206. Rogue Mogul Madness

Our umpteenth beer from Rogue, and by umpteenth we mean eighth. We had this out of a firkin at Boston’s Bistro. The Rogue rundown for the year includes Dirtoir Black Lager, Yellow Snow IPA, Chipotle Ale, First Growth Wet Hop Ale, Juniper Pale Ale, Maierfest and Capt’n Sig’s Northwestern Ale. In case you hadn’t gathered, we like us some Rogue beer.

Mogul Madness has a chocolate brown color with a creamy & pillowy tan head. It begins with a soft gentle malt sweetness, transitions into chocolate and coffee in the middle with low levels of fruitiness that start emerging towards the end of the middle, and ends roasty and dry. There is not much hoppiness or bitterness across the palate—there is a small amount of bitterness that develops in the end as a lingering flavor. As well, the flavors of this beer get progressively bigger across the profile—it ends big and roasty. The mouthfeel is soft and creamy but also thick and rich; there is a pretty low level of carbonation, consistent with a firkin, and some dryness in the mouth, particularly towards the end, that does get a bit papery (the firkin was tapped a week ago, so it could have begun to oxidize a bit). There is also some lingering fruitiness as it warms. This was very different that the bottle version we had, which was a bit more subdued in terms of the roasted flavors, and also more hoppy and bitter in the middle and the end. This one comes across more like a winter ale with richer and big roasted flavors.

From the Rogue website: “Hoppy, caramel aroma, dark burgundy in color with an off white head. Intense flavors of citrus hops, and complex notes of nuts, berries and mocha. It finishes long and lingers for at least 15 seconds. Small batches of seasonal beers were traditionally brewed in Europe during the 19th century. Breweries made darker brews, brews with high alcohol content and festive taste. Mogul is a strong ale, darker in color than other pale ales and more assertively hopped—the John Maier trademark. First brewed in 1991.”

The man himself.

OG: 16.5º P

IBU: 68

Malts: 2 Row, Munich, C-120, C-150, Kilncoffee, & Carofa’s Special 2 Malt

Hops: Newport, Horizon, Simcoe, Centennial, Crystal 90, Amarillo, & Rogue Farm Willamette

(1/22/2010)