Rogue's annual holiday offering, Santa's Private Reserve, is a variation of the classic Saint Rogue Red, but with double the hops--including Chinook, and Centennial, and a mystery hop called Rudolph by head brewer John "more hops" Maier! This holiday elixir is brewed with two-row Harrington, Klages and Munich malts, along with Hugh Baird 30-37, Carastan 13-17, and Crystal 70-80 malts, plus free range coastal water and John's proprietary top-fermenting Pacman yeast. Available in both 22-ounce bottles and on draft.
Measurements: 13 degrees Plato, IBU 60, Apparent attenuation 73.1, Lovibond 26.75.
Beer Ratings and Reviews:
[1] Review by RJA from Palm Springs, FL, USA who has tried this beer a couple times. (11/14/2008 5:58:43 PM)
"Picked this one up at Whole Foods. Price and label heralding Christmas were the attraction. An amber colored ale. Head is a small white froth. Little hand time and no lacing. Gotta wonder what happened to Santa's sleigh. There is a sweetness in the nose. Some fruitiness and spice. Strong hoppiness on the tongue getting me turned around on whether this was an IPA or as advertised a strong ale. The smoothness of soft snow is in the body. Not really a bad drink, just need a little more chill in my South Florida weather."
Aroma:
6/10
Appearance:
5/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
6/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.2)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 12oz @ $1.33 Unit Cost: $1.77 per Pint
[2] Review by oh6gdx from Vaasa, Finland who has tried this beer once. (3/22/2008 8:54:49 AM)
"Bottled. Reddish amber colour with mediumsized beige head. Aroma is very fruity hops along with caramel and some nectary sweetness. Flavour is fruity hopsalong with wood and nectar. Also some quite sweet spices. A bitter grassy finish. "
Aroma:
6/10
Appearance:
6/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
6/10
Overall:
6/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3)
Sampled: Bottle
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[3] Review by barron from St. Joseph, Illinois, USA who has tried this beer once. (12/30/2007 9:56:25 PM)
"mediyum amber with little head and no lacing the aroma is soft and sweet but the flavor is harsh and bitter it makes you want to bite the back of your tounge of not the best seasonal ever but before the aftertaste a decent brew"
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
7/10
Flavor:
6/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.6)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 12oz @ $2 Unit Cost: $2.67 per Pint
[4] Review by Cybercat from Atlanta, GA, USA who has tried this beer once. (12/23/2007 6:48:06 PM)
"This ale is a dark brown, like chocolate, opaque and with a fairly thick tan head. Aroma is hoppy and spicy. Flavor is very hoppy but not overly bitter, with malty undertones and hints of spices. Aftertaste is hoppy and bitter. It fairly dances on the tongue with its tingliness."
Aroma:
8/10
Appearance:
9/10
Mouthfeel:
8/10
Flavor:
8/10
Overall:
8/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(4.1)
Sampled: Forced Draught
Value of this beer for its style: Not Sure
[5] Review by mhot55 from staten island, NY, USA who has tried this beer once. (12/15/2007 3:28:40 PM)
"good pour- 1/4" head all the way with decent lacing. The look is the best part of this- burnt orange bordering on red. aroma is pine, grapefruit, resin- but not overpowering. Body is slightly on the thin side with somewhat heavy carbonation- this detracts from the body instead of adding to it. Taste is cascades on steroids (guess that would be centennial hops- all grapefruit-in fact it's the same as the aroma to the 10th power. Not too bitter, but bitter enough. I would call this an IPA more than a strong ale. Very reminiscent of Southhampton IPA to me. All around pretty good. ( I am partial to most Rogue brews, so i my review may be biased....)"
Aroma:
7/10
Appearance:
8/10
Mouthfeel:
6/10
Flavor:
7/10
Overall:
7/10
Final Rating, by Style:
(3.5)
Sampled: Bottle Sample Size: 22oz @ $5 Unit Cost: $3.64 per Pint
Do you want to see the rest of the reviews? Sign In or Register FREE! = BeerPals Only
Review this Beer:
You must be a member to write a review. Please sign up or log in.
(3.2)
