Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner

Brewed by Rogue Ales
Style: European Strong Lager
Newport, Oregon USA

Ceramic bottle, 8.8%. Caramelly aroma, a little alcohol. Hazy golden colour. Stable frothy head. The flavour is quite powerful. Caramelly, fruity, dusty. The alcohol is apparent in the mouthfeel and the finish.

Bottle. Resiny pine hoppyness in the nose. Orange clouds, amber lacing cream. More balanced than expected, mandarine, citrus, grass on light hayish malt. Medium to light body, mellow mouthfeel Gras retronasal. Pleasant enough.

Pours medium golden with a thin white head. Nose and flavor are yeast and spicy with some malt breadiness as well.

750 Ceramic Bottle. Poureda cloudy orange/amber color with a nice light head. Good lacing on the glass. aroma is maltier than other imperial pilsners I’ve had, but there’s a still a good hop kick. Almost like hop biscuits. Flavor is big citrus hops although not as juicy as some. More like the pith and less like the meat of a grapefruit. Nice hops finish and a good mouthfeel. Good beer.

Date: 3/12/08 Beer info: Bottled in opaque white 750ml bomber 8.0%abv Sampling Notes: Served chilled in pilsner glass. Rich pilsner grain background, grainy biscuit, touch of vanilla. Hops come through in a torrent, bitter citrus grapefruit coming to mind, herbaceous and perfumey, sharp spice, hallmarks of Saaz hops or something similair. Hazy golden body, seems to get hazy towards the bottom of the bottle. Doesnt appear to be much beading and the small persistant white head suggests the same. Big mouthfeel, huge length and bitterness to match, chewy texture, carbonation is low, and alcohol is slightly apparent in the sheer density. Hops play through on the body, quite aggressive with bitter orange, grapefruit and lemon, as well as spice. Vanilla biscuit malt is a bit of an after thought, contributing to a draw out finish that isnt too dry, but clean and very bitter. Big beer, certainly seems like a good pilsner but with big balls. Though I think the hop intensity as far as aromatics and flavour complexity, seemed a bit disappointing.

Decorative ceramic bottle. Pours clear gold with a minimal white head. Crisp and hoppy aroma with some malt. Flavor is about the same, except you get the malt before the hop. Not outstanding, but good.

750ml ceramic bottle. Pours a golden cloudy color with a white head that stays around. Hoppy bitter sweet aroma with some floral and grain hints. Soft mouthfeel with a bitter finish. The flavor is of citrus hops mixed with a little sweet maltiness in the back. But the hops really come through in this. One of the best pilsners I have had.

Superbe bière. Couleur or et long col persistent. Parfum riche et houblonné. Caramel et sucre. Miel et pomme. Le goût est sucré et riche. Arrière-goût de houblon floral. Palais onctueux.