REVIEW 97: DEAD GUY ALE

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  USA

BREWERY:  Rogue Ales

STYLE:  Maibock

ABV:  6.5%

PURCHASE:  Six-pack of 12-oz. bottles, $14.99

SERVING:  12-oz. bottle, poured into pint glass. A solid head of roughly two and a half inches came about from a standard 20-second pour. A slow pour cut that in half and then some (roughly an inch). Very good retention.

APPEARANCE:  Rusty-caramel tinted body with a dense, foamy, off-white head. Translucent and radiant with slight bubbling. Scattered lacing.

BOUQUET:  Freshly pressed malt at the forefront, with whiffs of caramel and hops rounding out the lion's share of the overall aroma. Subtle spices are detectable. Pleasant and not overly conspicuous.

PALATE:  Medium body with moderate carbonation. Starts with an almost immediate set-in of malt richness seemingly intertwined with caramel semi-sweetness. (I should be a poet.) Hoppy overtones become more pronounced at mid-palate. Seamless transition to the finish and a slightly peppery aftertaste that features a "last stand" of caramel notes. Excellent balance of graininess, bitterness, and spice; wisely avoids the pitfall of what I call "too much complexity for its own good."

MUSINGS AND METAPHORS:  Many many moons ago, when I was but a wee bit, fledgling beer reviewer for a private message board in a cyberspace far, far away, I encountered Dead Guy Ale, and was introduced to Rogue Ales, a brewery that is quite possibly on the short list of best in the country. I was immediately smitten. 

The reunion between Crockett and his first Rogue was undertaken minus the rookie reviewer naivete, but reaffirmed the initial findings (more or less). This is one of the greatest examples of American microbrewing prowess out there.




GRADE:  A+