Salmon Days Festival 2008 Roe Ale
Issaquah Brewhouse

Salmon Days Festival 2008 Roe AleSalmon Days Festival 2008 Roe Ale
Beer Geek Stats
From:
Issaquah Brewhouse
 
Washington, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
ABV:
5.4%
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
3 | pDev: 30%
Reviews:
2
Ratings:
3
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 09, 2013
Added:
Mar 19, 2009
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
 
Rated: 3.25 by Hopmodium from Washington

Mar 09, 2013
Photo of snaotheus
Reviewed by snaotheus from Washington

3.96/5  rDev +32%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
22oz bottle poured into a big ol' mug. I'm drinking the 2009 version of this beer.

It makes me think of a slightly hoppier and a little more bitter Dead Guy.

Pours a nice dark amber, very slightly cloudy, with a big frothy head . Smell isn't very strong, but smells a little grassy.

Taste is based on a nice bitterness with good malt balance and a little hops as a kicker. Finish is long and mostly bitter.

Mouthfeel is thick and bready without being heavy or sticky. Quite drinkable.
Dec 04, 2009
Photo of RedDiamond
Reviewed by RedDiamond from Oregon

1.8/5  rDev -40%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5
I had a tough time drawing conclusions about this beer. To help gain some needed perspective, I carefully read the description on the bottle and consulted Rogue's website and several online sources. I reasoned that this 5.4% ABV beer was brewed in the summer of 2008 and I consumed it when it was perhaps seven months old. It is a red ale and is currently sold on draught at the Issaquah Brewhouse under the perfunctory name, Red Ale.

The reason I was hesitant to reach any firm conclusions is that this ale is nowhere billed as a Flanders-style sour beer, but that's what it is. That's not what it started out to be. That's not what it's supposed to be. But that's exactly what it is. Or perhaps I should say that's what it had become by the time I got to it - a bacterially spoiled red ale that soured to a Flanders-style beer. The trouble for me is that as a sour beer, it's quite good. But as an ordinary red ale it's horribly flawed. So how to make the call?

I guess the only fair thing to do is write it off as a missed opportunity. If I'd purchased this beer at a beer market I wouldn't even bother to review it. But since the Issaquah Brewhouse was happy to sell it to me at the bar, it's fair game.

My first impression of Roe was favorable. The aroma began with an intense malted fruitiness similar to a barleywine. This soon gave way to a classic sour smell commonly associated with lactic fermentations. The tawny red body was sensuous though somewhat thin to the tongue. The flavor as mentioned, was sour in the Flanders' tradition.

I'd still be pleased to drink another bottle of this beer. It wouldn't be the first time a spoiled beer turned out well. Change the label and this one could successfully be repackaged as a sour red. But as a common red ale Roe fails horribly. Also, the bottle says "Oregon brewed." A printing error?
Mar 19, 2009
Salmon Days Festival 2008 Roe Ale from Issaquah Brewhouse
Beer rating: 3 out of 5 with 3 ratings