Rogue Brewery Chatoe Rogue First Growth Creek Ale

It was a long work day, so I'm rewarded myself with one of my more expensive and exotic beers waiting on hand... one of the many specialty brews from Rogue Brewery.  Rogue Brewery has always been an interesting brewery to me because it started right here in Southern Oregon (Ashland, to be precise) but has since grown up and moved to Newport. with an offshoot in Portland.  In a market saturated by IPAs, Rogue stands out through it's signature Rogue Dead Guy, a Maibock style ale, and a myriad of left field winners to challenge beer drinkers looking for something different.

If you every get the chance, visit either the Newport or Portland brewery and pub house and enjoy the amazing food (Kobe Bleu Ball sliders will blow your mind), intimidating beer menu, and quirky character they each bring.  This is a beer blog, so I won't go into detail, but if you enjoy fine spirits and you haven't tried their Rogue Spirits line of whiskey, gin, and rum you are missing out on one of the finest boutique hard alcohol experiences I've found for a reasonable price.

All this brings us to the Chatoe Rogue First Growth Creek Ale...

Although beer, like art, should be able to stand on it's own merit without context, the story behind the First Growth Creek Ale is too good to pass over.  Part of Rogue Brewing's GYO (Grow Your Own) series, this beer is brewed using Rogue's own hops and barley (they proudly list the eight ingredients used to make the ale as Wheat, Rogue Barley from their Dare and Risk malts, Rogue Hopyard Revolution hops, Montmorency cherries, Pacman and Belgian yeast, and free range coastal water).  And yes... that's cherries in the list of ingredients. 

Chatoe Rogue First Growth Creek Ale poured into the glass a cloudy red-brown with a small but creamy head that slowly pulled away to reveal a wine-like separation where the beer met the edge of the glass.  The nose was pleasant and smelled like a subtly smoked lambic.  Although not too dark in color, the beer was thick enough that the bubbles seemed to be rising to the top in slow motion.

The first impression in the mouth certainly mirrored the lambic nose, momentarily slightly sour and only subtly hopped.  Left to sit for a few seconds, the beer seemed to almost expand and foam in my mouth through chemical reaction.  It wasn't until I swallowed that a finely balanced, medium bodied malt ale came through, very refreshing and leaving just a hint of cherry at the end with without sweetness, the bitterness of the hops, or the smokiness of the malts lingering.

I'm not a fan of most fruit enhanced beer, but I put this in a different category... this ale isn't about being a cherry ale, it's about being a great malty ale with cherry accentuating it's best features.  This is one of those beers (like several of theirs, including the Rogue Chipotle Ale and Rogue Chocolate Stout) that are too quirky and rich to be consumed regularly but are the beer drinker's equivalent of ambrosia when consumed only a few times a year. Find a bottle, pour, and get ready to slide into the weekend...

ABV 7.7
IBU 25
OG N/A
TG 1.015

Dick's Danger Ale

It's time to break into the Dick's Brewing Co. mixed 12 pack again... this time tackling the ambiguously named Dick's Danger Ale.

Dick's Danger Ale poured into the glass with a very slight head that quickly dissipated and had a dark, murky look the color of root beer.  The nose was very hoppy with an earthy herb I can't quite put my finger on.  On the tongue, the hop greeting was present but a little flat and quickly faded to a thick feeling but watery tasting roasted malt, stout like flavor.  There was a lingering burnt taste to it. 

Looking at the description above, it wouldn't seem there is much recommend about this beer, but I can't say it was a bad beer... just a bit flat and not quite coming through as a distinct beer.  I cheated for this beer and actually read the description after the tasting... half pale ale and half stout is a good description for what I tasted, but one has to wonder why they even bothered.  It lacks the boldness of either.

ABV 5.2 (note the manufacturer's site was 4.5)
IBU N/A
OG 1.053
TG 1.01

Ninkasi Brewing Oatis Oatmeal Stout

After the light beer yesterday, I decided to hit the polar opposite end of the beer spectrum and crack open a bottle of Ninkasi Brewing Company's Oatis Oatmeal Stout.  Ninkasi is another one of those great Oregon microbreweries that popped up out of nowhere and quickly established itself as one of the top beer makers around.  If you ever find yourself near Eugene, make sure to check out the Ninkasi Brewery and tasting room.  The fireplace outside is amazing and the outdoor seating is casual but chic.

Only available on tap or in 22oz. bottles, Oatis poured into the the glass (pardon the accidental North Coast plug on the glass) frothy and espresso black, with a milkshake thick, coffee colored head. The nose was strong coffee, black licorice, with a very subtle undertone of lawn clippings.  There was no transparency to this Stout!

For all it's heaviness and body displayed in the pouring, it was a surprise that the first notes when drank were lemon rind (likely from well balanced hopping).  Within a second, the hops receded to the back of my mouth and the beer's thickness (think a root beer float after the ice cream melts) and mildly-sweet mocha flavor came through and coated my mouth.  Oatis had a loooong finish.

Not a huge stout fan (I typically prefer porters when drinking a dark beer, as many stouts have the flavor of burnt. day old coffee), I have to say Ninkasi brought the best qualities of a stout to the table with such class it's hard to find something to not like about Oatis.  That said, this is a heavy beer, and after pulling back 22oz. I was full.  The perfect end cap to a cold night, to be sure!

ABV 7.2
IBU 50
OG 1.072
TG N/A

I've already had a couple of people ask about what I have for the upcoming weeks... here's a preview of things to come.  As always, donations are accepted ;-)