Rogue Brutal Bitter

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

OK bought in the 22 oz bomber..what else would it be in , :-). After a fairly careful pour this beer still has a large frothy pure white head atop a dark orange , slighly hazy beer..nice to look at..but alas we must drink. smell? well one word will suffice HOPS..spicy hops. the taste while its brutally clear that this is a hop driven beer..there is a detectable undertone of the English malts..it keeps this monster together..but its clear hops dominate. actually quite smooth and almost creamy on the tongue..though prickly at the end. I am not a real "hophead" but i found this very drinkable.

On tap at Summits Wayside Tavern-Poured a orange gold color with a lasting white head...Aroma was all hops, but what did you expect...flavor was hops and citrus I tasted grapefruit...this stuff is fantastic...very crisp finish...bitter is the word...loved it.

08.16.04 Bomber. Pours a quite clouded glowing amber highlighted by gold around the edges; average tan head. Wonderful citrus and pine aroma. Solid malty backbone supports sharp, unctuous hoppiness. Hops are somewhat one dimensional (I only now see that only one hop is used) by today’s ’standards’. In truth, the PNW flavors and character of this beer are of the sort that made me so interested in craft brews the way I am today. A nostalgic brew, solid, delicious. Terrible name for a beer.

with a name like brutal bitter, i thought i best beware so i took a hesistant sip. it was surprising smooth. nice apricot color with a humongous head. nice mildly hoppy scent with a nice mellow hop flavoring offset nicely by malt. i could chill all night with this stuff.

Bottle. Pours cloudy orange color with thick fluffy white head. Great aroma, very fragrant. Hoppy, but not over the top. Taste is grapefruit hop with some malt. Acidic, not in a bad way, but in that good Rogue way. Nice bitter finish. Seems more similar to a west coast IPA than an English Bitter, but this is good.

650ml brown bottle. Amber colour, full frothy white head with sticky lace. Aroma was malty, light caramel, slightly fruity (apricot?) with floral and orangey hops. Good malt flavour, medium sweet, notes of flowery hops. Citrus hops and a good dose of malt to the finish.

22oz bottle. Aroma is floral and citrus hops combined with rich, nutty, toffee-like malt. Very delicate, but very nice. Orange/copper colored with a smallish head. Good clarity. Initial flavor is very malty with nuttiness, light caramel, light toffee, and a subtle toastiness all present and a spicy, floral, light citrus finish. Bitterness nicely balances the malt, though the bitterness might be a little more pronounced. The malt bill is very nice, it really does highlight the flavor of a good English malt and the Crystal is a nice choice to compliment the malt, with it’s great flavor profile and somewhat subdued nature. The mouthfeel is very nice. The maltiness is there, but the beer is well attenuated. The carbonation level seems lower than usual, which is to style and certainly helps the drinkability. This would be a fine session beer, though at 6.2%, it might be an abbreviated session.

Murky amber pour - tall, tight head that soon disipates. Lemon, grass, sweet malt and sugar cured ham in the nose. Complex body that moves from floral hops to sweet malts. Great balance. A step up from Rogue’s Younger Special Bitter, which is a good thing in my book.