Brewery: Rogue Brewery
ABV: 5.3%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown
Today I learned that Rogue does not believe in putting brew dates or bottling dates on their packaging. There's an article about it somewhere, so if you're interested you can go look for it. That either means that they don't want you to know, or they brew their beer to stand the test of time, which means bottle conditioning.
I am very hesitant about this beer. Not because I don't think it's going to be a good one, but because several people have recommended it to me. That usually results in me setting my expectations far too high and setting myself up for disappointment.
This is a very dark beer. At first it appears to be solid black, but if you look carefully, it starts to look more like a very dark brown. It poured with a full inch of head that gradually receded while leaving a thin layer for most of the pint and a sporadic lacing pattern. There is an aroma of roasted chocolate and coffee malts.
It looks like I was worried for nothing. This beer has a very nice flavor, with the coffee upfront and the chocolate bringing up the rear, with a roasted overtone to everything. There is also a little bit of hop flavor at the end, giving the chocolate a more bitter flavor and keeping everything from being too sweet. The beer has a very full mouthfeel and a surprisingly high level of carbonation. It's still pretty easy to drink, although I think I'd like it to be a little less carbonated.
Final thought - I had put off drinking this beer for two reasons: first, as mentioned above, I was worried about overinflating it in my mind, and second, because I couldn't find it. Now that I've finally gotten around to it, I'm very glad I did. This beer would be great after a big meal, or with a big fat steak. And it's not too strong, so you can enjoy a few. Beers, not steaks.
-Jon
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