Rogue Brutal Bitter

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

Bomber: Aroma is malty with hints of caramel, toffe, and a little pine. Poured hazy amber color, but no particles. Sparkling. Medium off white head. Good lacing. Flavor starts of malty, but then gets a little piney hop to it. Crisp, but then a nice bitter, toffee finish. Medium sweet and heavily bitter. Medium body. Lively carbonation. Average-length bitter finish. Overall, a nice Bitter.

Bottle. Unclear orange colour with a small head. Nice fruity aroma of citrus. Very bitter but not too much. Ends up nice and very enjoyable.

(22 oz bottle: $4.49 at Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa, CA) I’ve had this beer several times in the past, although none were in the last few years, and I’d felt the beer was just really citrusy and bitter. I mean, Brutal Bitter, right? So this time I decided to buy a bottle and let it sit for several months to tone down what I had perceived to be a really hoppy beer. Well, I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. This is a well-balanced and very tasty beer. The malt is decidedly toasty, without any noticeable caramelization and dominates the first few seconds of each sip. Hops is still potent (but not Brutal), fairly citrusy in nature, and really balances the beer, finishing with a flurry of crisp grapefruit. The nose is bready and toasty, and the aromatics of the hops have certainly faded, so I guess the aging is a trade-off. Medium "plus" bodied and nicely carbonated, the crisp finish keeps the palate refreshed and makes for a bomber that is pretty easy to finish without tiring out the palate. Somewhat hazy and bright amber in color, the body is capped by a solid, off-white head that rises to an inch (or more, if I pour quickly), and very slowly settles to a thin, quarter-inch layer. Lacing is patchy, but obviously has a tough time sticking to the glass since it mostly just slides right down as I drink the beer. Overall, though, this is a really nice beer. I think perhaps keeping the beer for maybe three or four months might be a happy medium with preserving more hops in the nose while slightly increasing the bitterness in the flavor.

Wow, this beer rocks! It doesn't look like much (no head, cloudy burnt orange), but it sure tastes goooood. Bit time hops....mmhmm. Malt backbone to balance it out. As others have said, it is tangy near the end. Perfectly balanced beer - makes this hop head drool all over himself.

The aroma is completely hop dominated. Pine and citrus hops primarily and some caramel malt. The appearance is hazy copper brown with a large foamy head. The flavor is exactly like the aroma. The palate is smooth with plenty of grapefruit in the aftertaste. I feel like this is more of an IPA or Double Pale Ale than an ESB but no matter what it earns the title brutal from being quite bitter.

Re-Rate 04/29/02: Cloudy orange or deep amber, frothy and generous beige head, decent lace. Nose is malt, slight citrus and floral tones also noted. Front is malt, the top light, the finish is acidic, dry, loads of hops, moderate carbonation, a good beer but not their best, but quite quaffable none the less.

(Draught at Stockholm Beer Festival, 26 Sep 2009) Amber colour with foamy, beige head. Malty, fruity nose with caramel, toffee, orange and lots of fresh hops. Malty, fruity taste with notes of orange, caramel, dried fruit and a generous citrussy bitterness in the finish. Medium body, balanced sweetness. Fresh hop character but the bitterness isn’t quite as brutal as expected (but then I had Moylans Hopsickle just before this one). Very nice beer though.

Smells like a citrus salad -- grapefruity, bitter orange, pineapple. Crisp, sharp hops, but you were warned by the name. Pretty good mouthfeel -- it’s hard to get something this hoppy without having a tinny, clinging aftertaste, but Rogue has done it. Not my favorite style, but well done.