Review Date 8/23/2002 Last Updated 2/18/2012
Try?
Re-buy?
This beer, like all beers, has a story to tell. My first experience with Rogue Brutal Bitter came about three years ago at Redbones in Boston. It was November, and Redbones had imported a keg of Brutal Bitter along with a slew of other Pacific Northwest treats for their annual event celebrating the beers of said region. Here’s what I though back then:
First up was Rogue Brutal Bitter. I had heard a lot of hype surrounding this beer, but it didn't live up to it. It was a nice enough brew, but neither as Brutal or Bitter as I have been led to believe. Hype notwithstanding, it was one of the better beers of the night, lots of aromatics and a respectable bitter finish. A great aperitif beer, but less hoppy than I expected. Still I would love to drink this beer regularly.
Fast forward to 2002, the month of August. Until now, I had never ever seen Brutal Bitter in bottles, so when I stumbled across some at Sherlock’s in Marietta, Georgia I scoffed a few up. It’s rare that a Rogue beer disappoints, but this one went far beyond my wildest expectations, and tasting better than I remembered it from years ago.
What exactly is Brutal Bitter? Rogue defines it as an “imperial bitter style” (whatever that means). Rogue’s eccentric brewer, John Maier, calls it a cross between Extra Special Bitter and IPA. It’s certainly far removed from an English bitter, having way too much American hop character for that. It’s made from floor-malted Pipkin pale malt with some Cara Vienna and Cara Wheat malts.
One hop variety is used, a hybrid called Crystal. Rogue describes Crystal as a triploid variety developed from the German Hallertau aroma hop variety with contributions from Cascade, Brewers Gold, and Early Green. Brutal Bitter debuted in 1996 as a special beer in honor of the 20th anniversary of Portland’s famous Horse Brass Pub, where you can find many Rogue Ales on tap. The beer proved to be so popular that it became a permanent addition to the Rogue lineup.
Despite the name, this is not a brutally bitter beer, though it does have a very good hop bite to be sure. Rogue’s website lists the IBU level as 59; the bottle’s label is at odds with this and proclaims 76 IBUs. Either one is respectable, though with an original gravity of only about 1.06 I would suspect the lower number to be more accurate. The beer does have a good bitterness as earlier mentioned, but the dominant hop characteristic here is the aromatic grapefruit citric character.
My one quibble with this beer: the price. It is definitely the most brutal aspect of Brutal Bitter. I paid a whopping $4.48 for a 22-ounce bottle. Broken down, that comes to about 20.36 cents an ounce. If Brutal Bitter were sold in six-packs, that would come to a $14.66 price tag, a bit high in my book.
No one can fault Rogue for charging what the market will bear, however, and
I must admit I will definitely pay that price again for this wonderful brew.
I don’t seem to be the only one, either. The cooler slot for Brutal Bitter
has always been empty, and it seems they can’t keep this stuff in
stock.
OK, enough babbling you say, just how does the bloody stuff taste? Rogue
Brutal Bitter pours to a cloudy orange color with a thick, rocky head
formation and a very intense grapefruit nose. The palate displays that
citrus fruit character in abundance; it’s absolutely incredible, like a
bottle of pure hop juice. But there’s malt here too, a firm background of
toasty Vienna and crisp pale malts. A strong hop bitterness takes over and
lingers on after the finish.
Despite all of this, Brutal Bitter is amazingly smooth, refreshing,
delicate, and drinkable. The flavors seem to advance in waves, first toasty
then fruity then bitter with an incredibly smooth transition between each
element. This is a truly one of a kind gem that is worth every penny of its
price.
Update: February 18, 2012: So I walk into my local Taco Mac, you see, and they have Rogue Brutal Bitter on tap. And, of course, the confusion deepens. Realizing I don't yet have this beer recorded on my Brewniversity list, I ordered it, and received a full mug pour. I had noticed on the Taco Mac website (which is really neat, but the way, you can pull up your favorite location and see exactly which beers they have) that my canton location had "Rogue Brutal Bitter" on tap.
That was interesting, because the beer menu simply said "Rogue ESB", and to further complicate matters Rogue now calls this beer Rogue Brutal IPA. Rogue has a history of giving the same beer many different names, but it's all the same to me as long as it tastes good. Still and all, it doesn't seem Rogue Brutal Bitter is the same beer it used to be. It's no longer listed on Rogue's website (the Brutal IPA is), and though similar the hops used are not the same (Perles have been added to the Crystals). The gal behind the bar was kind enough to tell me the tap handle said Rogue Brutal Bitter when I asked.
Whatever you call it, I got a mug. As I sipped, I pulled up this very review on my Kindle Fire and read my old notes. I had to laugh at my pining about the price of $4.48; would that we could get a bomber for that these days. The last time I saw this beer in a 22 ounce bottle it was $6.49, and tonight I paid $7 for a mug.
My mug of Rogue Brutal Bitter (or is that Rogue Brutal IPA?) arrived a hazy orange in color with a light creamy head formation and a subtle herbal hop nose. I got some sticky caramel malt up front followed by light resiny hop aroma and flavor. The beer seemed a bit herbal at first but then became very bitter in the finish, perhaps not brutally so but definitely in an aggressive manor. I can see the inspiration for the name here for sure. A long dry lingering bitterness is most impressive. This one definitely puts the bitter in ESB, though as an IPA I'm not sure it's as impressive.
The Rogue website listing for Brutal Bitter IPA calls it an "imperial bitter" (see my notes for 2002 when they called Brutal Bitter the same), and has it listed as a "bitter" in style. Not sure, then, why they would call it an IPA now. Still, if Rogue can't make up their mind about this beer, why should I? I just know that I love it, and I think you will too.
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
