The Roister
Pipeworks Brewing Company

This is by a country mile the worst Pipeworks beer that I have ever had.

Described as strawberry/rhubarb/lemon verbena on the bottle this beer may have been spectacular the day it was bottled, but it's been in my fridge for just over a month and it was bad all the way around. It looked nice as I poured it into the chalice. It didn't really have a strong nose of any sort of fruit, it maybe had a bit of smoke on the back end.

1st drink it had a sort of mustiness that reminded me of dirty tap lines, and a bit of old fruit mixed with gym socks.

This was all around an unpleasant beer.

 

 

 

The lowest ratings I've ever given a Pipeworks. I'm not a smokey beer fan but I figured I'd give it a try, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would end up after the first taste. Definite smell and taste presence of strawberry and lemon (not sure about rhubarb, as I don't know what rhubarb tastes like), but the smoky tang is almost too powerful.

 

 

 

22 ounce bottle into a tulip glass. Bottled 5/26/16, had 6/11.

Pours an apricot color, cloudy, thick looking at the pour, with a two inch head and lots of foamy lacing. Smell is malt, yeast, a creamy aroma, some smoke, a little funk. Some berries. The taste follows the nose with the malt, yeast and the subtle berry aroma. Kind of bready, smoky, a little bitter. Pretty earthy, which is where I'm guessing the rhubarb makes its presence felt. Not a sweet beer, by any measure. Smooth, pretty good body and feel.

Even roasted, I thought the strawberries would have been more distinctive in both the flavor and aroma. The rhubarb added some character. This is good- certainly unique and interesting, and I'm glad I had the chance to try it. Worth a try, if you're up for something different.

 

 

 

 

Beers like Roister make me wonder whether Piperworks has ever thrown out a bad batch of beer. This is just all around BAD. Described as strawberry/rhubarb/lemon verbena on the bottle but this just tastes like licking dirty old grill grates. PIpewprks is more than capable of making decent beers, why they chose to release this out onto the market is beyond me.

 

 

Worst Pipeworks brew I've had by a mile. This leaves a lingering aftertaste like ashes from a bonfire. Smells and looks decent but that's where it ends. Love Pipeworks and how they experiment, but this was a fail.

 

 

 

22 oz. bottle, released Monday. Pipeworks collaboration with Roister, "Roasted Strawberry Ale with Rhubarb and Lemon Balm". Sounds intriguing.

Poured into a Duvel tulip snifter.

A - It pours a hazed juicy golden orange body, not unlike some of the nice Pipeworks DIPA's. 1 finger of frothy soapy white head that leaves excellent soapy spotty lacing. Looks good.

S - Aroma is definitely very unique: the strawberry comes though, but only lightly. Berryish - i probably wouldn't know this was strawberry or rhubarb without being told. Very subtle notes of fruit juice mixed with what comes off as smoked wheat / smoked malt / rauchbier.

T - Taste follows the nose. Definitely very unique and unexpected stuff. What strikes first and foremost is the smoky flavor. (my girlfriend says it tastes like bacon). Authentic juicy fruit flavors are clearly present, but i would never guess strawberry or rhubarb without being told. Smooth, creamy, yeasty? Definitely has that traditional Pipeworks feel to it - part Pipeworks Grillz / part Pipeworks Budapest Gambit, though not quite as fruity / Belgiany (though this beer does have a good amount of spice), and much more smoky than expected.

M - Feel is smooth, crisp, creamy. Light-bodied, & easy drinking, with good carb. Very smooth & drinkable stuff, with a modest 6.50% abv.

Overall, another unique beer creation from the mad scientists at Pipeworks. Probably not something i'd go out of my way for again, but definitely looking forward to more unique twists on this style of smoked / grilled fruit beer. A very unique idea, and I'll give credit where it's due.

Pipeworks The Roister -----4/5.

 

This beer's description was misleading for me. Although I know it has been genuinely made with roasted strawberries and grilled rhubarb, when I think of strawberries and rhubarb I think of pie. I guess I should have focused more on the "roasted" and "grilled" part of the description.

This beer tastes like the smell of your clothes after standing around a bonfire. The smokey grilled roasted taste is the most prevalent out of anything. I was expecting something fruity by the description but that is not the case. I didn't notice any fruit taste until I started smoking while drinking it. With the ashy taste in my mouth from smoking, I was unable to taste the normally overwhelming smokey taste of this beer. Instead a lightly fruity and lime flavor came through. Rhubarb was charred over a hearth and puréed to brew this beer. For me there was too much charcoal flavor.

This beer smells neither smokey or fruity. It smells like Corona, which was really surprising at first. But after drinking this for a while and trying to taste something beyond the initial grilled/roasted taste, this beer does taste like Corona. This is like a heavily smoked Corona with lime.

I don't know how to fairly rate this since I thought it was going to be something different and this style of beer is certainly not made for me. The mouth feel of this beer was great and it was certainly refreshing and definitely drinkable.