Day 234, August 22 / Juniper Pale Ale

Day 234, August 22, 2011

Juniper Pale Ale

Rogue Brewery  /  Newport, OR

A

NG

P

G

VG

O

 “When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."

     - Paul Hornung

OK, I lifted that quote from Rogues’s web page for Juniper Pale Ale.  In case you don’t know (I didn’t), Paul Hornung is a retired Hall of Fame professional football player who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1957-66, and apparently a drinker.

OK, so I’m 234 beers into the year so far.  Plus several other beers I’ve had but not blogged.  You can imagine that when I finish this quest, I’ll have a few new favorite beers.  Come January 1, 2012, I have a choice to make – what beer do I want to go out and pick up a six pack of, just to enjoy?  Only two beers have earned an Outstanding rating so far, Victory Prima Pils and Omegang Rare Vos.

Tonight, Juniper Pale Ale joins the O list.  I wasn’t quite sure what to expect – this beer is made with whole Juniper berries, which is the primary ingredient in gin.  So you might expect a taste of gin in this beer.  Not so much.  What I did taste was a very crisp, slightly spicy and refreshing beer, with just a hint of juniper.  Definitely my favorite so far of all the Rogues.

Apparently, a few other people agree with me….

2011 World Beer Championships - Gold

2010 World Beer Awards - World's Best Pale Ale

2010 U.S. Beer Tasting Championships—PNW Champ

2010 Australian International Beer Awards—Bronze

2010 World Beer Championships—Gold

2009 Australian International Beer Awards—Bronze

2009 World Beer Championships—Silver

2009 World Beer Awards—Highly Recommended Premium Bitter

2008 California Brewer's Festival—1st, Honorable Mention for Best in Show

2008 International Beer Challenge—Top 50

2008 World Beer Championships—Gold

2008 West Coast Brew Fest Competition—2nd place

2007 World Beer Championships—Gold

2007 US Beer Tasting Championship—3rd

2007 Australian International Beer Awards—Bronze

2006 Great International Best Festival—3rd

2006 World Beer Championships—Gold

2005 World Beer Championships—World Champ

2005 U.S. Beer Tasting Championships—PNW Champ

2004 World Beer Championships—World Champ

2003 U.S. Beer Tasting Championship—PNW Champ

2003 World Beer Championships—Silver

2003 Australian International Beer Awards—Bronze

2003 California Brewer’s Festival—3rd

2002 World Beer Championships—Silver

2002 Australian International Beer Awards—Silver

2001 World Beer Championships—Silver

2001 Australian International Beer Awards—Bronze

2001 California Beer Festival—2nd

	Bitterness	Alcohol by Volume	Jeff’s Rating
Saint Rogue Red Ale	44 IBU	5.10%	G
Captain Sig’s Northwestern Ale	80 IBU	6.20%	G
Double Dead Guy	60 IBU	9.00%	P
American Amber Ale	53 IBU	5.60%	VG
Juniper Pale Ale	34 IBU	5.30%	O

Day 233, August 21 American Amber Ale

Day 233, August 21, 2011

American Amber Ale

Rogue Brewery  /  Newport, OR

A

NG

P

G

VG

O

AAA gets a VG.

A year round amber/red ale from Rogue, the American Amber Ale (AAA) is milder than some of the previous Rogue Ales beers in this run.  Although it’s hoppier (spell check doesn’t like “hoppier”) than most amber ales, the hops (Kent Golding, Cascade, Rogue Micro Hopyard Revolution) are not overwhelming.

Don’t you think the guy on the bottle looks a little like George Clooney?

So let’s recap the Rogue’s Gallery so far…

	Bitterness	Alcohol by Volume	Jeff’s Rating
Saint Rogue Red Ale	44 IBU	5.10%	G
Captain Sig’s Northwestern Ale	80 IBU	6.20%	G
Double Dead Guy	60 IBU	9.00%	P
American Amber Ale	53 IBU	5.60%	VG

Day 232, August 20 / Double Dead Guy Ale

Day 232, August 20, 2011

Double Dead Guy Ale

Rogue Brewery  /  Newport, OR

A

NG

P

G

VG

O

Didn’t expect a dead guy to be this strong.

OK, Beer Advocate says that Dead Guy is a Maibock, but Double Dead Guy is an American Strong Ale.  OK, sure, why not?

This was a rich, deep cooper colored ale with a rich foamy head.  I’ll definitely agree that it’s a strong ale – it clocks in at 9% ABV.  Had a sweet malty taste, with a bitter hop finish.  This was another beer that I might have just one of, then switch to something lighter.    That’s the reason I’m dropping this one down to a P(assable).

Day 231, August 19, 2011 / Captain Sig’s Northwestern Ale

Day 231, August 19, 2011

Captain Sig’s Northwestern Ale

Rogue Brewery  /  Newport, OR

A

NG

P

G

VG

O

The Deadliest Catch

Today’s Rogue Ale is dedicated to Sig Hansen, the late captain of the Northwestern crabbing ship on The Deadliest Catch.

Captain Sig’s Northwestern Ale is an India Red Ale – similar in taste to an IPA, but redder in color, and more bitter in taste.  This is a big, strong beer – good for your first beer, but it should be followed by something a bit lighter.

Day 230, August 18 / Saint Rogue Red Ale

Day 230, August 18, 2011

Saint Rogue Red Ale

Rogue Brewery  /  Newport, OR

A

NG

P

G

VG

O

Rogue’s Gallery Beer Run!

For the better part of the next week, I’m gonna be hanging out with a bunch of big Rogues.  I’ve already had a Dead Guy and an Irish Guy this year, but there’s several other guys I haven’t had.  Wait a minute, that doesn’t sound too good.

At my local Total Wine store, there are at least a dozen big bottles of Rogue Ales on the shelves.  So I figured, “What the hell, let’s make it a Beer Run!”

I started out on Thursday with a dry hopped Saint Rogue Red Ale.  They say, “Reddish copper in color, a roasty malty flavor, with a hoppy-spruce finish.”  I say, this is a hoppy, bitter, slightly sweet ale with a taste that will stay with you for a while.