Rogue Brutal Bitter

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

Enjoyed from a 12oz bottle in a pub glass. The beer pourse a medium gold with a reasonably long-lasting white head. Aromas of grapefruity American hops comethrough through noticeably in the nose, along with some nice background notes of English character malt. The palate starts of assertively bitter, and then melds malt sweetness and complexity with the bitterness to achieve a balance that I would say is about 60/40 hops to malt. The finish is fairly dry. A very well-done American version of a classic and all-too-rare English style.

Light golden appearance. candies, citrus zest, orange, honey. Very sharp & clean, crisp. Hop forward. Pretty good. A little weak, but better than most IPAs.

The only negative thing I can say about this beer is that it’s not cheap here in Ontario. But so what? Smells like a trip to the hop forest and tastes bitter - not "Brutal", but beautifully bitter. A wonderful dry finish that leaves the taste buds clamoring for more (okay, it made my mouth water). Wonderful stuff.

A golden beer with a small head. Aroma was fruity, yeasty, & sweet. Taste was sweet, fruit, & a tiny dash of chocolate in the taste. Very nice & smooth. As you get to the bottom of the glass it does get more & more bitter but not much. Nice lacing.

Bottle from Bellingers Jet Garage, Grove, nr Wantage, Oxon, consumed 22-07-09 Pours hazy amber with white head. Aroma is citrussy and the taste is a sweet honeylike citrus, maltiness is really good and tempers the hops, there is a little warmth from the alcohol and some spice. good stuff. A10 A3 F7 P3 Ov15 3.7

Poured hazy orange with a white head, aroma of citrus and lemon, with faint orange peel. Tasted very balanced with a refreshing bitter aftertaste, a perfect example of how an ESB should taste.

Pours a hazy orange with an off-white head. Lemon and grapefruit citrus hops on the nose, with some caramel and candied mandarin to balance. Also has a slightly dusty quality - not quite the funk you find in a sour, but the same dusty feeling as a brett-infused brew. Flavor is right on line, but the bitterness is intensely dry, like the white pith inside an orange peel. This would actually probably be good with an orange twist, as opposed as I usually am to adding anything to a beer post-production. It’s better than most of what I’ve had from Rogue, but I’m still just not a fan of the brewery, and I’m starting to believe the rumors that it’s the pacman yeast they use.

On-Tap @ the Portland Pub poured into Pint glass. Pours a cloudy orange color with a thin off-white head and leaves a slight ring around the glass. The aroma is hops, orange peel and some other citrus. The flavor is much of the same with the orange peel being in the forefront and a lingering bitterness and some slight yeast. Its medium bodied with a moderate carbonation. Good stuff, one of the beers that really got me into IPA’s. That being said I could have used a little more flavor as this felt a bit thin although it could be because it was served frosty cold.