Rogue Morimoto Soba Ale prepares for Carmageddon!!!

Hide yo kids, hide yo wife because CARMAGEDDON IS UPON US!

Stupid names like the above are apparently what happens after the city closes down the busiest section of freeway in America for an entire weekend to replace a bridge. Other cities be warned. However much I hate that name, it's surprisingly catchy and it's far easier to say than the 405 is being closed down and everyone is losing their minds.

I'm anticipating either an insane amount of traffic or nothing at all to happen. Regardless, I'm using the opportunity to replace my broken beach cruiser with a mountain bike that will tear up the streets and trails. My first test drive will be a 14 mile round trip ride tomorrow. I'm stoked!

Today's beer is brought to you by the good people of Rogue and it's the final beer in our 7 day septathlon of Rogue Brewery beers. That's a ton of their signature Pac-Man yeast! This entry is part of Rogue's signature line and Chef Morimoto - award winning chef, Iron Chef and all around badass - helped design it. It's made with Soba, which I thought was a type of noodle. Carmageddon may end Los Angeles, but on the bright side I'm still an idiot. Phew. This is Soba -

Soba (also known as buckwheat) is not a type of wheat but a member of the rhubarb family and has been a longtime staple of Japanese cuisine because of its nutritional value.

They say it isn't a wheat, but it certainly pours hazy like one. How will rhubarb's confused cousin taste?

Morimoto Soba has a very clean profile with a unique and subtle sweetness from the Soba but is otherwise a very simple beer. It's a beer that one might expect from Japan - interesting and professional. Quite polite as well. ARMAGEDDON rating

Rogue John John Hazenult Ale isn't double the fun

I'm home from dinner at Manchego, a BYOB tapas joint on Main Street, and full off of cheese and bacon wrapped dates. David is hard at work on another one of his projects and keeping in theme, we're pouring an experiment from Rogue. Rogue took their Hazelnut Brown Nectar and aged it in spiced rum barrels. How will this compare to the hazelnut ale we had last week?

I spy a Star Destroyer...

John John, thanks to the barrel aging, has really mellowed out hazel nut character and the rum makes the brew seem boozier than the abv says. The regular hazelnut was the first brown ale I have actually enjoyed this year, but the aging has taken a hazelnut ale and made it much similar to a brown ale. Boo. Give me that Original Gangster stuff! THE ISLAND rating

Rogue Chocolate Stout is a wholesome all american dessert beer

Rogue's Chocolate Stout was released Valentine's Day 2001, and I could probably guess why; why buy your darling chocolates when you can buy her chocolate desert that can get her drunk?

My favorite coffee table book has some competition from my new favorite sweetheart. 

This brew has 69 IBU's. All the Rogue beers have really high IBU counts, which is really interesting because none of their beers are hoppy. I think it's great they label their beers with an ingredients list, which informs me they use their special in house Pac-Man yeast on all their beers. Rogue also makes it available to home brewers, which is twice the cool. This is the first American yeast, that I've run into, that doesn't accept hops very well and produces a very neutral profile. It's really cool discovering its potential across a wide array of different styles.

Thanks to the addition of chocolate syrup, this flavor dominates the beer and overwhelms any bitter roasted flavors. It really does taste like Hershey's syrup, but what's unique, is there's also hints of vanilla in the flavor profile which this taste like ice cream with chocolate sauce. The flavor, you can tell is added and thus has a 'manufactured' or unnatural feeling to the beer, but I can't deny it's deliciousness. TRANSFORMERS rating. 

Rogue Chipotle Ale comes with a warning

David received a huge 55 inch TV that he ordered today and the box's sign feels appropriate for this beer.

What is interesting about the reviews online, is how mixed they are. People are either saying the chipotle is over used or under used (spicy or not spicy enough). David and I aren't on the same page as everyone else. In fact, we can't even get far enough into the beer to analyze it because we want to hurl it out the window.

We don't like this at all, in fact, it's downright inappropriate. Maybe we have a bad bottle, but the chipotle is bitter and akin to donkey piss. TRANSFORMERS 2 rating

Stone's Smoked Porter with Chipotle is worlds better, try that beer instead if you want something with a little kick.

Rogue Mom's Hefeweizen suggests mothers enjoy spice

One Christmas I received a holiday card from my parents, seen below. I got a good laugh out of it but thought it was weird because our family has never sent out cards. I failed to bring it up with them and the weeks went by.

I finally remembered it and asked them about it. Turns out, they didn't send out the card. My parents and their friends play pranks on each other, and their friends took a picture from a party years ago, got their friend's addresses and sent them out. This makes the card even more hilarious. Gotta love my mom's outfit in this.


This Rogue Hefeweizen is 30 IBU, pretty high for the style and made with ginger and coriander.

Because Rogue made this with their Pac Man yeast, this beer is more similar to an American Wheat than a Hefeweizen, a yeast style that produces banana, cloves and biscuit flavors.

Mom's Hefe is medium bodied and very drinkable, despite being heavily spiced. They tried to mimic the hefeweizen yeast by adding their own spices and they're fairly successful. It's very drinkable but I don't see myself purchasing another bottle sometime soon. ARMAGEDDON rating.

Rogue Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout drinks in iambic pentameter

Oatmeal Stouts are quickly rising to the top of my favorite beer styles. The rolled oats produce a smooth, silky characteristic that smooths out the bitterness of the roasted malts. Will doth Bill Shakespeare have to say about it?

Is it me, or does Shakespeare look like Burt Reynolds?

I'm a Hemingway man myself, but this Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout has my attention. This brew has character to it. For 66 IBU's, this is surprisingly malty. The stout is smooth and subtly silky, with an interesting peck of roast and chocolate flavor as it finishes. This beer has it all, a quiet subtly with a touch of the bold. Check out this playwright soon. THE ROCK rating.

Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar is no ordinary brown ale

Nick G is in the house and loving the smell of this brew. Brown ale is my least favorite style of ale, but something tells me the Hazelnut Brown Nectar is different. Is it because Nutella is made out of hazelnut? Could it be the intense aroma? Perhaps it's the odd looking hippie on the front?

It tastes like it smells! Yayyy. Toasted malts up front and some great sweetness and subtle nuttiness.  The label conveys Rogue won some big awards for this beer and I can believe it. Hazelnut makes a brown ale taste great. TRANSFORMERS rating.

Rogue Yellow Snow IPA is better than a real Yellow Snow Cone

You know the last time I saw yellow snow cone? JACKASS. Someone peed in the snow and paid someone else to eat it. The snow cone was still warm. I almost yacked onto the front row. This experience should be better than my last but if it's not, I hope David enjoys projective vomiting.

On his face

And then there were two, Jay and Lindzpoop

David lucked out, this doesn't taste like horse piss. Yellow Snow is a nice IPA that isn't overly bitter. The hops hit you, then the you taste the American pale ale body, and then the bitterness hits again at the end. Nice complexity for an IPA. TRANSFORMERS rating.

Rogue McRogue Scotch Ale welcomes me home

Picked up straight from the airport and over to dinner with old family friends who I will soon be skiing with in Utah. Below is a picture of us when we were about 'yay high.' That's me on the far left. So good to see everyone! My how you have grown.

I bought the McRogue over Thanksgiving and been saving it for a rainy day. It comes in a 7 ounce bottle and I haven't drunk many Scottish Ales, so I've been looking forward to this.

A strong chocolate/mocha smell.  At 7% alcohol it's refreshing amd light, but for 9 ingredients it's not a exceedingly complex beer but quite drinkable. This is how I can best equate its taste...If an ESB (Especially Strong Bitter) had a Kafka-isq nightmare, it would wake up one morning to discover all of its hops were gone and he had transformed into a frighteningly unknown creature made of especially bold roasted malts. AHHH. TRANSFORMERS rating, but with the bottle size and price ($4 and a 7.3 oz), this is a beer lover's beer.

P.S. Each entry while I'm at home will include a random object from my childhood, just for fun. Coming soon, Elephant Puzzle. You'll see.

Rogue American Amber. A million times more delicious than cod worms.

Dead Guy was one of my first "holy crap, what is this?!" beers, so I'm really hoping this is good. Aaaaaaaand, it IS.

The slightly toasted malt gives the subtlest hint of a dark beer, a little like wood or nuts, while letting the hops play an equally subtle, co-starring role.

So it turns out were at Aaron Bs making sweet potato crusted pacific cod, see picture, as well as salt baked branzino. And just as Aaron is getting ready to dip a filet of the cod. BAM WIGGLE!!! He finds a worm on it! WHOA! Sam J gets on the Google, only to discover that, while
repulsive, they're pretty common and will not grow babies in your belly that eventually escape through your...

Back to the beer. In honor of his shared regional heritage with Rogue (Oregon), smooth demeanor and balanced, laid-back character, this beer is Sam J. He also is enjoying it with us and likes it quite a bit. The worm will not be enjoying the beer with us.

Rogue American Amber Ale Fights Terrorists

Coming back from from an intense Krav Maga workout I joined Aaron B, Sam B, Jaime and David at Baseman's lair for beer. We watched Sniper Deadliest Missions on the History Channel during dinner. The production on that show is excellent, the best I've seen for a re-creation and the graphics are ridiculous. SWAT snipers hunting fugitives from helicopters and Marine Snipers in Fallujah killing terrorists from over 1300 meters? You know what kind of channel History is? THE BEST kind of channel. I was armed with a Rogue American Amber Ale.

Fugitive Michael Alan Silka takes aim but he's gonna be toast in three seconds

The others were cooking fish so I couldn't smell but what a beautiful color! I need to fix the flash on my camera, I know, but the color was enough to get me excited. Subtle malts followed by even subtler hops. Well balanced with a quick finish. Thanks to the water, there's a little metal aftertaste but it is soon forgotten.  I'd have to consult the charts but I believe this is one of (if not the first) amber ale we drank and Rogue, I knew you wouldn't disappoint. After so many full bodied, heavy Belgians, I was elated to realize that I could drink a lot of these. Tonight was perfectly excellent. THE ROCK rating.

Quote of the night, a marine sniper said in a perfectly normal tone;

"...and that's when I dropped the hammer on him" 

Just another day in a life for soldiers. Mess with a Marine and they're gonna mess with you. Enemy combatants, I hope you like eating lead. Booyah. U.S.A. wins.