Awry IPA Two Tier Beer
Rogue Ales

 

One of the 15th Anniversary beers, this is a great IPA. it pours a yellow amber with a creamy head that lasts a good long time.

I didn't pick up a big aroma with this. It has a perfume hops smell and not much else.

It has a long lasting hop flavor that is tempered by a good malt balance. This is a good summer beer. A good representation of IPA. It does not have a harsh bitterness but is a good quencher. This is one of my favorites of the 15th series.

In my time tasting beers, I have come to the conclusion, based on the lack of content, Rye beers are the bastards of the alcohol kingdom. With that said it is very hard to find a Rye Ale or Lager, let alone one that goes down without much fuss. When peering at the orange, haziness, of this beer one sense that they at least attempted to match the character of the IPA. Pouring this into a 6 ounce sampling glass, I found the head was relatively creamy, dissipated with reasonable time. As I took my first smell, I noticed sweetness to the beer, with a slight air of dryness. Taking my first sip I noticed a crisp edge, which reminded me of the first time I had a Hopzilla IPA. As I continued to sip, I could notice a faint aftertaste of rye. Overall I found this beer to be well within my drink ability and currently have several bottles sitting in storage.

Over-the-top hoppy, tough on tongue, particulary after over a dozen samples that were highly carbonated at Dog Shoemaker's party. Orange colour,orange peel, grapefruit, some wheat, a tad of roast and dark fruit, pale malts, clean, smooth, fresh. Bitter finish.

Bubbly white head stands tall. The body is a burnt gold and cloudy.
Big blast of hops on the nose. Tastes strongly of hops and nothing else. This is a palate damaging IPA for sure! Very bitter, a fierce bite on the tongue. Thanks to the low ABV I am able to full fill my fantacy of swilling a DIPA.

Sampled from a famous, perhaps imfamous, Rogue 22oz bomber. This is a limited addition release commemorating their partnership with Mt. Hood Beverage. I sampled this beer while watching the ALCS Game 5 NYY vs BOS, and sampled it over the course of nearly an hour. This sample really was a tale of two beers, almost symbolic of why it was made. The longer this beer breathed the better it got.

Appearance: Deep bronze color with a biege colored foamy, bubble layered, big head that left solid bands of lacing around the glass with every drink.

Smell: Piney, woodsy hops and sweet malt in the beginning. Started out fairly muted, not because it's cold (the beer was probably about 60 when I first poured it), but because I believe this beer to be way to young. The nose really starts opening up, but only after quite some time.

Taste: It began with sweet malt and very bitter, unbalanced hops. Very strong pine, spruce, and resine flavors. Exactly like when I took one of the first buds of my Mt. Hood hops bine and ate a sample, but much, much stronger. Needs age. However, because it was so bitter and I was watching the game this beer sat in the glass much longer than I would normally. It had a chance to open and breathe and became quite balanced and quite incredible. The piney, spruce, resiny flavors mellowed and the cascade and amarillo citrusy flavors and the sweet malt really started to present them selves.

Mouthfeel: This also improved, while it started out sweet and then drying bitter, it settled into a nice balance of sweetness and bitterness and finished wet and smoothly.

Drinkability: At first, very poor. Then fantastic. This beer will be great in four to six months? maybe longer.

Thankfully my wife brought me back two of these from Oregon so I can sample it again in a few months.