Cheers to you, Uncle Sam!

Another April 15th has finally come and I managed again to avoid kissing a bus to soothe the madness that is my life at this point. Every year I get a nice bomber of beer that I crack open once the final return is signed and extension check dropped off. This year, Quarters had just received a bunch of new Rogue beers, including the Rogue John John Ale, which is Dead Guy Ale that has been aging (gracefully) in Dead Guy Whiskey barrels.

Appearance - Lightly opaque amber; with a sturdy white, frothy head. 3.0/5.0

Smell - Hmmm...whiskey. Malt is subdued and slightly sweet. I would have preferred a strong aroma. 3.5/5.0

Taste - Gotta say it again...hmmm...whiskey. Oaky, with a tasty, toasty sweetiness near the middle of the taste. Finishes off as you would expect a sip of quality whiskey would, with a hint of vanilla and caramel. Flavors are balanced and not overly strong. - 4.0/5.0

Feel - Smooth, full aftertaste. Lacks the syrupy quality that I've seen in bourbon beers, but that's ok, this one works. - 4.0/5.0

Drinkability - This is an amazing harmony of a spirit and beer, would definitely get this one again. 4.0/5.0

Some dead guys are hanging out and Halloween was totally last month...

I have no legitimate reason for not trying this sucker sooner than I did. I've seen it all over the place and is the beer I had normally associated with Rogue Brewing (having until recently had not ever tasted ANY of their brews). In the spirit of the season, you could actually find Glow in the Dark growlers of this sucker at Jubliation and Kelly's.

Anyway, the Rogue Dead Guy Ale is a German Maibock - a beer known for a lighter coloring than a normal Bock, but with more of a pronounced hop flavor to it. Sounds tasty. The beer is a nice golden nectar color, with a bit of filtered cloudiness. The head is light and retains itself pretty well. As described in the beer style, you've got that citrus, tart hop aroma. The taste isn't overly bitter or sour. The beer has a nice medium body with flavors of citrus and sourness that hits the middle of your tongue nicely. Given it's "kinda a Bock", you still have malt, caramel and hints of sweetness built into the brew as well. This was a really smooth beer with an enjoyable aftertaste that fills your mouth. Would pick up this beer again - it's got some good hop profiles and would be, I think, ideal for someone that is getting introduced to beers with strong hop profiles, such as an IPA. It's a stronger beer too, about 6.5% ABV, which was enjoyable.

Appearance - 4.0/5.0 - nice cloudy (but filtered), golden nectar color, nice head - lighter and decent retention
Smell - 4.0/5.0 - tart, citrus hop aroma
Taste - 4.0/5.0 - not that sour/bitter, nice medium body, hint of citrus, sourness hits middle of tongue; smooth
Feel - 4.5/5.0 - really smooth, some aftertaste but enjoyable
Drinkability - 4.5/5.0 - would definitely drink again - very good pale ale - more "approachable" than an ipa