An imperial bitter style using exotic traditional floor malts, citrus hoppy flavor, stupendous hop aroma. Hedonistic!"Mellow Beer Emboldened by Hops," Elaine Louies article in the New York TimesDining Out Section, (March 24, 1999) announced the release of latest Rogue elixir to be bottled. The article states that "The newest beer of Rogue Ales sounds more aggressive than it is. Brutal Bitter is actually full-bodied, deeply flavored, intensely hoppy brew. There is nothing brutal about the rich, deep, mellow taste. Its crackling but not sharp... This beer may raise eyebrows, but it won't pucker lips. The aftertaste is clean."
Rogue brewer John Maier describes his Brutal Bitter as a cross between a Very Extra Special Bitter and an Indian Pale Ale. Brutal Bitter was first brewed in 1996 for the 20th Anniversary of the Horse Brass Pub in Portland. Customer demand prompted Rogue to continue brewing Brutal for the Horse Brass as well as using it as Rogue's premier pour at the 1998 Oregon Brewers Festival. At the 1999 SpringFest in Portland, Oregon, Brutal Bitter was unscientifically voted the Peoples Choice--it received twice as many votes as the runner-up.
Brutal combines Oregon hops with English Malts. The Oregon grown Crystal hop is a triploid variety developed from the German Hallertau aroma hop variety with contributions from Cascade, Brewers Gold, and Early Green. Crystal is the only hop used in brewing Brutal and it provides a massive amount of aroma without dry-hopping. The English malts used are floor malted Pipkin (a mellow cross of Maris Otter and Warboys, from an English company called Beeston), Cara Vienna and Cara Wheat. Brutal Bitter is packaged in Rogue's classic 22 ounce silk-screened bottle, 12-ounce 6-pack (new for 2005), and is available on draft.
Measurements:15 degrees Plato, IBU 59, Apparent Attenuation 76, Lovibond 14.2
Beer Ratings and Reviews:
[1] Review by funk from grand forks, ND, USA who has tried this beer a couple times. (7/27/2008 6:51:40 PM)
"Excellent, floral aroma when poured to go with the bitter, hoppy flavor. Tastes more like an IPA than an ESB due to the huge hop addition. Definitely one of Rogue's better brews."
Aroma:
9/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4)
Sampled: Bottle, Forced Draught Sample Size: 22oz @ $2.99 Unit Cost: $2.17 per Pint
[2] Review by Beerhawk from Sackville NB, Canada who has tried this beer once. (6/16/2008 5:19:26 PM)
"Big attack and alot of flavour. Lots of big caramel hints and surprisingly light for a bitter. Maybe almost a bit overpowering.. Nice aroma and dark brownish apperance. Good carbination for a bitter. Decent "
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
7/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.5)
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure Compared to this brewer's other beers: Not Sure
[3] Review by lenusik from Toronto, Canada who has tried this beer once. (6/15/2008 7:56:24 PM)
"This beer has become a hot treat in Southern Ontario......almost like they've never had a Rogue Ale before. The beer pours a clooudy orange into the glass with a this white head. The floral bouquet of hops hits you immediately. Upon further whiffing, one also gets the scents of lemon, ginger, and grainy malt. The flavour isn't as much of a hop facewash as the aroma, but one still feels the dry bitter mouthfeel that hops brings."
Aroma:
9/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
9/10
Flavor:
10/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.4)
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure Compared to this brewer's other beers: Not Sure
[4] Review by RJA from Palm Springs, FL, USA who has tried this beer a couple times. (4/25/2008 7:32:41 PM)
"I paired this one with a polenta/sausage dish. A nice cloudy yellowish body witha decent white head. Flowery hops evident in the aroma. A good blending of malt and hops in taste. Not as bitter as the name indicates. But a flavorful ale. "
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
6/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.7)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 72oz @ $8.99 Unit Cost: $2 per Pint
[5] Review by treborius from Uniondale, NY, USA who has tried this beer once. (4/5/2008 6:59:16 PM)
"This was an exquisite drinking experience. It pours a hazy orange into the glass with a huge white head. While pouring, you're hit with hops, after a few seconds, the faint malty tones come through. The flavor again is all hops, and bitterness prevails."
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
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(4)
