Rogue - Brutal IPA

Have I ever had a bad beer from Rogue? No, I certainly have not! Have I heard stories about their beers ability to last when it travels... Well that's a different matter. Most septics I bump into, especially Oregon locals, have told me that Rogue are considerably better when had closer to home. I hear this and I consider the beers I've had, things like Yellow Snow IPA, like Mocha Porter, like the Voodoo Donuts, and though the latter was not as good as it could have been, they were still solid.

Well here's a beer that describes itself as Brutal, a bold claim if ever there was one. I essentially bought this because it sounded like a challenge. Not that I'm an advocate for massively over hopping beers, I've always believed in balance but my theory here is that it must be extreme enough to justify the name but restrained enough for it not to be utter swill. I'm actively hoping for tears of pain through the tears of joy.

It starts well, it's got a solid pour that even a chimp could get right. It's got a staunch finger of head that's bubbly, thick and doughy, which soon recedes into a light, white, layer of algae on this murky pond of mysteries. It smells sweet, bready, lightly spicy with hints of toffee and caramel thrown into the mix for good measure. Not entirely what I was expecting from something called BRUTAL IPA, or even anything I'd expect from a regular IPA, this seems to have let the malt do the talking, leaving the hops to lie in wait.

The taste is, well it's not brutal, but it's still bloody lovely. It has that slight glacier mint feel that you get with the Polaris hop but there's a figgy pudding element as well as a satisfying burn from the bitterness at the end. I definitely feel like it's missing something though and I don't blame Rogue, I blame myself for not living nearer to Rogue.

I really do love their stuff and I seriously dig their style but I fear that I may not be able to comprehend what they're really capable of until I see them in person. This isn't a bad beer and it's well worth the money but... It's like there's the ghost of the beer it used to be hanging over it.

Food Suggestion: Sounds like an odd suggestion but a bit of Welsh Rarebit would go down particularly well right now. Don't know what that is? It's a fancy ass cheese on toast with marmite.

Drink this if you like: The new Pale Ale Polaris by The Kernel, as previously alluded to, is somewhat similar but this has a bit more body and a bit more stodge.