Ah Rogue, is there a cooler brewery in the USA? Probably, but we sad Ontarians will never know unless we go there, or someplace with better access to beer (like Volo). Still, Yellow Snow IPA is a great example of what our Yankee friends are doing to IPAs in their near relentless pursuit of hoppy perfection. Look out, this beer is not for the uninitiated.
Poured from a 650ml bottle with a classic Rogue silk-screened label (incidentally, the character on the bottle looks a bit like an old friend of mine, Wil Brillinger). Production date is listed as K0509, which I’m guessing is November 5th, 2009 (K is the 11th letter of the alphabet). Beer is an amber honey yellow with shades of orange in it. Hazy and opaque, with a nice dense head that settles, but remains throughout the drink, leaving a lovely lacing on the glass. Aroma is sharp and citrusy, astringent and clean. No grain to speak of. Taste is white grapefruit, bitter and sour with a nice sweetness to it. Lots of peel, very resinous and dry. I almost expect to find a seed in it. Grains are identifiable, but you’ve got to look for them, really more just as a sweet undertone to keep the hops somewhat in check. Meanwhile, my mouth feels like a violin bow. Almost sticky. The beer is smooth on my tongue, medium bodied, with little itty bitty champagne bubbles to keep it from being medicinal and boozy. The beer is slightly warming on the finish, with a hint of sweetness, but stacks of lovely citrusy hops, with a bitterness I’ll probably still taste tomorrow morning. It’s like the hops have been tattooed to my mouth. While I think most people would find this beer over the top and hard to drink much of, hop-heads will find it comfortable and familiar. I probably couldn’t drink this as a session beer, but I could probably get through a pair of bombers, especially if I was eating Indian with it. Now there’s a good idea…..
Ah Rogue, thanks, keep up the great work. This one’s for you.
14 Comments