354. Rogue Chipotle Ale
I picked up a bottle of Rogue Chipotle Ale at Downtown Wine & Spirits a month or so ago. In the meantime Ward asked me about Chile Beers, and at his request I FedExed three bottles to him. I let this warm slightly and served it in my San Francisco Brewing Company pint glass.
This is a Chile Beer. The style can be fairly broad, but the common theme is the use of some form of hot pepper for spicing. The underlying beer can vary significantly, as can the type of pepper used.
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy red-orange with a beige head that dissipates to a persistent ring. Fizzy carbonation sounds almost soda-like.
Smell (3.0): Some very light sweet malts, maybe caramel or toffee. I'm not really sure because the light smokiness masks them. Overall the aromas were fairly subtle. I was expecting more spiciness or smokiness.
Taste (3.5): There's a nice underlying beer here. A solid sweet and bready malt backbone runs throughout, with bitter hops that provide a nice balance. The smokiness comes through in the center and lingers into the finish. The smokiness becomes more evident as the beer warms. The spiciness isn't really something you taste; rather it builds and becomes more evident as you drink.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light to moderate carbonation. Light-bodied and a bit thin. Spicy heat warms the throat.
Drinkability (3.0): The smokiness of this beer is too much.
Overall (3.45): I liked this beer better than the Jalapeño Sunsplash that I had at the Extreme Beer Fest. The base beer was nicer, though in the end the smokiness was too much, and the spiciness could have been raised.
I picked up a bottle of Rogue Chipotle Ale at Downtown Wine & Spirits a month or so ago. In the meantime Ward asked me about Chile Beers, and at his request I FedExed three bottles to him. I let this warm slightly and served it in my San Francisco Brewing Company pint glass.
This is a Chile Beer. The style can be fairly broad, but the common theme is the use of some form of hot pepper for spicing. The underlying beer can vary significantly, as can the type of pepper used.
Appearance (4.0): Pours a lightly hazy red-orange with a beige head that dissipates to a persistent ring. Fizzy carbonation sounds almost soda-like.
Smell (3.0): Some very light sweet malts, maybe caramel or toffee. I'm not really sure because the light smokiness masks them. Overall the aromas were fairly subtle. I was expecting more spiciness or smokiness.
Taste (3.5): There's a nice underlying beer here. A solid sweet and bready malt backbone runs throughout, with bitter hops that provide a nice balance. The smokiness comes through in the center and lingers into the finish. The smokiness becomes more evident as the beer warms. The spiciness isn't really something you taste; rather it builds and becomes more evident as you drink.
Mouthfeel (3.5): Light to moderate carbonation. Light-bodied and a bit thin. Spicy heat warms the throat.
Drinkability (3.0): The smokiness of this beer is too much.
Overall (3.45): I liked this beer better than the Jalapeño Sunsplash that I had at the Extreme Beer Fest. The base beer was nicer, though in the end the smokiness was too much, and the spiciness could have been raised.
Labels: Chile Beer, Reviews, Rogue Ales Brewery
