Rogue Brutal Bitter

Mid-Off White head, Bronze to almost red. Semi-Opaque. Smells strongly of hops and malt. Very floral. Bitter orange peel hits the tongue first then the hops rush in. Not a ton of complexity but interesting for the style. Thin and watery, just as it should be. Solid carbonation was a nice bonus. Bitter isn’t my favorite style but this is a good choice for a summer beer. I had it with some scallops in a garlic parsley butter sauce, but thought it would be excellent with a semi-oily bucket of fish and chips. Nice quality beer.

Pours a hazy amber orange with a loose, frothy, ivory head that leaves behind wispy lace. The nose is of toasty, bready malt with solid backing notes of citrus, faint spruce/evergreen, and spicy/earthy hops. Light to medium-bodied with a quick transition to a solid, bitter-hopped finish. This stuff is an IPA masquerading as an ESB. The flavor profile starts like an ESB: toasted bready malt with just enough sweetness to counter the balancing hops. The "balancing" hops in this beer, however, push well beyond the midpoint of balance toward a big spruce-like, citric and lightly spicy hop profile that dominates the finish and the aftertaste. This is not your typical ESB, but to Rogue’s credit, there are plenty of "typical" ESBs out there already. This beer successfully stretches the parameters of the style by doubling the IBUs that you’ll find in most ESBs. The result is an exceptionally drinkable brew for those, like myself, who enjoy ESBs and also love big hoppy IPAs. I have to admit that I’m pretty geeked about this beer, primarily because it’s the first locally available year-round brew that I’ve given a "4" or better to in over 300 ratings.

Hazy copper pour. Aroma revolves around dominant hop and floral bouquet. A hint of a roasty, citrus, which is cut away by the lingering bitterness of the hops, which makes it extremely quenching.

Floral, citrus, mild sweet malt, and caramel aroma notes. Hazy, copper-orange with a frothy lacing head. Grapefruit, balancing caramel, and mild touch of honey. Lasting bitter finish. A beauty.

Sampled at the 2008 Folio Weekly Beer Festival. Pours a nice orange color with a creamy head. Aroma of hops, sweet malt, citrus. Taste is a little hoppy bitterness, smooth palate. Nice!