Try?
In some ways,
Rogue and Boston Beer (makers of Sam Adams beers) are very similar, at least
to my thinking. That’s because the two of them seem to be in a never-ending
contest to see who can put out the most beer styles. I don’t think they’re
cognizant of this competition, but they do seem to be running neck and neck
at this point.
There is one important distinction, however. For the most part, the various and sundry styles of Samuel Adams beers appear mostly in the bottle, while Rogue is the opposite: many of their interesting creations come at the beer geek on tap alone. In fact, I had a new one just the other night, aglass of Rogue Imperial Porter.
Imperial Porter is selection number 16 in Rogue brewer John Maier’s “locker Stock Series” of beers. These are beers seen only on draft, and only for a short time. They’re not sold at many locations, either, so if you see one available, it’s a good idea to order a glass. Luckily for me, my local watering hole Summits Wayside Tavern has always had a great relationship with Rogue, so I see these beers quite regularly.
I would have though that Summit’s would play up the fact that Rogue’s Imperial Porter is made exclusively with Summit hops, but they didn’t. I had never heard of Summit hops before, and it appears they’re a rather new variety with a high alpha acid content known to impart lots of bitterness and a citrusy flavor.
Anyway, my glass of Rogue Imperial Porter arrived shortly after I ordered it. It was, as you might expect, jet black in color with a medium sized tan head floating atop the liquid. I took a sniff and got yummy dark chocolate aromas wafting to my nose right away.
As I sipped, I noticed this one had a lot of Brussels lace. Thick caramel colored layers of it clung tightly to the sides of the glass as the liquid descended. The beer’s body was moderate, more than your average brew but less than a stout or even some porters.
Imperial porters, or Baltic porters, are bottom fermented. This has a tendency to clean out any fruity esters, and I didn’t get them here, though I don’t know if Rogue bottom ferments. They aren’t known for that at any rate. I did get tons of rich bittersweet chocolate flavor, though. If you like Belgian dark chocolate, you’ll love this beer.
Of course there are notes of espresso, too, dark coffeeish flavors that make this an excellent dessert beer. In the finish, I got just a touch of alcohol warmth from this stronger than usual brew. Mainly I got roasty bitterness and the chocolate flavors really intensified as the flavors lingered on the tongue after sipping. But there was a little hop bitterness too, and grassy notes that seemed to be at odds with the citrusy Summit character. Rogue pegs this one at 60 IBUS of bitterness, which is actually mild by their standards.
Rogue Imperial Porter is a real winner. Try it. You’ll like it. For sure.
There is one important distinction, however. For the most part, the various and sundry styles of Samuel Adams beers appear mostly in the bottle, while Rogue is the opposite: many of their interesting creations come at the beer geek on tap alone. In fact, I had a new one just the other night, aglass of Rogue Imperial Porter.
Imperial Porter is selection number 16 in Rogue brewer John Maier’s “locker Stock Series” of beers. These are beers seen only on draft, and only for a short time. They’re not sold at many locations, either, so if you see one available, it’s a good idea to order a glass. Luckily for me, my local watering hole Summits Wayside Tavern has always had a great relationship with Rogue, so I see these beers quite regularly.
I would have though that Summit’s would play up the fact that Rogue’s Imperial Porter is made exclusively with Summit hops, but they didn’t. I had never heard of Summit hops before, and it appears they’re a rather new variety with a high alpha acid content known to impart lots of bitterness and a citrusy flavor.
Anyway, my glass of Rogue Imperial Porter arrived shortly after I ordered it. It was, as you might expect, jet black in color with a medium sized tan head floating atop the liquid. I took a sniff and got yummy dark chocolate aromas wafting to my nose right away.
As I sipped, I noticed this one had a lot of Brussels lace. Thick caramel colored layers of it clung tightly to the sides of the glass as the liquid descended. The beer’s body was moderate, more than your average brew but less than a stout or even some porters.
Imperial porters, or Baltic porters, are bottom fermented. This has a tendency to clean out any fruity esters, and I didn’t get them here, though I don’t know if Rogue bottom ferments. They aren’t known for that at any rate. I did get tons of rich bittersweet chocolate flavor, though. If you like Belgian dark chocolate, you’ll love this beer.
Of course there are notes of espresso, too, dark coffeeish flavors that make this an excellent dessert beer. In the finish, I got just a touch of alcohol warmth from this stronger than usual brew. Mainly I got roasty bitterness and the chocolate flavors really intensified as the flavors lingered on the tongue after sipping. But there was a little hop bitterness too, and grassy notes that seemed to be at odds with the citrusy Summit character. Rogue pegs this one at 60 IBUS of bitterness, which is actually mild by their standards.
Rogue Imperial Porter is a real winner. Try it. You’ll like it. For sure.
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
