154. Chatoe Rogue First Growth Wet Hop Ale

Another Rogue: we’ve run through four of them now. Our previous three include Juniper Pale Ale, Maierfest and Capt’n Sig’s Northwestern Ale. Don’t worry, there’s plenty to go around, my friends, plenty. As well, check out this article from the New York Times that discusses fresh hop beers, and mentions Rogue in specific. Ah, good times.

First Growth Wet Hop has a bready malt nose with a slightly spicy hop character; it is an orange copper color with a creamy ivory head that leaves a bit of lacing on the glass. Beginning with a bready front before moving into a bitterness balanced by spicy and light resin hop flavors, First Growth Wet Hop finishes mostly clean with a slight return of malt sweetness and some lingering bitterness. Medium bodied with a light bite from the carbonation and some creaminess in the mouth—very fresh and clean tasting. A very well balanced and subtle beer overall; it has more of an English malt profile with the breadiness, but an American hop profile—well, not so much in the aroma. The two balance well to create a fresh clean finish—it closes out much smoother than the High Tide. It is also very drinkable; you could easily drink this one all night long. It could almost give High Tide a run for the title—it is more drinkable and more subtle in its overall construction—but we’re gonna stick calling First Growth Wet Hop a close second.

I think this means First Growth Wet Hop is good with fish and for putting out fires...

From the bottle: “Created with hops from Rogue’s Micro Hop Yard in Independence, Oregon. Raw hops are picked, stuffed into burlap sacks, driven immediately 77 miles to Newport, Oregon and pitched in the brew kettle.”

There is nothing we can find on the Rogue website about First Growth Wet Hop Ale—there’s information about Chatoe Rogue Dirtoir, and there’s information out on the internet about Independence Hop Ale, one of First Growth Wet Hop’s progenitors, but nothing about Wet Hop itself. Odd.

ABV: 6.4%
IBU: 40
OG: 16° P
Malt: 2-Row & Munich
Hops: Independent & Revolution first growth hops
Latitude: 44°, 48.2’, 18.69” H
Longitude: -123°, 61.0’, 45.49” W

(12/1/2009)