brewery (and craft distillery), with pretty far-reaching distribution and a generally well-respected name. I've had several of their brews before, but nothing has really moved me. I recently found myself with a couple of bottles, courtesy of bzach. Remember when scoring at home, the scale is from 1 (swill) to 5 (swank). 3 would be average, and a score below 3 entails one to avoid.
As with the following bottle, this one wasn't dated. Take that into consideration. Without bottle dating, I can't say how fresh or stale these Rogue brews were.
Pours a deep, dark brown (nearly black), with subtle ruby highlights. Average head, and minimal lace. Nose is a little roasty. I get a hint of mocha, but it's not strong at all. Taste is deeply roasty, with hints of dark chocolate, coffee, burnt fruit. This is a rich porter, definitely with a heavy character, and the mocha tones come out better as it warms a bit.
Still, not a favorite of mine, and not one I'd care to try again.
This popular brew (likely more for the name) was among my early craft beer enticements. How can you NOT resist trying "Dead Guy Ale"? I'm mixed on this one, as my initial review was pretty positive, but a recent bottle left me disappointed. More on that later.
Pours a handsome amber, with thick head. Nice and ornate Brussels lace. Malty nose, bready... Flavor is instantly sharp on the palate, with a toasty graininess. I get some warm fruit hints, as well. And, a little alcohol burn in the finish. Enjoyable, with plenty of flavor. Superb!
As an added note, the last bottle I had was suspected of being out of date. It wasn't very good.
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