Sunday, May 13, 2007

Rogue Chipotle Ale

Rogue Chipotle Ale

It's been a while since I've blogged, sorry to the regular readers (haha). Been picking up new beers here and there such as Brooklyn Lager, my local brewpubs new seasonal Maibock, and today's featured beer - Rogue Chipotle Ale.

I'm a big Rogue fan, and this one showed up on the shelves unannounced so I had to buy it, despite having reservations about it being a "chili" beer. I haven't had much experience with these beers, I had one many years ago before I rated by a London Ontario brewer which has long since gone out of business called Glatt, which if I recall was infused with Jalepenos. Since I didn't take notes, I can't give you the specifics of it, but I recall being not quite ready for a beer that was spicy and packing heat, and not enjoying it too much. Also in the back of my mind was the legend of Cave Creek Chili Beer, which has the reputation of being one of the worst rated beers of all time on Ratebeer.com. I decided to soldier on and take one for the team (or blog).

The beer poured a hazy shade of caramel brown. It held a bit of a head for a while, then settled to a thin white layer, leaving some stiky lace behind. I was expecting a lot of spice in the aroma, but found the Chipotle notes to be pretty reserved. There's a little smoke in the aroma and some caramel malt. The first sip (ok it was more of a gulp) took me a bit by surprise as the heat of the Chipotles showed itself in the beer's finish. Upon slower sips I noticed that the beer started with light caramelly malts then finished with some light touches of smoke and had a red pepper flake type heat which lingered breifly. There was a light citrus hop character to the finish as well. It had a fairly light body with a fine, persistent carbonation. I enjoyed it, and decided the nest time I would try pairing this with mexican dishes, or maybe some spicy pizza to see how it fairs. The label suggests pairing it with chicken or pork dishes. Overall this isn't a beer I'd reach for during a playoff hockey game, or to quench my thirst in the summer heat, but I can see it being an interesting compainion with a Mexican meal. It wasn't over the top with heat which I enjoyed, yet I think it could have used a bit more body and malt, for some extra oomph. Rating 3.3

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