Brave New Hop
Rogue Ales

cool new one over at the astoria location, although it somehow doesnt taste as fresh as it seems like it should. i love the single hop beers, especially with experimental varietals, so i was stoked on this one. a light haze to it, a pretty pale beer overall, and a frothy inch plus of lasting white head and lace, looks great in the glass, contemporary. the nose is a little more malty than it looks, a toasted element, but the hops hit with melon, lychee, and green grape, familiar slightly estery rogue yeast, and quite a lot of minerals in the foundation. the flavor is exciting on the hop side, herbal up front, a light gin note, more lychee and honeydew later, and some lightly bitter citrus when its come up to temperature. nice balance to this, the grain has some depth, i get a hint of apple in here somehow, and a soft grassiness at the end, somewhat summery, almost drinks like a pale with such moderate bitterness and the balance. overall a little faded unfortunately, flavorful and distinct, but maybe the base beer could have been a little more tidy to showcase this hop in purer form. that said, it was my favorite from our visit to this location, cool spot but in need of some attention to detail overall. rogue has been really hit or miss in recent years, good to at least see some ambition in the brew house with this one...