Rogue American Amber

Brewed by Rogue Ales
Style: Amber Ale
Newport, Oregon USA

I think if any other brewer were to make this style, it can sometimes be so damned plain that it’s forgettable. This beer on the other hand, since it’s done by Rogue, seems to be a notch above the rest. An aroma of hops. Yes, hops in an amber ale! Nice! Okay, so it’s hoppy, with a nice toffee aroma. Kinda that burnt sugar smell. Appearance is medium amber in color, cloudy with a nice two-finger thick head. Flavors were had a nice balance between hops and malts. Rogue firmly leaves their thumbprint on this style with this beer. Tasty.

Beer pours dark amber color, decent head and lace. It’s hard to get too excited about an amber ale, but this one was nice. Crisp, clean taste...caramel malts not overly sweet with nice floral hop finish. I was digging it, about as much as you can dig an amber.

Rogue’s brews for me are like Neil Young songs... the good ones are legendary, while the rest are somewhat mediocre and forgettable. This the first one that may not be at the extreme end of the spectrum, but it skews towards the positive end. I really enjoyed this amber ale offering. Very nice pour with a rich amber color and a perfect off-white head. Aroma is hoppy (Rogue’s brewers do love those Cascade hops!) and crisp, as expected. Aroma and flavor might be a bit too hoppy, but knowing it’s a Rogue offering, you would expect that. Not in any other amber ale, but certainly one from Rogue. A bit too dry on the palate, but overall a very flavor-rich, pleasant and drinkable beer. Would pair well with a wide variety of foods.

Bottle. Hazy orange/copper with a frothy cream colored head. Not too much to report in the way of aroma, just some mild caramel notes and floral hops. Maybe a touch of butter. Flavor of toasty caramel malts with a mild tea-like hop bitterness on the finish. Medium to full bodied but smooth and "plush" in mouthfeel. Not overly complex or multi-faceted, just a well balanced, simple and very enjoyable session.

Not a bad brew, I was expecting a lot more honestly though from Rogue. Very easy to drink beer, but it still seemed like it was lacking something. Slight metallic taste in the finish, would like to try again for comparison.

What a solid amber should be! Nice red/amber color with a substantial head. Hints of oak, nuts and citrus. Somewhat spicy nose that leads nicely into the taste. A very well balanced beer. Not dramatic, just a solid offering with a smooth finish. Cheers.

Bottle reads "Red Fox Amber", was redirected to this beer. Nose is of hops, Pour is dark amber, mouth is lacking at first but as the palate adjusts rich hops are present then finishes dry. Nice smell and color. Not bad, smooth. I noticed no coffee notes in this.

Citrusy nose. Nice deep flavors, bitterness, straddles the line between light and heaviness. Quite easy to drink in spite of being pretty flavorful. Not bad at all.