Rogue Brutal Bitter

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

2003 bottle. Nice light mahogany with some light yellow and golden hues. Lots of cloudiness and sediment apparent. Huge lacing. Smells of a hops/alcohol/citrus perfume. Hallertau and cascades together, wow smells hoppy and crisp, I’m expecting alot just based on aroma and appearance. And the flavor delivers. The lack of dry hopping provides an incredible velvety soft texture with perfect amounts of carbonation. Lots of hops that are bittersweet. Citrus/light pine up front that seems to last maybe a bit too long. I was expecting an over the top bitter from rogue, with too much hops, but it mellows out nicely. The malting is wonderful, I love maris otter and it provides endless balance without being too sweet or chewy. This beer has a great medium body that holds up better than most bitters towards the end of the glass. This beer reminded me much of Anchor Liberty ale, maybe a little less balanced? Not sure, im going to have to have a taste-off with the two. When you get that nice warm grapefruit hops flavor balanced by subtle malt, it dosent get much better. The complexity in this beer is outstanding and quite apparent when it has warmed to around 60-63 degrees. The beginning does seem a bit overpowering though, could stand to be toned down.
On draught at Anam Cara Feb 2005 Was very hesitant to rerate this. Seems like a vast majority of stuff I am retrying from a couple years ago has not been nearly as good. But this was delicious! I love the hops profile in this one, and the body and aroma are just as flavorful and fragrant as I remember. Good to see some brewers arent going down hill.
5/15/07 draught pint at Redbones.
Hmmm, actually this was a little disappointing. Especially on the aroma side. Quite muted, lots of bitterness without much of the aromatics/flavor. Body seemed a little watery and dextrinous, without too much interesting malt character. Seemed to get better as it warmed up. I’ll reserve any further judgment for now, but I’ll have to get a fresh bottle and see how it is.

Orange and cloudy in color with lots of yeasties. Nice tan head. Citrus hop aroma. Gentle hop aroma. Big malty flavor and bitterness. Full bodied. Drinkable.Enjoyable.

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.

On tap at Issaquah Brewhouse. Hops are quite dominant, pours an orangey color with a fairly thin and quickly dissipating head. Definitely on the hoppy end of a bitter, more toward an IPA.

Orange gold color. Medium head. There are chunks of something in the bottom of the glass. Aroma is floral and grapefruit. A very nice bitter. Hops are very pronounced. Complex flavors, the dominant hop flavors being grapefruit, floral and pine. Yet there is a very strong malt backbone to this beer. It’s a very hoppy and bitter beer. Yet for all that bitterness, it’s a very smooth tasting bitter. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is very bitter. Don’t think I want to know what’s sitting at the bottom of the glass though. Etched/painted beer bottle.

Have to laugh as the beginning of the first sip I was questioning the Brutal name. Somewhere between sip two and three the answer came. Good things come to those that wait. And yes, I'm slow on the intake. What an incredible head! Hazy orange, or perhaps a shade darker, malt sweetness riding WAY in front with the brutal attack being more like a playfull punch from a good friend on the shoulder. I go against the norm in not singing the praises of Rogue all too often. Well, I like this baby. If it were available I can see picking up one to brutalize myself perhaps weekly or maybe even more often.

Cloudy orange brown, persistant mosaic head. . . Heavy lace. Piney citrus aroma, remincent of some west coast IPA's, hints of vanilla as well. Taste is surprising: strong banana malt presence sticks to the tongue, while hops cascade over the top. A nice change of pace for a bitter.

Stick your tongue out…They’ve just tapped a bitter grapefruit tree!…Mouth-watering and refreshing creamy oranges for a savage beast which reveals its splendor whether you like it or not…It does not know compromise…My kind of session beer...