Love & Hoppiness (JLS Release #3)
Rogue Ales

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From:
Rogue Ales
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
German Pilsner
ABV:
5.8%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.85 | pDev: 11.43%
Reviews:
44
Ratings:
49
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 25, 2014
Added:
May 07, 2005
Wants:
  2
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by freed:
Photo of freed
Reviewed by freed from Oregon

4.18/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
The waitress at the Portland public house didn't know much about this beer, and it was only my querying about the masking tape with sharpie lettering on the tap handle that got me any information about it. She didn't know the style but said it was for "the brewmaster's" wedding. Damn if I don't have to try that...

Served a deep golden approaching orange in the evening light. Starched white foam head settled thickly on top of the glass. Slight haze to the body and mild carbonation also add to the overall appearance.

The aroma confused me because I assumed that the beer was an IPA based on its name. There was some hop, but it was, well, not like an IPA. The malt aroma was fairly apparent and the hops were definitely there, but a little subdued.

Flavor-wise, this beer is top notch, though it takes a sip or two to get acquainted, and for the hops to work their magic. There's a welcoming fruity mix of malt and hops and a dry malt body with a saliva inducing bitter finish. Nothing is excessive, and the overall beer is exceptionally drinkable. Cheers!
May 14, 2005
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.6 by Rwalford74 from Australia

Oct 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by 2beerdogs from California

Jul 24, 2013
 
Rated: 3.25 by t0rin0 from California

Dec 26, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by Jenray from Texas

Nov 30, 2011
 
Rated: 3 by Krumb from Texas

Nov 18, 2011
Photo of BEERchitect
Reviewed by BEERchitect from Kentucky

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
With a bold pilsner malt flavor and a not-so-subltle American/Czech hop blend, this beer is a very well crafted lager with American brewer's finger prints all over it. If this is the future of American-made Pilsners, then I'm certainly on board.

Pouring with a bright straw color and carrying only the most modest of haze, the lager forms an airy, fluffy white head and with fine patterns of lace. With no frills, the appearance is stately and soft.

Floral, spicy, and citrus hops are evident right away. Backed by the soft and understated cracker-like maltiness, the freshly kilned barley and ripe hop character gives a zesty and vibrant aroma throughout.

Soft sweetness from pilsner malts reinforce the dry cracker-like flavor that's exhibited in aroma. Acting as a springboard for hop flavor the malts fade in support and propel the notes of white grapefruit, fresh grasses, and a softer honey suckle-like flowery taste. Light esters and mild sulfur character offers a crips apple-like taste that ties the citrus hop character to the low-lying malt sweetness for reinforced support and balance.

Very crisp and clean, the early carbonated creaminess dissipates and ushers in an arid and crisp dryness and with an evaporative memory of bready malt sweetness. Bone malty-dry finish from mid palate on allows for the hop flavor to make a clean transition to smooth bitterness with low aftertaste.

No gimmicks, no games- just a simple and flavorful lager; this is a long awaited and very welcomed beer from Rogue. Sometimes it's ok to make a 'standard' beer if you can do it better than others. Rogue displays that capability here.
Aug 14, 2011
Photo of ToddT
Reviewed by ToddT from Pennsylvania

3.97/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A- Hazy golden yellow with an off white head. Head falls quickly to a ring but leaves no lace on the glass.

S- Floral hops and biscuit malt are the dominate notes. There are notes of lemon, pineapple, and spice that show up as this warms.

T- Nice notes of floral hops to start, fresh cut grass and pine along with a nice note of citrus. The hops are not that strong but have some nice complexity to them, the middle is a nice backbone of malt and the finish is crisp and clean.

M- Medium in body and carbonation. A very clean and refreshing beer, what you would expect from a pilsner but with a lot more complexity.

O- I really liked this beer, Pilsners are not my favorite style and I have to be in the mood for most of them, but I could drink this one anytime. The 5.8% ABV makes it a good one to have more that one of too.
Aug 01, 2011
Photo of biboergosum
Reviewed by biboergosum from Canada (AB)

3.8/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
On-tap at the Pearl District location in Portland.

This beer appears a hazy golden hue, with one finger of soapy white head, which leaves a few specks of stringy lace around the glass as it settles. It smells of toasted biscuit and bread, a bit of lemon, and floral, weedy hops. The taste is mildly sweet cracker malt, more aged-seeming lemon, and bitter grassy hops. The carbonation is on the sedate side, the body smooth and innocuous. It finishes off-dry, but just barely, the focus shifting completely to the bitter leafy hops.

A nice, hopped to the nuts pils. Rogue should push the envelope more like this.
Jul 09, 2011
Photo of Rifugium
Reviewed by Rifugium from North Dakota

3.13/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
First had: on tap at the Pour House, Westmont, NJ

Poured into a stem glass, a golden yellow around the edges with a hazy golden-brown core, and a small white head that receded to just a patchy layer of bubbles. Decent leafy hop aroma, countered by some rather uninteresting graininess. Grains in the taste up front, kind of stale and drab, but the flavor was saved by the onset of leafy, citrus hops, which created more of a bitter dryness mid- to end-palate. Light-medium body, and pretty easily drinkable even if somewhat lacking in flavor. Wasn't entirely bad, but I didn't care for it too much. I was kind of surprised to learn this was classified as a pils.
Jul 04, 2011
Photo of canucklehead
Reviewed by canucklehead from Canada (BC)

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Had it on tap at the Single Hop Festival in Portland. Solid Pils with big flavour and clean finish. The beer did have IPA aspects mainly because of the amount of hops. I liked this beer in that it didn't taste like any other Rogue beer. Really showed off the lager yeast
Jun 07, 2011
Photo of MiScusi
Reviewed by MiScusi from California

3.78/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
On tap at Verdugo Bar in LA, CA.

Came poured in a pint glass. Nice frothy couple finger head on it with a hazy light golden body. Smell was very interesting. It reminded me of something specific but I couldn't put my finger on it. It smelled grainy (maybe some sulfur too?), hops were evident but non-descript to me. The taste was that light taste of pilsner malt but also kinda juicy too thanks to those hops. I would describe this as having a big fruity component too, at least much more than was expected. Not sure if that came from the yeast or from the hops, but it wasn't bad. Bitterness was moderate and it finished fairly dry.
Jan 29, 2009
Photo of ChainGangGuy
Reviewed by ChainGangGuy from Georgia

2.48/5  rDev -35.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2
Appearance: Hazy, dull, burnished gold body with a smallish, white head.

Smell: Slightly grainy pils aroma completely dominated by a floral, citric hop scent. Hmm. I'm not so sure I like where this is headed.

Taste: Grainy pilsner maltiness, nearly absent of any sweetness. Floral, caustically citric pith taste. The hop bitterness goes beyond prominent, beyond aggressive even, to really make for a rather harsh drink. The finish is grainy and displeasingly bitter.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-high carbonation.

Drinkability: Excruciating and unpleasant. I dumped the remaining few ounces on the restaurant's wall and within seconds a ChainGangGuy-sized hole had been eaten through both the dry wall and exterior bricks. This made for a quick getaway, allowing me to quickly flee the premises without paying.
Jan 05, 2009
Photo of CrellMoset
Reviewed by CrellMoset from Virginia

3.78/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
On tap at Summits, Snellville, GA. Served in a traditional American pint glass.

Appearance: A clear, filtered yellow gold body with a half-finger snow white head of average retention. Leaves some real nice sticky but fine-bubbled sheets of lacing on the sides of the glass, though carbonation is near nil.

Aroma: "Hay, fresh cut grass, pretty simplistic, almost German-like hop profile. Not too spicy or malty," read my initial notes. Now that I know it's a German pilsner, well, good for them! Spot on.

Taste: Mild to moderate bitterness, mostly grassy, spicy, biscuity, grainy malt base. Decent for the style, though nothing out of this world amazing, and not particularly my style.

Mouthfeel: Medium to high carb, pretty even, fluffy, and solidly medium-bodied.

Drinkability: An enjoyable brew if nothing groundbreaking. Abv% is manageable and undetectable, and I'm glad this one is labeled as it is - I initially had it rated thinking it was an IPA (as, like some of the previous reviewers, I was told the same, an understandable mistake given the name of the beer). This is not an IPA, of course, but a pretty decent pilsner. Give it a shot.
Nov 25, 2008
Photo of tempest
Reviewed by tempest from New York

3.97/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On-tap at the Spring House Drafting Room.

A friend described it as a hopped up pilsner and I'd say that's a pretty accurate description. It has the style's trademark dry biscuit malt plus a big, albeit relatively smooth, kick of herbal and citrus rind hops. Overall, this was an excellently balanced beer and quite drinkable, but the malt and hops flavors could be more complex, especially when I think about the great pilsners. Still worth trying if you're into the style.
Aug 05, 2008
Photo of doubleipa
Reviewed by doubleipa from Georgia

3.47/5  rDev -9.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Had this on tap at the Summits near Stone Mountain. I asked the bar maid what type of beer is was since I had not heard about this. She said it was a really hoppy IPA. Coolness, I said. I'll take one. Not really all that hoppy and, of course, not an IPA. Anyway, the appearance was OK - not much of a head. Aroma was slightly hoppy, but none of the citrus aroma. There was a decent amount of banana though. The mouthfeel was quite good. All in all a decent pilsner.
Aug 05, 2008
Photo of supercolter
Reviewed by supercolter from Wisconsin

3.81/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5
Well it looks pretty in the glass, some head and a good amount of lacing.
Smell is a bit weak, almost skunky, not too much there.
Taste is nice and hoppy, seems to come through more once it warms up. A bit of banana flavor.
Mouthfeel is a bit weaker than expected, but ok.
Drinkability is very good.
Jun 19, 2008
Photo of mikesgroove
Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I was able to enjoy this one down at Barleys last night for my Birthday. I had been wanting to try this one for a while so when I saw the barrel was on I was all in for it. Served to me in a standard Pint glass.

Appearance - The pour was nice with a deep, hazy, golden yellow. Nice amount of carbonation streaking up throughout the session. A good sized two inch high head of white foam then came up over the top and settled down gently into a broken crown across the top with a good amount of side glass lacing as well.

Smell - The aroma was much hoppier then one would expect for a pilsner, but far short of an IPA, sort of a mixed bag, but very nicely done. Light aromas of grain mixed in with a good light floral bouquet and hints of pineapple. Some light banana way down in the back.

Taste - The flavor was more of the same. Crisp, and refreshing. A light wheat like grain base was cut by a nice orange rind like hop flavor that was quick to turn nice and bitter on you. Hints of banana flavored yeast and a nice finish that was full of fresh cut grass and a wet hay flavor. Some light sweetness mixed in as well, and as it warmed this started to come out a bit more. Very nicely done as well.

Mouthfeel - This was a nice medium bodied pilsner. Much thicker then you would normally see from the style, but it worked very well. Good carbonation kept it from coming across too heavy and the overall result was nicely done.

Drinkability - An outstanding session ale, this was one I would have no issues in repeating any day. It was light, crisp and clean with a nice profile and low ABV, all things making this lean hard towards being very seasonable.

Overall I did not know what this was style wise before I tried it, but I was more then pleasantly surprised by the end result. A very nice hoppy little summer ale, I would love to have tried this one again, and will definitely grab another glass the next time I am down there.
Jun 15, 2008
Photo of surlyseth
Reviewed by surlyseth from Minnesota

3.49/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
@ BLB in MPLS.

A: Pretty. Golden. Tulip glass for $5.50. I like.

S: Wha? What's going on? It's a little skunky. Is it from the sun on the outdoor strip?

T&M: Very nice and Hoppy (as advertised). A real gentleman, but just a hint of character.

D: Nice hop profile but what else is there to say?

Am I missing something here? I love Rogue, but this one leaves me wanting more.
An excellent choice for your girlfriend or wife whom you are trying to explain your hop obsession to.
Jun 11, 2008
Photo of ccrida
Reviewed by ccrida from Oregon

3.46/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
On draught at their PDX pub, poured into a Rogue pils glass, Love & Hoppiness is a hazy gold with a small, dense white head that leaves heavy lace.

Smell is mostly malt, grainy pils, with a touch of sourness from the acidulated malt, with a minty, herbal hoppy backbone, but not nearly as much as the name would imply, especially for a Rogue brew! I was ready for an uber imperial pils, this is more like a regular pils that was dry-hopped.

Taste is a bit more snappy with the hops, but still heavy on the pils malt. I like the sourness from the acidulated malt, but the finish is way to bitter for my taste.

Mouthfeel is creamy and medium bodied.

Drinkability is ok, but I wanted a lot more hop aroma and flavor, not just all bitterness on the finish. This beer isn't bad, but the name had my expectations skewed.
Jun 05, 2008
Love & Hoppiness (JLS Release #3) from Rogue Ales
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 49 ratings