Rogue Brutal Bitter

Brewed by Rogue Ales
Style: Premium Bitter/ESB
Newport, Oregon USA

Pours hazy orange/amber with a large sudsy/frothy white head. Strong bitter hop aroma... crystal obviously. Some sweet malt and spice as well. Sweet malt, slightly spicy and lots of bitter hops, but also fresh. Definitely some grapefruit. It easy to tell that the wheat malt really lightens up the syrupiness found in other ESB’s. Watery body with zero carbonation; has that Rogue juciness. Great English beer with an American twist.

Served cold from 22oz. bottle. This was the first Rogue I ever consumed, and I haven’t had it too often since then so a lot of this is from memory. It usually poured an orange color that was somewhere between translucent and opaque, with a foamy white head. The aroma was earthy with a large wafting smell of hops. It wasn’t as well-balanced as I would have liked, but it definitely lives up to its name as a "brutal bitter." The bitterness lingers, too, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your preference.

Pours a hazy orange color. Big hop aroma, but for all that not nearly as hopped in the flavor as I expected. Actually very well balanced. A little sweet? Lots of citrus and with a good hop kick. Man, that’s nice.

Opening this bottle unleashed a fragrance similar to the end of boil of a well hopped wort. I found this to be an alternative to the epic brew Liberty Ale by Anchor. Obviously whole fresh hops have been used in this wonderfully bitter and floral brew. I am impressed with the crystal hops. Has some precipitate in the bottle. Might be ok for my homebrew, but not sure this is the intention of a bottled blend. Nice artwork on the painted bottles.

Aroma of grapefruit, spice, and minimal floral hints. Pours a gigantic head that laces nicely. Easy to drink and enjoy. They stock this a tiny liqour store in Tampa called PJ’s. This one comes in handy when trying to buy a craft beer at say 2AM. For that, Brutal Bitter, and PJ’s you remain a fantastic option.

frothy head, ok lacing, beer has dark caramel coloration. aroma has hops and some citrus and spices. very tasty, great drinkability- could drink a lot of these. flavor is nothing complex, but has nice hops, malt, and grapefruit tones. a little light on the palate, but a good beer overall.

Pours like a hazy pale ale with 1 finger head. Aroma of hops and spice. This is unbelievable drinkable. Nice balance of hops and malt, but a bit of a lack of flavor and a bit too thin for my tastes. A great session bitter, but nothing too special

Pours a very murky orange color topped with a somewhat thin head. Kind of looks like this could be pond water. Nice hoppy, citrus (grapefruit?) aroma. Pretty good beer but not nearly as hoppy or as bitter as I was expecting, based on it’s name, some other reviews and I guess my anticipation. It’s actually a pretty easy drinking brew; a bit hoppy, a malty note followed by a bitter dry finish. Aftertaste is only slightly bitter. Overall pretty solid although a tad expensive, but I’m not sure I’d call it "Brutal Bitter".