Rogue Brutal Bitter

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

22oz bottle. Pours a hazy, orangish-amber color; textured, off-white head with excellent retention and lacing. Light, hoppy aroma, showing citrus and oranges; some biscuity malts as well. Medium mouthfeel: lively citrus and bitter hops with something of an English character (but tempered bitterness); relaxed carbonation, with a solid biscuity / toasted malt core; dense and well-balanced; very drinkable. Medium, biscuity and bready malt finish; slightly dry.

A coppery orange color, pours with a cream/ tan colored head when roused sufficiently, this beer had a relatively low carbonation level (which in my book is good for this style). It is cloudy at first, but this is just chill haze, as it warms up it becomes quite clear. There is a floral woody, almost medicinal, aroma to this beer. The floral hoppy aroma travels the furthest from the glass though. It is much thicker bodied than I was expecting but perfectly in line with how the beer is advertised on the bottle (I am not sure why I was not expecting this). There is a solid malt presence that is infused with a pronounced hop presence in both the flavor and the bitterness. The bitterness starts at the back of the tongue and then hangs out in ones mouth as you swallow the beer, and then is even there after the beer has disappeared down ones throat. This beer is definitely a hoppy ale, in the American style but featuring a not so typical hop (the Crystal variety), which is a nice contrast to the typical cascady type flavor found in most American examples. There are definite notes of citrus but a grassy sharp flower nectar note asserts itself as well. I love beers that are of a single hop varietal, it gives me the chance to try and pick out what a specific hop contributes to a beer.

Bottle. Pours a beautiful deep amber with an aroma of bready grapefruit. Flavor is a nice, subtle bitter hops with light grapefruit. Palate is waaaaaay too watery and thin for such an aesthetically pleasing brew. Overall, it’s a great beer but hardly worth "brutal" in the title. I’d have more.

Orange/Amber Coloring. Very Hoppy Aroma...Flavor Doesn’t Disappoint Those Initial Nasal Findings...Hoppy To the Point Where You Question Whether This Should be an IPA Over a Bitter. Mild Malt Tones But Overall Your Hops Rule The Day.

Bottle at Bishops Arms, Avenyn, Göteborg, Sweden. Deep amber, almost copper, with a medium off-white creamy head. Hop dominated aroma with piney and floral notes, medium bodied, quite bitter. Good but with a weak malt backbone for this type of beer.

Hazy orange color, nice frothy head. Hoppy and orange zest nose. Bitter grapefruit taste, that gives a short intense bitter kick. Short aftertaste. Not brutal bitter and missing complexity. I liked it though.

Hopnessmonster will tell you that this beer is unclemattie’s kyptonite. After drinking just one of these Premium Bitter/ESBs I am done. Ready for a nap...

brutal? no way. of course, i tried this while on an extreme hop kick. this is just an excellent session ESB. would make a better 6-pack than 22oz bottle.