It's Christmas, baby! Rogue Santa's Private Reserve Ale, a double hopped red ale brewed by Rogue Brewing for the Holiday season, poured a hazy red in the glass with highlights of burnt orange and brick in the densest parts of the glass topped with a short lived, sticky head. The nose carried forward a light malt sweetness that complimented the Chinook hops' spicy spruce aroma.
Rogue Santa's Private Reserve Ale opened with the signature Rogue Pacman yeast crispness over a malty body that tasted like a breadier version of their Dead Guy Ale. The crispness gave way to a biscuit and pizza dough middle and revealed a subtle rind bitterness in the background. The ale dried and cleaned up significantly in the fade.
Rogue Santa's Private Reserve Ale was likely selected as the Rogue X-mas ale because of the rich, holiday inferring red hue of the ale, but that doesn't stop it from being a delicious showing of Rogue malts and yeast.
