 Beerlando (1341), Orlando, Florida, USA
May 12, 2008
2003 bottle. Pours as black as night and totally opaque. A foamy, mocha colored head settles to a thin film and leaves sticky honeycombs of lacing behind. Aromas include the requisite huge dark chocolate, burnt caramel, molasses, a touch of soy sauce, and some fusel alcohol. Massive notes of roasted barley are there as well, along with faded evergreen hops. Flavors basically follow suit, with bittersweet dark chocolate and massive roast dominating. Caramel lends a velvety sweetness, but the salty soy element is a major detractor. Finishes with a long, bitter, lingering roastiness that coats the tongue. The palate is full and oily feeling, but a bit too alcoholic and hot. Its a solid brew, but its still pretty harsh, even after 5 years of aging. I’d bet its a mess when fresh.
brigg (139), Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Oct 6, 2008 (bottle) Black body with a disappearing chocolate head. Burned coffee, chocolate, licorice aroma.Thick body, very smooth. Has lots of both sweetness and bitterness. Warming alcohol lingers.
jerohen (1478), Bussum, Netherlands
Oct 6, 2008 On draft at Popeye, Tokyo, Japan. Opaque, almost no head. In aroma roasted malts, iodine, some cherries, very complex. Strong complex flavour, coffee dominates. Very long lasting bitter finish. I like IS a bit less bitter, but nevertheless this is a solid brew.
jrmac (135), USA
Oct 4, 2008 2007 Vintage Ceramic bottle. Nice black pour with a tan head. Aromas of caramel, coffee, toffee, malt, hops, and more. Very chocolate, coffee, and malt. Pretty good beer. I can’t believe it is 11.6%
PaulHegedus (115), Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Oct 1, 2008 Draught at Rogue Alehouse in North Beach, San Francisco. Aug 2008. Pours black with a thin, creamy head. Served in a hefty goblet, I can taste coffee and caramel in the roasted malt but also a fair bit of the alcohol, too much to rate this higher. Unbalanced, but delicious.
derekbang (122), Indiana, USA
Sep 28, 2008 2003 bottle. I’ve not been a big fan of Rogue but went ahead and tried this. Very pleasantly surprised. Pours deep black as expected with virtually no head. Moderate lacing. Aroma is very much dark fruit and malt. However, flavor has much more of a coffee and chocolate accent and supported by the licorice/dark fruit. Works out to be a nicely complex blend. I’m guessing aging has helped quite a bit and I would not likely be as pleased with a newer bottle. But the 2003 is very good in 2008...
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