Rogue Brutal Bitter

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

As far as premium bitters go, this one is pretty hoppy, and I really like that. Hazy, amber/gold body, with a relatively thin, off-white head. Some lacing. Very nice hop aroma; I only wish it was a little more prominent. The initial flavor is a delightful balance of malts and hops, but the finish is dominated by the hops. Really good carbonation. I’m sure I’ll be buying this again in the very near future.

After hearing so much about this I was ready for a letdown. Nope. Golden orange hazy pour. Aroma of citrus and sugar, almost like bubble gum. Nice hoppy taste with a sweet caramel finish.

Smells and tastes of citrus. Pours a dark amber with an aroma of hops. Obviously tasted of strong hops. This is my kind of beer, what can I say im a bitter beer man.

On tap at the local Winking Lizard, asked for a pint and got a 22 oz. imperial pint instead at no additional charge...bonus! Got to enjoy the first half before dinner and the remainder during and after the meal. A sharp floral hop aroma with a good citrus kick, it appears these are primarily American hop varieties. Dark, clear copper pour with a thin head and spotty lacing. A soothingly bitter, fresh, creamy mouth feel really impressed me. A nice blend of malt flavors. Biscuits and bread with caramel and nuts. Pine and citrus notes create a great balance to the flavor. The hops are American while the malt appears to be of English influence. An all around nice brew.

I thought I had rated this one before, but I guess I haven’t; oh well. Anyways, nice thin head sitting on top. A nice translucent orange color with a slight hue of brown. Looks really good. Very nice taste. Slight malt sweetness mixed with a huge bittering hop that makes this beer extremely good. A fine taste; I just love how that bittering hop lingers. Aroma and taste are similar. Nice hoppy aroma with a great mix of malt sweetness to follow. This beer is really good, and I a glad I found a single because the $12 six pack price is a bit too rich for my blood. Palate could be a bit thicker, but the taste is just superb. Overall, a damn good ESB.

Rogue Brutal Bitter is a cloudy, deep golden beer with a dense, yellowish, off-white head with outstanding retention and lacing. It has a bright, hoppy aroma of citrus and grass and a note of dusty malt. It is medium bodied, smooth, dry and clean. It’s reasonably bitter (not brutal) with a lot of complex malt flavors. It’s toasty and resiny-- lots going on in there. There’s a note of lemon at the finish. It’s a solid ale.

bottle poured a dark brassy orange in color with good carbination and a thin layer of head. the beer is thick looking, smells of hops, some citrus, and some sweetness like caramel. taste is very hoppy with grapefruit and lemon peel citrus, malt shows more in the texture than the taste but it is well balanced. the beer overall is very good and tastes like an ipa. with a good bitter snap at the end, a nice beer that i could really have a nice session with. another score for rogue.

Bottled enjoyed at quality meats with CUJO and RickyRicardo. Burgers are epic here by the way. Pours hazy tangerine, white head atop. Nose is an incredible musky tangerine, hop, and apricot. Taste is same with bitter tang.