Style: American Strong Pale Ale
ABV: 9%
Presentation: Single 750 ml brown bottle coated with red enamel
Brewery: Rogue Ales Brewery
Country: Newport, Oregon, U.S.A.

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

For those of you already familiar with Rogue’s best selling and most widely reviewed Maibock, Dead Guy Ale, here is a souped up version that will knock your socks off.  Regarding the rest of you who are unfamiliar with either, please save yourself the hassle and remain barefooted, and perhaps best return to a seated position as well.  Don’t anticipate to be completely overwhelmed, but please be forewarned that you are about to enter Flavour Country here.

As mentioned above, while its predecessor of Dead Guy Ale is more of a Maibock style that is a rich fuller-bodied lager, Double Dead Guy seems to fall through the cracks a bit.  While the most logical step would be to categorize it as a Doppelbock, a double strength Bock, it fails to fit into any semblance of what that particular style traditionally is.  We enter a bit a grey zone that is simply a stronger, more intense version of Dead Guy that seems to go off in its own direction and heads off the map.  I like that, it helps the Rogue brewery live up to its namesake and delve into new territory without any apology.  So come on pilgrim, let’s explore!

First of all this mysterious ale comes in an attractive red enamel-coated bottle, a pair of skull and crossbones up near the shoulder of it.  There’s no true proper glassware to prescribe for this wayward style, although I’d recommend something with a wider rim, be it stemware or a mug.  I would suggest allowing it to warm a bit however, there’s a fair share of bounty to discover that would be otherwise muted by serving it chilled.  This stuff is a bit of an investment so there’s no point in cutting yourself short of the full experience.  Now it’s time to check out what lies inside…..

Springing from the bottle will be a rich hazed rustic copper beer, capped by a dense chunky off-white head, with an aromatic symphony starting with chewy caramel, then toasty, bready, honey malt sweetness, faint alcohol, and earthy, spicy, citrusy hops.  There’s definitely a lot going on here, and we’re just getting started.  The flavour rolls in like waves, something new surfacing and crashing on the shores of the palate almost with every sip.  Malty billows of thick chewy caramel, bready toasted notes, oats and honey sweetness, equally blended with floral, herbal, spicy and citrus hops, almost more going on than can be easily broken down into a linear description.  As strong of a backbone that the malt provides, it seems the hops tend to overwhelm it at times in a friendly, tasty tug-of-war, which in the end leaves you the real winner every single time.  Delivering this whole epic adventure is a full, yet smooth and creamy mouthfeel;  a bit sticky and oily near the finish as the malt and hops still battle for the upper hand even in the texture, although in the end the finish remains dry.

The Rogue brewery recommends pairing this robust ale with pork or hot and spicy dishes, and I can’t argue that.  I must admit that this particular beer has stumped me a bit for matching with food.  It’s intense and diverse enough in flavour that it almost puts the drinker into a position of trying to decide by process of elimination what it won’t overwhelm or create a cacophony of extreme contrasts.  So think intense when matching with foods such as chili based dishes, robust lamb or game, barbecue that is slathered in sauce such as ribs, or even pesto or garlic focused pasta dishes.  When it comes to comfort food forget burgers or pizza, this Double Dead Guy Ale is chomping at the bit to go head to head with a plate of Buffalo wings.  After taking the journey that this bottle has to offer, it might not be such a bad idea to grab a bite with it, or at least pack a lunch, as you never know where it’ll lead you or where you may end up.

The next steps in the cooler:

Other Rogue Double Ales:
XS Imperial Porter
XS Imperial IPA
XS Imperial Red
XS Imperial Stout
XS Old Crustacean Barleywine
XS Younger’s Special Bitter

Lateral Steps:
Lagunitas Imperial Red
Hitachino Nest XH
He’Brew Rejewvenator
Palo Santo Marron - Dogfish Head

For The Adventurous:
St. Bernardus Abt 12
La Trappe Quadrupel - Koningshoeven
Old Fisherman’s Ale - Pannepot
Rogue Chipotle Ale

Style: India Red Ale
ABV: 5.3%
Presentation: 650 ml brown bottle
Brewery: Rogue
Country: Oregon, U.S.A.

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

Some of you out there in the crowd have already recognized what this is all about, but for those not in the know (or without cable t.v.) I’ll bring you up to snuff.  The man from the title of this ale is the captain of a crab fishing ship called the Northwestern on the show The Deadliest Catch, and has appeared on every season so far. A dedicated man who has been fishing since he was 14, and even used to cut school to do it.  He begun fishing full-time after high school, and started running the Northwestern at the age of 24.  Part of the current crew are Captain Sig Hansen’s brothers Edgar and Norman, and this offering from Rogue is dedicated to the 3 Hansen brothers.  Not only that, but a portion of the proceeds go towards the Fisherman’s Fund, a non-profit organization set up by the Hansen families to help benefit Pacific Northwest charities.

Rogue has come up with a bit of a curious anomaly by labelling this as an India Red Ale.  Traditionally a red ale tends to be fairly balanced, with sweet and lightly toasted malt, usually focusing on the malt.  A few breweries keep the malt sweetness but lean towards a more bitter, hoppy intensity, yet this is not the norm.  By adding “India” to the style one can only deduce that this India Red Ale is akin to an India Pale Ale, which is defined by a higher alcohol percentage and an intense hoppy presence.  So rather than remaining an anomaly, Rogue decided to openly account for that extra hop presence within this style and relabel it.  Or so I’m assuming…  Let’s check it out!

A pint glass or mug will work fine for this stuff, and perhaps let it sit 5 or 10 minutes after removing the bottle from the fridge before you open it and pour.  From this India Pale Ale expect a deep cloudy nutty amber appearance, with a tall frothy cinnamon coloured head.  There’s a clean malty aroma, with floral and citrus notes, and mild earthy spice.  The mouthfeel is medium-bodied with a smooth, clean texture.  Now rather than a caramel sweetness to the flavour you’ll encounter an earthy toasted malt at first, with balanced grassy, herbal, citrus hops on the finish.  It’s only in the aftertaste where it picks up any real bitter hoppy intensity, with a soft astringency and some white grapefruit zest.  Certainly closer to the English IPA style of hopping than the American, and even along the lines with the malt.  I’d go a step further than Rogue and label this an English India Red Ale.

Rogue recommends pairing this India Red Ale with beef and seafood, and I can only imagine Alaskan King Crab being what they predominantly had in mind (wink wink).  The earthy and herbal qualities would also pair well a pork or lamb roast, and oddly enough this would balance out a decent shrimp scampi quite nicely.  Or perhaps keep a couple handy for the next time you’re watching an episode of The Deadliest Catch, and cheer on Captain Sig.  Hey, the man works so hard they named a beer after him.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
American Amber
St. Rogue Red
Kell’s Irish Lager
Brutal Bitter
Chipotle Ale
Chocolate Stout
Dad’s Little Helper
Dead Guy Ale
Double Dead Guy
Hazelnut Brown Nectar
Juniper Pale Ale
Mocha Porter
Morimoto Black Soba Ale
Shakespeare Stout
Summer Orange Honey Ale
Santa’s Private Reserve
Younger’s Special Bitter
XS Imperial Porter
XS Imperial IPA
XS Imperial Red
XS Imperial Stout
XS Old Crustacean Barleywine
XS Younger’s Special Bitter

Other Amber Ales:
Yukon Red
Fish Tale Amber Ale
Broken Rake Amber Ale

Lateral Steps:
Yukon Ice Fog
Samuel Smith’s India Pale Ale
Marston’s Old Empire Ale

For The Adventurous:
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
Tree Hophead
Olde Deuteronomy - Alley Kat

Style: German Oktoberfest Lager
ABV: 5.6%
Presentation: 650 ml brown bottle
Brewery: Rogue
Country: Oregon, U.S.A.

KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk

This excellent beer is not only named after and dedicated to Rogue’s Brewmaster John Maier, but brewed by the man himself as an homage to the fine lagers produced in the Fatherland of his German heritage.  It’s also worthy of the name of the man that has been there since the first batch of Rogue beer ever produced, and who has helped that brewery win over 500 awards for the quality of his creations.

Utilizing a blended strain of lager yeast that promotes a richer malt character and a full-bodied mouthfeel, Maier has pulled off a complex and satisfying Oktoberfest style beer.  The curious thing about Oktoberfest is that it is not only the name of a festival, but a style of beer as well that of course was eventually spawned by the annual event itself.  The very first Oktoberfest itself was not a festival at all, it was the October 17, 1810 public celebration of the marriage between the Crown Prince Luitpold I and Princess Theressa of Bavaria upon a large meadow in the German city of Munich.  An anniversary celebration has been held in Munich between the last week of September and the first week of October in the guise of the Oktoberfest for nearly 200 year, except during periods of war.  Regarding the beer itself the Oktoberfest style with initially presented at the festival of its namesake in 1872, credited to Gabriel Sedlmayr of the Spaten Brewery, which was an adaptation of Austrian brewer Anton Dreher’s Vienna style lager.  Traditionally it is a style noted for a complex malt profile with a dry finish and creamy texture.

This Maierfest Lager is best served in either a mug or pint glass, a wide rim will help accentuate the rich aromas waiting to be released and experienced.  As it warms the aromas and flavours revealed will become more complex.  The beer itself is a deep rustic golden amber in appearance, crowned by a tall frothy slightly off-white head with excellent retention, and that will slowly settle over time.  Upon inhalation be prepared for aromas of rich bready malts, from buttery notes to baked bread to a toasted character, followed by clean crisp grains and grassy, mild herbal hops.  The mouthfeel is one of the best and most enjoyable aspects of this lager, creamy smooth and full, with a brief kick of carbonation on the finish-I wish if only all beers could be delivered this way…  True to the aroma the flavour nearly mirrors it with complex bready malt up front, toasted and even nutty at times, with crisp grains in the middle, and finishing with dry, well-contained grassy hops, and a faint lingering buttery malt aftertaste.

Regardless of your personal favourite beer style this Maierfest is an excellent choice worth checking out and exposing yourself to an exemplar of the style, and how rich and complex and fulfilling a lager truly can be.  Rogue recommends pairing this beer with seafood and poultry dishes.  I would take a step beyond that and suggest this Oktoberfest beer would pair well with at first the obvious choice, German cuisine.  Other good options would be white sauce pasta dishes, sushi, seared or grilled ahi tuna, roasted or roti chicken, peanut sauce based noodle dishes, plus curry dishes such as balti, roganjosh, jalfrazie and even a thick bhuna.  Maierfest would be fine on its own as well as a very satisfying session beer.

The next steps in the cooler:

From This Brewery:
American Amber
St. Rogue Red
Kell’s Irish Lager
Brutal Bitter
Chipotle Ale
Chocolate Stout
Dad’s Little Helper
Dead Guy Ale
Double Dead Guy
Hazelnut Brown Nectar
Juniper Pale Ale
Mocha Porter
Morimoto Black Soba Ale
Shakespeare Stout
Summer Orange Honey Ale
Santa’s Private Reserve
Younger’s Special Bitter
XS Imperial Porter
XS Imperial IPA
XS Imperial Red
XS Imperial Stout
XS Old Crustacean Barleywine
XS Younger’s Special Bitter

Lateral Steps:
Warsteiner Dunkel
Ayinger Jahrhundert Bier
Hacker-Pschorr Edelhell
Kilkenny Cream Ale
Caffrey’s Cream Ale
Boddington Pub Ale

For The Adventurous:
Samichlaus
Konig Ludwig Weiss
Don De Dieu - Unibroue