Rogue X-Ray Sierra

When I first started this blog about 15 months ago, I was really into the lighter beers. An amber was pushing it in terms of darkness. After some sage advice from one Tom Crow, I ventured into the deep end of the color pool and found the intense flavors of porters, stouts and more. When I was at Jubliation around my birthday in March, they were offering up the last 3 bottles of the Rogue XS 2008 Imperial Porter for only $3.99. Wha wha?! I think that I had speed rivaling the Flash when I grabbed that bottle and it was faithfully stored in the Beer Fridge until the proper time.

Appearance - Wispy mocha head, solid blackness, rich looking with low carbonation - 4.0/5.0

Smell - Strong toasted malt, alcohol and roasted coffee...delicious! 4.5/5.0

Taste - Rich earthy coffee flavor, little bit of an alcohol burn at the end, but it's tempered by the toasted malt flavor. Oaky, with a hint of dark cherry. 4.5/5.0

Feel - Really coats the mouth, carbonation more potent at first taste then mellows out quickly. Aftertaste is a lingering bitterness. 4.0/5.0

Drinkability - While a potent 8.6% ABV, it's not as strong as other imperial porters, which I think makes it easier to drink. High quality and highly drinkable. 5.0/5.0