Santa's Private Reserve Ale
Ahhh..the christmas season...GOOD BEER. Found this at my local farm fresh courtesy of TinusTime, and I could'nt wait to try it out. On with the review. Pours a nice clear mahogony color with a healthy cream head, leaving some good lacing around my glass.Aroma of floral hops hits right away, letting you know this is a Rogue brew. Their hop profile is unique, yet this seems to lean toward the IPA end at least in the aroma. Taste is not quite what i would expect from a christmas ale. There is a hefty hop bitterness, with some major floral taste that is rather overpowering. There is no real spicyness to speak of in the initial taste, but somehow the hop bitterness ends up spicy. The beer finishes grainy, with some corn type tastes showing up. Mouhtfeel is well carbonated and finishes dry due to overhopping. This beer missed the mark for me. I'm a hophead, but this is not the sort of hoppiness I enjoy. There are much better seasonal ales out there. Note - if you love that signature "Rogue Hoppiness" then this is for you. Think of their red ale X 4