Issaquah Bullfrog Ale
Rogue Ales

Issaquah Bullfrog AleIssaquah Bullfrog Ale
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From:
Rogue Ales
 
Oregon, United States
Style:
American Pale Wheat Beer
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
80
Avg:
3.44 | pDev: 15.41%
Reviews:
29
Ratings:
40
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 25, 2017
Added:
Jul 14, 2002
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by BuckeyeNation:
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

3.88/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Lightly dusty haystack gold. Spirited bubbles zip up to an impressive looking eggshell colored cap that is as attractive as expected. Rogue knows a thing or two about head creation and lacing. They almost never let me down and haven't done so here.

Bullfrog smells like a Czech pilsener more than an APWA due to an abundance of Saaz hops. I'm used to beer of this style smelling wheaty and faintly hoppy and... well, just not very impressive at all. The typical Saaz character is on display, especially lemongrassiness. Mt. Hood and Horizon are also in use.

Yep, pilsener it is. I understand that my impressions have everything with the type of hops used, but then they're my impressions so I'm sticking with them. Pale and wheat malts provide an adequate enough body, a smidgen of sweetness and almost no flavor. The Pacman yeast doesn't add much to the party either.

This froggie is all about the hops and is probably a better beer for it. A pleasant bitterness gathers steam throughout the mouthful, never venturing close to IPA territory, then lingers a bit on a finish that is exceptionally clean and crisp. Drinkability is right up there and should be directly proportional to the outside temperature.

I'm becoming more and more impressed with the mouthfeel as the ounces pass. What started out as light has, with warming, morphed into light-medium at least, maybe even medium. The carbonation is expertly done. It's peppy and invigorating without going overboard into annoyingly fizzy.

I really had no idea what to expect out of Issaquah Bullfrog Ale. In the end, it's an APWA with delusions of pilsenerness thanks to an abundance of Saaz hops. So what if it's simple and straightforward. It's also well-constructed beer that is as refreshing as it is delicious. Rogue needs to give this one much wider distribution.
Oct 09, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.03 by emerge077 from Illinois

Oct 25, 2017
 
Rated: 3.5 by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania

Mar 28, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by t0rin0 from California

Dec 25, 2012
 
Rated: 3.5 by beerpadawan from California

Aug 26, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by Tyrawlings from Ohio

Feb 11, 2012
 
Rated: 3 by hopmeister from Pennsylvania

Dec 28, 2011
 
Rated: 3 by TasteTester from Ohio

Dec 17, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by djrn2 from New Jersey

Dec 10, 2011
 
Rated: 4 by Beertracker from Oklahoma

Dec 01, 2011
 
Rated: 3.5 by Petorian13 from Washington

Nov 18, 2011
 
Rated: 3.25 by bpfrush from Wisconsin

Nov 15, 2011
Photo of KickbacksSteve
Reviewed by KickbacksSteve from Florida

3.19/5  rDev -7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
22 ounce bomber, made the trip back with me to Florida from a liquor store in Delaware. Not sure of the age of the bottle. Weird yeasty sediment in the bottom of the bottle. Not the usual looking sediment but more like very large chunks of yeast, abnormally large. Never seen chunks like this before in the bottom of a beer. Assuming the bottle has some age, since the beer is not listed as a "current" beer on Rogue's website. Some sweetness in the nose, honey-like. Low carbonation, not picking up any hops in the nose or taste. Some orange taste, maybe coriander, little bit of sourness. Smooth finish. Not a bad beer at all but certainly not exceptional by any means.
Oct 11, 2009
Photo of Pencible
Reviewed by Pencible from Virginia

3.48/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
This poured a clear gold with white head. It smelled like bready yeast with lemon and orange hops, and a bit of caramel malt. It tasted like bready yeast and lemon hops, with sweet caramel and barley malt and some sour cherry. It was somewhat thick with some carbonation, and had a bittersweet aftertaste. Overall this had a decent flavor and body. It was very easy to drink, but was otherwise not very noteworthy. I really only tried this beer because it was on a big sale, and I probably won't every try it again. Not that it was bad, but it was quite average and forgettable.
Jun 09, 2009
Photo of mempath
Reviewed by mempath from Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
22 oz. bottle...bought somewhere near Milton DE on Rt. 1 (great little store!)...pours light straw with decent whitish head...some nice lacing...wheat-citrusy notes in the nose are pleasant but nothing real special...taste is as expected in a pale wheat but a little more tart...more slight herbal sweetness...high carbonation make this crisp and very drinkable...but unchallenging. worth a try. better with food i imagine.
Apr 16, 2009
Photo of Floydster
Reviewed by Floydster from California

3.28/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
22 ounce bottle that was also an extra in an early trade and I cannot remember exactly who it came from, thanks again for this brew, also split with Scott last night, poured into my Russian River pint glass, color is very light, bright clear yellow, small 1/2 inch soapy white head, no lacing or retention, smell is quite weak with minimal wheat, lemon juice, grass, and honey, flavor was light but flavorful compared to the smell and look of it, grassy accents and citrus first, which fade into wheat in the finish that is really chewy, mouthfeel is thin but fitting for its style, chewy and grassy, thin bodied, high level of carbonation, could drink a few more glasses of this no problem, although it is light, it could go down easier for its style, decent pale wheat beer from a cool Oregon brewery, glad I tried but will not go out of my way to have it again, probably worth trying
Mar 01, 2009
Photo of Slynger
Reviewed by Slynger from Illinois

4.18/5  rDev +21.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Bullfrog pours a lightly hazed golden-tangerine color, with a fuzzy lid of off-white.

Light nose of wheat, lemon drops, and some herbal hops.

The flavor is better. Nice wheat malt base to go along with light amount of lemony citrus, and a solid herbal, tea-ish, grassy, lightly spicy, hoppiness. Nice smooth medium body with pleasant, fuzzy-tingly carbonation.

This is a very nice APWA, different from most I've had. I like the change up, and enjoyed this one very much. Great summer brew.
Sep 05, 2008
Photo of GregBlatz
Reviewed by GregBlatz from Ohio

4.52/5  rDev +31.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
Purchased this at the local homebrew shop, in the 22oz bottle. I love Rogue ales, and recognized that this was brewed by Rogue for Issaquah, though I'd give it a try. Bottle print gave no hint as to the style of the beer.

Color is golden/orange with a slight cloudiness that becomes more hazy as you reach the yeast in the bottom of the 22oz bottle. Head is pure white and rocky at first, but settles down to a mild lace after a few minutes.

Smell is citrus and extremely tart. Smell also reveals the wheat grain.

Taste is very interesting. I was expecting another hop dominant ale from Rogue(which is alright by me), but this seems to be very different. The first thing that hit me was a very strong tart/sour taste, followed by typical wheat bread flavor. This beer is very 'thin', I would imagine a modest OG for this beer, as it is very refreshing.

My immediate impression is that this is very good impersonation of a Berliner Weisse. The tartness and sourness of this beer just make me think that this was soured in the Berliner tradition using lactobacillus to bring out the flavor that stands out amongst traditional German wheat beers. BTW...their website makes no mention of this.

Very refreshing, I could knock several of these out on a hot summer day.
Apr 20, 2008
Photo of brentk56
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina

3.4/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Pours a hazy pale honey color with a modest head that laces poorly for the style

Smell: Vaguely yeasty with some lemon and herbal elements

Taste: Opens bready and the flavor expands in a lemony direction by mid-palate, almost a lemon thyme aspect to the flavor; after the swallow, it gets yeasty, with some wheat bread elements, and an underlying herbal hop presence

Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate carbonation

Drinkability: Easy to drink but not particularly memorable; a tough style to get excited about
Mar 21, 2008
Photo of BigJTrucker
Reviewed by BigJTrucker from Oregon

4.05/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
Picked up this bottle a few days ago at the brewery in Newport. Poured into my mug a cloudy yellow color, thick white head that settled fairly quickly. Smell is of wheat bread and yeast, low aroma hop presence. Hops come through a bit better in the taste, slightly fruity. Mouthfeel is very moist, soft on the palate. Very crisp & refreshing, would make a great summertime beer. I would have no trouble tossing back a few of these. It's nicer than a full blown Hefe.
Feb 27, 2008
Issaquah Bullfrog Ale from Rogue Ales
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 40 ratings