Brewed by Rogue Ales in the Style of a Schwarzbier in, of course, Newport, Oregon USA
650ml of a 5% ABV bottle - making it about 2.6 standard drinks. and 35 IBU is mid range Pilsner, or perhaps an English Bitter.Jet black in color with a tan head, medium to full bodied, deftly balanced, seamless dark roasted malt flavors with a smooth bitterness, lingering long finish.
I'm really looking forward to this, for no reason other than it's a Rogue beer, and they've been good to me so far. That and they didn't have a Good Chit Pilsner that I was looking forward to trying. It'll be in the other place I shop. Or not. I'm not sure I've ended up with a bad choice in this .
So it'll be dark, mildly and pleasantly bitter, and nice. Here goes.....
Smells musty on opening. Pours thick like syrup with a brown foamy head, smells of coffee or cocoa, and vaguely bitter.
And it tastes like nothing like a lager tastes like, it's more a coffee stout/porter taste but it's also lighter in the mouthfeel.
Lighter is good., although it's also a full flavour. There is a goodly amount of carbonation in this, not sure if that adds or detracts, it's there though. There is also an underlying sourness to this, but it isn't a big thing. It's not overly sweet or sugary either, and I could see myself buying this again.
The intense coffee/cocoa makes this interesting every mouthful. And the finish ends more towards a dry note, it's a bit of all things.
The pdubyah-o-meter things this is a bit good, and is 9 on it's arbitrary scale of things. 9 makes this a great beer, and falls into that category of "give this a crack, you'll be surprised", category of things.
The Rogue people really do beer well, and although I'm dead against "bucket lists" if I had one Newport would be on it, and a week's worth of barfly action would be called for, I should talk to MrsPdubyah. In the meantime I'll be getting me another from the nice people at Liquorland in Forest Hill., not quite as romantic.
Related articles
- Review of Chatoe Rogue First Growth Good Chit Pilsner (beerapprentice.org)
- Rogue Irish Style Lager (tobysbeerreviews.com)
What! Newport is on your bucket list but the farm is not? Yes, Newport has the brewery, the Beard and the ocean... But we're feeling a bit unloved here in Independence.
ReplyDeleteNew Zealand is on our bucket list, FYI.
Rogue Farms
haha did I just schooled, I'm sure there is room on my bucket list - that now comprises two things :-)
ReplyDeleteIt would be churlish to come half a way around the world and not to take the world tour, and I was seduced by the bottles and the marketing, everyone forgets where the magic begins.
[…] making it in NZ 3.44 standard drink units. This would then be similar in taste then to the Rogue Farms – Dirtoir Black Lager that I had and rated a high 9, he said […]
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you've had other black lagers berfoe, but don't let this one guide your thoughts on it. They're usually not as heavy as this beer. In fact, this is closer to a stout than a black lager, though I do really enjoy this beer. It's been around for a while now and I just had a bottle that wasn't as good as the first bottle.The Sam Adams Black Lager is actually a good example of the beer as it was meant to be.
ReplyDelete