1001 Beers: Cascade Brewing Company

1001 Beers: Cascade Brewing The Vine, Kriek, Cuvee du Jongleur... kind of...

I drove down to Portland to taste the three beers from Cascade mainly because the cost per bottle of each beer tends to be quite expensive, $20-$30 each. The Cuvee De Jongleur was also discontinued so I figured I would take this chance to find out if it was going to be brewed again or if there is something similar to it that I could taste.

I wish I would have gotten some more pictures of this place! I only took pictures of my beers but the place was pretty sweet. You can probably find images online but it would be way better to get over here! So, they brew a whole array of "normal" beers but the reason to come here, at least in my and many other opinions is their line up of sour/Northwest Style Sour Ales.

Beer Number 89: The Vine

The Vine is the result of Gansberg's interest in the concept of marrying a beer with the juice of an American white wine grape varietal through the process of fermentation. It took the brewery two years to develop a spiced Belgian blond ale that became the base for The Vine.

This was one amazing beer. On Untappd I said, "Very nice, but I have a feeling this isn't their best!", and nothing against it, but it was not! Their beer list has them in an order to drink. I can't remember what was the deciding factor, but The Vine was at the top of the list, i.e. drink first. You got an initial sourness, more vinegar like, but sweet and oaky. Then I guess the grape juice that they use opens up and finishes slightly dry. Worth a try, multiple times.

Beer Number 90: Kriek

The Pacific Northwest is noted for producing outstanding cherries, and Cascade blends blood-red Bing cherries and sour pie cherries to get the right taste profile for the beer. The goal is to make a kriek unique to Cascade and not attemp to simply copy Belgian krieks.

So, I only had one beer before this one but the similarities of the two were unmistakable. Cherry flavors and a nice sour twang open up this beer. As you move more into this beer there is a vinegary note and some great fruit flavors blending with the oak. Another one that finishes a bit dry but you are begging for more as you go. Just fantastic and better than the last. I would love to taste the base Flanders Red for this one.

Beer Number 91: Cuvee du Jongleur Substitute

This beer is one that was discontinued and I, as well as others on this hunt, had no idea what to do other than trying to track it down. When I was talking to the server, she told me that it was around when the sour program first started but after that... nope! I was told to pick up a bottle of 2011 Manhattan or to try a blend that of Vlad The Imp Aler and Noyeux. Separately both of these were fantastic but together, I hope they were great. I hope this is similar to the beer I was trying to get!

Cascade Brewing's Cuvee du Jongleur is a beer that is hard to pin down. For a start, there's the issue of the name. "Cuvee' is a French term used on wine labels to denote wine of a specific blend or batch. The word originates from the French word cuve, meaning 'vat,'" explains Cascade's brewmaster Ron Gansberg. "'Jongleur' refers to an entertainer or juggler in medieval England and France," he adds, revealing the name "Cuvee du Jongleur" made perfect sense to him as he juggled barrels from nine different lots of beer to create the finished product. The beer is the result of a careful blending of select barrels of sour red ales, aged in excess of a year; soured Belgian tripels aged in oak for up to eighteen months; and fresh blond quadrupels. After bottling, the beer is laid on its side in racks, like champagne, for eight months of further conditioning.

To me, that sounds like why it is not around anymore. A ton of work for what sounds likes an amazing beer. I just wish I were able to get my hands on it. This blend, while tasty I feel does not compare to that haha! Then again, she said that would be the closest I get. Oh how I wish, I were around for that one. Maybe I will just have to move close to Portland and ride my bike in every so often... I did not get a growler on this trip but I did get a glass. And I love it! I am sure you will be seeing it around.

910 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

Cheers!

1001 Beers: Rogue Ales

1001 Beers: Rogue Dead Guy Ale, Shakespeare Stout, XS Imperial India Pale Ale, & New Crustacean

Not a brewery I was looking forward to but they have quite a few beers on the list... probably not true, but I think they have the most from any single brewery in the whole book... I would have to check that fact...



Beer Number 85: Dead Guy Ale

With one foot in the orthodox world of German lagers, Dead Guy started as a straigh-up Maibock called Maierbock, named for brewmaster John Maier, "We were brewing it at out Bayfront brewpub, and of course we didn't have a lot of tank space," says Maier, referring to the extended aging time that ties up tanks with conventional lagers, "so we thought we'd give it a try with our Pac-Man yeast. People like it."

I think it is funny I always compared this beer to Arrogant Bastard... I had no idea this was a Maibock, but whatever. Just throwing that out there.

I really didn't like this one and did not write good notes on the sample I had there, but I have never liked it ever since I first had it as I was getting into craft. Rogue is one of the breweries that I picked up a few of when I was first tasting beer. There was quite a bit of sweetness, I was expecting a big hop punch, but nothing... I guess it is just because of my expectations... I don't know, but this one is a pass.

Beer Number 86: Shakespeare Stout

Shakespeare Stout is an imperial stout that is one of Rogue's original beers. It is named to recognize the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which takes place annually over several months in the small, arty community of Ashland, where Rogue was originally located.

This one actually surprised me. I enjoyed it a bit and thought it was nicely made. The chocolate and dark malts really came together and made this an enjoyable taster. I might have tried this one in a bottle but I've had it now and it did not wow me enough to make it a "regular". Maybe one day I will try it again.

Beer Number 87: XS Imperial India Pale Ale

I2PA is the brainchild of Nate Lindquist, who worked as a brewer at Rogue in the early years. His first imperial IPA was slightly different to the current commercial version. "I tasted it and told him there weren't enough hops; it needed more 'oomph," Maier says. "We doubled the hops and changed some of them to American hops for that Cascade aroma."

So, I like IPAs, and IIPA's but this one was so malty, hop flavor but not insanely bitter like I was expecting, but it was hard to get passed the straight alcohol that was leaping out of the glass and everywhere you could imagine. This will get you drunk during your "session".

Beer Number 88: New Crustacean

This is one that used to go by another name and now it is called a different name. Old Crustacean will, for now anyway, be known as New Crustacean Barleywineish Imperial IPA Sorta... I guess I get the point because a lot of American "Barley Wines" are referred to as IPA's. I don't agree with this, but I understand where it came from. Everyone has their own take on everything but there are some things written in stone... or at least history so changing things around sucks.

Old Crustacean is a hefty brew, weighing in at 11.5 percent alcohol content and verified as having 120 IBUs by the Siebel Institute of Technology. The recipe comes from a barleywine-style ale that was first brewed in 1986 by Rogue's long-time brewmaster John Maier, when he was still a home-brewer.

This new recipe comes in at 9.8%. I was not really big into this one either. I clocked it in at 2.5 Crowns on Untappd. Maybe it being so fresh was an issue. They say it changes a lot over time but who knows. It was the Imperial IPA Sorta type beer right now. So, if you pick this one up, give it time. I can't say how long because I did not, but that is my suggestion with all Barley Wines... Except Horn Dog. Drink that fresh! You can age some though, I heard it is amazing aged.



913 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

Cheers!

1001 Beers: Black Butte

Beer Number 81: Deschutes Black Butte

Black Butte is my favorite porter... and just nearly my favorite beer. It was one of the first beers I have ever had when I got into craft and really changed my world when it came to matters of flavor. The first anniversary beer I had was Black Butte XXIII, I still have a bottle of it I am planning to open soon. I recently had Black Butte XXIV, and now things have finally come to Black Butte XXV.

Deschutes's founder and president Gary Fish credits Black Butte Porter's success, in part, to Jim Kennedy, one of the first distributors of craft beer in Oregon and the United States. Kennedy had advised Fish to focus on Promoting the inky-black beer when Deschutes opened for business in 1988, a time when almost all beers in the country were pale yellow and fizzy. Crafted from chocolate and crystal malt, Black Butte Porter remains its flagship beer to this day, enjoying a loyal and passionate following.

I love the class of 88 caps and got 4 of them from all the beers I had while home on my trip. I cannot wait to get back there and finally visit the Bend brewery rather than going to PDX... Not that anything is wrong with PDX, but I want to be where it all began and see the infamous Black Butte.

I know it is just a picture and perception is different than in real life but when Black Butte pours into the glass it appears to be solid black all the way through. Only when you bring it up to the light you can see the amazing brown highlights a little ruby poking its way through. A tan head that is billowing and full. It died down a little bit in that picture but mainly because of the way I poured it. In that first link, you can see the head on an older bottle that is still insanely crazy... Double negative?

The nose is really roasted and you get a bit of chocolate, cocoa rather filling the space around the top of the glass. A dark roast, kind of coffee-esque up front and it finishes dry. Very sharp and it caries a high level of carbonation with a medium body, and a very refreshing, easy drinking mouthfeel. A little grainy as well. Just an overall fantastic beer. Having it after a couple of years being excluded from the Deschutes distribution circle, it is nice to be reminded why I love this beer. Clocking in at 5.2% Alcohol by Volume.

I guess now this brings me to the anniversary edition. A whole 25 years of Deschutes and Black Butte... If only I were born one year away from where I was and about a month later... We could be celebrating out birthdays together!

So, this one is considerably bigger than its predecessor... and I'm not just talking about bottle size. It is 11.3%ABV and a whole lot of beer. I first fell in love with XXIII like I said earlier and it just totally blew my mind that one of my favorite beers could be made even better. You can't say that about much I love the guys who put it together and can't wait to see more from them in the future.





So, you would be surprised how this one compares in other ways as well. You would think that they would go all out and make every aspect of this beer extreme... NOPE! They knew exactly what they were doing.

I feel the nose on this beer is quite mellow but it still has that nice roasty character. Some dry fruits come across as well. They threw figs and dates into here, and I feel those dates are a bit more tamed than last year and quite pleasing.

Black Butte XXV opens up in a bit way with those figs and dates but a nice chocolatey smoothness comes across and smoothes everything out. A nice dry finish and lingering dark fruits. Hints of vanilla peek through and tell you to love every bit of their flavor. Then there is some oak and a little sourness. Not a lot, but just a smidge. It could have just been my perception but it was not out of place at all. I feel this beer would age well for years and years.

XXIII was my overall favorite of the ones I have had while comparing them fresh, but I think it may have some competition with this one a few months or maybe years down the road.

920 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

Cheers!

1001 Beers: Session Lager

Beer Number 80: Full Sail Session Lager

You would think that living in Washington State, I would have had this beer more times than I have had. This is my first experience. But I always thought they had cool looking bottles. So unique. There are breweries like Sierra Nevada that have short bottles but not like the ones Full Sail has.

Full Sail Brewing set out to revive pre-prohibition lager when it released Session. It is an all-malt lager that is availableonly in squat 11-ounce (330-ml) bottles known as stubbies. "A bunch of us in the brewery always talked about how much we like the look of the stubbies, and how you just didn't see them anymore,"

So, this beer as well as the bottles had a little place in history.



This beer reminded me exactly of all the lagers that have came before it. Granted, I have never had a pre-prohibition lager before. I tried to brew one before, but that was my first or second brew and it ended badly! So, I really have no idea what to expect.

A deep golden straw color with a very light, white head. The nose had that characteristic malt sweetness of a lager. My first sips reminded me of the classic beer qualities that people refer to. Smooth, crisp, clean, and probably refreshing after a long hard day. Almost BMC-esque, but you do not get any of that green apple taste or anything. I did not care for this beer at all though.

I wonder how it compares to other pre-prohibiton lagers... or what others ones there are out there. I cannot name any off the top of my head but there have to be some. I did not even know this was one originally. The quest continues.

921 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

Cheers!

1001 Beer: Ninkasi

1001 Beers: Ninkasi Oatis Oatmeal Stout & Tricerahops Double IPA



I loved my last trip to Ninkasi and I had wanted to make the voyage again in order to knock out the two beer from this brewery on the list, but like quite a few of my original plans, we just did not go the distance.

I had the Vanilla Oatis while I was at the brewery and I think that it is a mighty fine beer. I actually enjoy it more than the regular Oatis and I almost thought about subbing it... but for ones that are still around, I will be true to the book.

Ninkasi Brewing was named to honor the ancient Sumerian goddess of beer. The Sumerians gave up their nomadic way of life when they began to grown barley, making them among the first known brewers. Their beer is documented in a hymn to Ninkasi that is considered the first beer recipe.

I always pray to Ninkasi on my brewdays, but I have never thought about tracking down the "first" recipe... I should do that and brew it... hmmm...

Beer Number 78: Oatis Oatmeal Stout

Oatis is a beer with a massive dose of oatmeal added to each batch. "I love oatmeal stout. It is my favorite of the stout styles. And there are not a lot of commercial examples of the style in the marketplace." says brewer Jamie Floyd.

The inspiration behind Oatis is pretty straight forward and Ninkasi does it well. They have always been a favorite brewery of mine being on the West Coast and I am disappointed I can't get them any longer.

I feel that Oatis is very big and chocolaty. Almost like that chocolate syrup flavor. It has a nice roast on it and a very sharp bite. A nice warming alcohol presence into the finish dark, stone fruits make a unique appearance. A great, full body and a hint of creaminess to blend it all together.

Beer Number 79: Tricerahops Double IPA

Tricerahops is a beer I did not care for when I first started drinking craft beer. Though, I was not crazy about IPAs then, either. I totally hated them. So, let's see how things go this time around.

Floyd says his other, unofficial name for the massive Tricerahops beer is Sleepytime. "This beer has had a common effect of letting people become extremely familiar with the shape of any chair that they are sitting in while drinking it," he says. "Two pints and it's often nap time."

Thinking about this beer, I can totally see that. I mean, it is only 8.8% alcohol by volume... What is the worst that can happen?



This time around, I had a far better experience with Tricerahops. The citrus and deep pine scents and flavors were fantastic. The harsh bitterness that I experienced before was rounded out by a nice malt sweetness, almost honey or nectar like but not quite syrupy. I found a lot of balance to the flavors in this go around and it drank relatively smooth. I can totally see how Tricerahops would send you into "Sleepytime".

922 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

Cheers!

1001 Beers: Workhorse India Pale Ale

Beer Number 76: Laurelwood Work Horse IPA

So this beer is actually a replacement beer for one that has been discontinued. It is the only beer from this brewery and it is also the only IPA they have on their menu. Originally I wanted to pay the brewery a visit to get their Hop Monkey IPA, but after finding this bottle. I figured that would be good enough for the time being.

So, originally I thought putting the story behind the beer was pointless because it is not the same beer, but I think that it still may hold true, so...

Hop Monkey IPA was originally going to be called "Cellarman," in honor of the people who work the physical, entry-level job at breweries. But the name needed too much explanation for the layperson and became awkward on the bottle's label.

I have not talked to anyone at the brewery, but I feel Work Horse may be along the same lines. Even the imagery on the bottle shows a working man. This must be his IPA.

This beer has 1.5% more alcohol by volume and a few more IBU's than the Hop Monkey but I don't think all that much has changed... Work Horse poured a bit hazy with some floaties in it. Making me wonder if it is bottle conditioned or something... A very resiny nose with notes of grapefruit throughout.

A lot of citrus comes through in this beer and the lower level of carbonation works while setting the stage for the beautiful, clean body with a nice level of bitterness that lingers into the finish and drys out your mouth. The perfect balance for the working man.

925 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

Cheers!

1001 Beers: Pelican Pub & Brewery

1001 Beers: Imperial Pelican Ale & Kiwanda Cream Ale

Oregon has only one or two breweries, as you all know, so it is kind of a beer wasteland...................................... I knew you would buy that. Then again, Pelican is quite a bit different from the rest. I wish I would have been able to go down to the brewery and try the beers, but it was a long drive from where I live. Not worth it on this trip.

What's more important--the beer or the food? We say both. In fact, The Pelican Pub & Brewery is a world leader in the pairing of food and beer. After all, we've been doing it for 16 years. Our executive chef and brewmaster make it their daily mission to understand how food and beer flavors complement one another.

Beer Number 72: Imperial Pelican Ale

India Pelican Ale was first brewed as a seasonal beer. After the second batch was brewd a year later, demad for it was so overwhelming that india Pelican Ale was moved into regular production.

Wait... Did I grab the wrong beer? NO! After looking up their beers, either they changed the name or no longer produce the "India" version.



Imperial Pelican was very bright and golden. It had that classic cascade flavor to it. Quite hoppy and bitter, which seems like the backbone of the West Coast IPA. Citrus notes and grassy throughout and linger into the finish. A nice medium bodied beer.

Beer Number 73: Kiwanda Cream Ale

Kiwanda Cream Ale was named for Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, which is located in the same town as teh brewpub, Pacific City, Oregon. The beer has garnered numerous awards including three gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival, together with a gold and silver medal at the World Beer Cup.

This one I was not big on. It reminded me of everything a cream ale should be... Creamy, green apples, light bodied, low carbonation, a little peppery... I call this one, pass. I wonder what food they pair it with at the brewery.

928 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

Cheers!

1001 Beers: Survival "7-Grain" Stout

Beer Number 71: Hopworks Urban Brewery Survival "7-Grain" Stout

I'm disappointed that there was only one beer from this brewery in the book. I have never had any from them before, but the idea of this trip was to "only" drink beers from the list... ok, so we know that was not going to happen, but for the most part that is all I did. I have heard great things about HUB and look forward to trying others.

Survival "7-Grain" Stout is like a Swiss Army knife; it could be all you need to endure just about any situation. "The concept for Survival Stout is that it's everything you need to survive in one bottle," says Hopworks Urban Brewery's Ben Love. "We took the idea that beer is 'liquid bread' one step further."

I thought this one was alright. Did not really live up to the greatness I have heard of this brewery but I guess it's cool. I will have to make a stop to the brewery next time I am home or something.



7-Grain has quite a bit of coffee and sweet roasted notes on the nose. Poured a small brown head and the ale appeared ruby through the light. This beer even had a coffee-esque flavor and mouthfeel. Quite roasty and light bodied. It was not bad, but I hear their other beers are quite a bit better. I need to try them.

930 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

Cheers!

1001 Beers: IPA

Beer Number 68: Caldera IPA

Another Oregon Brewery, though this one is right at the border right before you hit California. Now way I am going to be making it that far south on this trip but while I have a can of their beer here with me, why not drink it before I get there.

Caldera is focused on a being just a production brewhouse, with no pub, restaurant, or even tasting room. Everything is brewed on a small ten-barrel system, with varying size fermenters allowing the brewery to do single, double, and triple batches.

I find this pretty awesome. You hardly ever see that from a brewery. I guess they are more worried about the beer they make than everything else. While, I think it would be awesome to have a tasting room, I totally like and appreciate the fact that they do not. If I opened a brewery, would I follow this model? Probably not. But that is because I have plans for the food menu and special events. Though, it might not be a bad way to start.

A nice, deep golden to amber color with a big and rocky tan head. Some grassy and oniony notes on the nose. This is not a very bitter IPA, which surprises me since it clocks in at 90 something IBU's but it is very flavorful. Juicy, some of that onion comes through and grapefruit. A bit of bitterness come in the finish and those flavors really linger on. Medium to light body and dry.

This is not my style of IPA. Though, I guess I am getting the taste of Oregon in my mouth now. Only a few more days until I am there.

933 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

Cheers!

1001 Beers: Black Gold Bourbon Imperial Stout

Beer Number 67: Full Sail Black Gold Bourbon Imperial Stout

Since I am going back home to The Great Pacific North West very soon... in a couple of days, I thought it would be appropriate to drink a few beers from there. Luckily there are two, that I currently have in my cellar, from back home... Well, 2 hours South. They are both from Oregon but that is not going to prevent me from trying them. I have a few Washington beers I am going to knock off while I am there, too.

Black Gold Imperial Stout is released every year, but the barrel-aged version is only available every other year, after it has spent about ten months in bourbon barrels. Full Sail's brewers began experimenting with aging beer in barrels when they put two beers in bourbon ones back in 1997.

The text goes on to say that they originally released this beer aged in a barrel and in stainless to let people taste the differences and they now release a barrel aged beer every year, this one and Top Sail Porter. Alternating, of course.



This beer seemed to have poured pretty thin. I guess that was just an optical illusion though. It carries on a very nice, and balanced full body with just a trace of foam around the glass where you expect the head. It appeared a bit more on the pour, rather big and fluffy but quickly dissipated. You get straight bourbon on the nose but it is a little sweet and it is questionable whether I am getting oak or not. I feel like it should be there but I am trying to convince myself to see it.

In the taste... not a lot, in my opinion. Mostly bourbon. Pretty malty and maybe a little bit of almond. Very smooth and finishes dry. Not a lot going on but it is nice. I think too much else would be overpowering on top of the bourbon but I do wish this beer carried a little more on it. It is good but very plain and simple. Then again, that is one of the things that beer should be. Full Sail did a great job.

934 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

Cheers!

1001 Beers: Hefeweizen

Beer Number 28: Widmer Hefeweizen

Widmer is a brewery that is fairly close to me back at home and I saw it everywhere I went. You could get a Widmer Hefe pretty much anywhere that sold beer and it was a common pick up for people, from my memory anyway, before Blue Moon became what it is today. Again, from my memory. Maybe it was just the local, hometown beer thing. I can't really say.

Widmer is actually changing a lot about what I remember it as. Or maybe I am just noticing more of what they are doing since now I am into beer... again, all the questions about beer at home I just can't answer. I do remember the packaging changing, the release and retirement of a lot of new and old beers, plus their brew and glass set series, thing they are doing. That I know for sure is all new. When it comes to this beer though, it definitely says something about home.

In 1984, brothers Kurt and Rob Widmer opened either the first or second microbrewery in the state of Oregon (accounts differ). Widmer Hefeweizen came about after a local pub owner asked them for an exclusive beer. It is brewed with U.S. hop varieties Cascade, Alchemy, and Willamette, and four types of barley and wheat. With a Hefeweizen that has crisp, clean flavors, but does not have the signature character of its German cousins, the Widmers created the new U.S.-style Hefeweizen. It has won gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival twice, in 1998 and 2006, and has been awarded a gold medal at the World Beer Cup in both 2004 and 2008.

Widmer is the best-selling Hefeweizen in the United States and is popular year-round.

Again, what I was saying. My memories of this beer all revolve around cut up slices of Orange and them sitting in the beer or on the glass. Not really how I would like any of my beers presented to me... And actually, my memories don't revolve around a glass. The orange would be cut up and shoved in the top of the bottle and you drink it from that. Oh, how far I have come since those days.

This beer is quite hazy on appearance and comes with a decent pure white head. The nose is very light and citrusy. Oranges. But you expected that. When you drink it, once again, more oranges. Oranges throughout this whole beer. It is a very light and mellow hefe though, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you are drinking a glass of orange juice or biting into one, it is still beer. The flavor is just througout. Fairly refreshing and a tad earthy.

This is not my style of Hefeweizen. I like to taste bananas and cloves. Some grapefruit maybe. But that is just me. Like the book said, this is the best selling hefe year round... I wonder if that is still true with Blue Moon what it is now...

973 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

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1001 Beers: Juniper Pale Ale and Mocha Porter

Before this day I have only ever had a few brews from one of the most Popular West Coast Breweries out there, Rogue Ales. One of which being The Bacon Maple Ale, the others, a couple variations of Dead Guy, and a few John John Ales. It is unfair for me to judge the brewery based on those beers alone but I have had a... meh?... impression of them for as long as I have known about them. Luckily my favorite bottle shop in North Carolina, Bottle Revolution, gave me the chance to get a feel for what these people can really produce. I picked up a bottle of Juniper Pale Ale, American Amber, Hazelnut Brown Nectar, and Mocha Porter. I figured this would be a pretty good set up being they are essentially new to me and I never hit any of their breweries before moving out this way and a couple of them are part of my 1001 Beers Series haha!



The first one I took a taste of was the American Amber. It was a decent beer, very clean. The flavor was sweet, a bit like toffee with the hops really coming through in the finish. Again, decent. I know I shouldn't have but upon first taste I was like, "This is nothing like Fat Tire...".



Next I moved onto the Juniper Pale, Beer Number 16. It actually has a cool story behind it and kind of put some expectations into my mind... on the good end and the bad end of the spectrum.

Juniper Pale Ale was first brewed to commemorate the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I really appreciate that, but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth as well. Was this brewed to appeal to the masses or for the love of beer... and adding juniper berries to it. Actually, one of the John John Beers I had, was the John John Juniper, and I loved that so I was expecting good things from this one. I don't feel that it lived up to that one, but then again I looked at them as two different beers. This one had an odd sweetness to it. I want to attribute that to the juniper but I have no way to reference it really. I thought it was pretty light for a Pale Ale, even with my "It should be assertive but not like one of those mass produced IPAs" stance. I guess being it is a "Winter Ale" some things are to be expected? It was a nicely brewed beer for sure. I actually preferred this one over the amber as of this point. But I was ready to see what else they had.



I don't know why but I chose the Mocha Porter next. Figured it made more sense to do a brown before a porter, but hey, what are you going to do? This is Beer Number 17. The thing that stood out to me on this one was the dark malt nose and the length of time the head lasted. It was kind of coffee-esque, but assertive nonetheless. Very impressive I thought, then again, that is to be expected from someone like Rogue?

The Mocha is a prime example of the U.S. porter style, a beer that was inspired by its English cousin but has burst out of the blocks with plenty of Yankee twist.

I thought this beer was really light for a porter and maybe I do not properly understand the U.S. style but it was nothing like porters that I feel represent it, i.e. Deschutes Black Butte. It went into my mouth like water. The dark malt bitterness creeped up at the end and a burnt, dry, coffee flavor lingered in my mouth. I was kind of disappointed with that one. Porter is one of my favorite styles and while I know they are not all great, this one just kept me wanting more. The beer grew on me more as I drank it but a lot of what disappointed me followed from sip to sip.



Finally The Nut Brown. This was my favorite of the bunch. It had a nice assertive bitterness but light and sweet at the same time. It was almost everything I look for in a brown ale. The malt did not come across as too dark, the light flavor working with the medium mouthfeel just set this thing completely right. This is for sure a beer that I would revisit. This whole time I was thinking that there would be nothing significant from Rogue that in this selection.

984 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

Cheers!