OK, I give up. Just what the hell is a boomslang anyway? I had no idea, so a quick trip on over to Wikipedia seemed in order. Apparently, a boomslang is a large poisonous snake native to South Africa. If you’re bitten, the venom can be fatal, so bets to avoid them whenever possible. What that has to do with an India Pale Lager is anybody’s guess, but the Rogness Brewing Company of Austin, Texas thinks there’s a link: hence Rogness Boomslang India Pale Lager.

I’m a little skeptical of the whole IPL thing mind you. It’s really just a lagered version of an IPA, meaning the beer is bottom fermented and cold conditioned like a lager. Or should be, anyway. In my experience, that doesn’t make a lot of difference since today’s uber hoppy IPAs really drown out any fruity esters from top fermenting anyway.

To be fair, this one is a bit lighter on the alcohol, closer to a pilsner than an IPA at 5.5% by volume, but has IPA bitterness levels at 55 IBUs. According to the Dallas News website it retails for $5.25 for the bomber bottle, which is actually a bargain these days. Here’s what the brewery says about the beer:

In this hybrid style, the wonderful hoppiness of an IPA has been enhanced with the crisp, clean nature of a lager. 5 different hop additions and a longer fermentation create a delightful adventure for your taste buds.

Rogness Boomslang India Pale Lager pours to a bright orange color with a towering head of rocky foam and a bright spicy nose of citric orange. Taking a sip, the beer has some chewy caramel malt up front followed by those wonderful citric hops. I’m getting bitter orange rinds and bright juicy orange fruitiness. Some resiny, herbal hop bitterness emerges at the last, too, but to me this is more orange citric than anything else. I have had this bottle since November 2013 and it has held up wonderfully, but really it seems more like an IPA to me than an IPL. There is nothing to distinguish it, though I am sure it is bottom fermented.

All the same, it’s delicious , very well done and a beer I would give 3.5 stars to, with another half star for the bargain price making it 4. A boomslang in South Africa is not something you want to see. A Boomslang from Texas is a much better find.

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft



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