Beer – #433 – Rogue – New Crustacean Barleywineish Imperial IPA Sorta
Beer with the longest name – Rogue New Crustacean Barleywineish Imperial IPA Sorta –
“Dedicated to Crustaceans”
Brewed by Rogue Ales and this one is in the style that is best described as Barley Wine, and they are still in Newport, Oregon USA
750ml bottle, or 1 Pint 9.4 Fl Oz, (wine bottle size) of a beer that is 11.6% ABV and 384 calories a serve, and that makes it 6.86 standard drinks, and this is 88 IBU, so bitterish.
Beer with a long name
The name sort of says it all.
John Maier, our Brewmaster, wanted to create a beer that defied traditional style definitions. The result was a remarkably hoppy yet balanced and malty ale that quickly became a cult favorite in our Newport brewpub.
But what was it? It was not quite a barley wine and not quite a double or imperial IPA. Who really cares about putting beers into narrow categories? Great beer is great beer – just drink it and enjoy!
I think I shall give it a go..
An intriguing aroma, and not one that is immediately pleasing on the nose.
Pour is a lot paler and clouded than I was expecting, and there’s no head on this that I could muster up. But that’s not all bad.
Initial mouthfull. BOOM!!!
pause, and re-engage…..
This is really full in the mouth, and there is all of the 88 IBU bitters. There’s a sweetness too. Then there is ‘salty’ which I have no idea about, and might just let it pass. Then the finish which is slightly dry.
This does have a big aroma, and it is, to my alarm and concern, very drinkable, as I glance over at the glass somewhat less than half full.
I wish I could figure out the aroma, bit it’s like soaked raisins, sorta.
The more I drink beer the less I know. In general, not just whilst I’m drinking beer, and specifically about beer styles. Now clearly this is a new style interpretation and then therefore it is going to have a a couple of high points.
Barleywine? I would have thought not, barelywine 🙂 bit then there are some of the high alcohol notes that you should get,
IPA? I wouldn’t have thought so either. Not really a lot of hops, the grassiness\pine\graprefruits and that.
And don’t remind me the saltiness. I did say I was going to move past that.
It’s a difficult beer to get a handle on though, and I would then have thought that this would make it popular with the in-crowd and everyone would get something different from it .
- I didn’t like the cloudy pour, the colourless head, the mystery saltiness, and mystery aroma.
- I like the colour of the pour, the aroma, he way that this is way to easy to drink, and the way the aroma entertains and distracts you.
So then, there you have it, a mixed bag of things that is all of one and none of the other, what’s a man supposed to do?
As to “Cult Beer” perhaps it is, perhaps when there was less of if and then you jumped the shark and bottled it.
The pdubyah-o-meter rates this as …… this is a big call at 8 a of its things from the thing. Which wasn’t a big call as I don’t think this is a ‘great’ beer, or a ‘cult’ beer on my own arbitrary scale of things, it’s not a beer that I would make you go buy to re-affirm my own opinion. It’s a clever beer. It’s a nice beer, drinkable and enjoyable.
I found myself in the end regretting drinking this a little, it’s obvious that it has a fan base, and Rogue made a call to widen this to distribution, but it’s a bit ’emperors new clothes’, your fans will tell you the sun shone when the lid popped, but for me, the unobtainable cult beer might be more the grail. It’s not that this isn’t a bad drink, it’s just not ‘all that and bag of chips’ different from many other beers. Lots of craft beers now are amalgams of styles that go about quietly what they are, Green Flash, Stone, do it already, and they do as good as this.
So there. Oh and Get in!, Cheers, and bring me another, it really is “that good and a bag of chips” Oh before you get to the album I was listening to, it finished and then this 🙂
The double dip review
- Am I enjoying it? Yes in a weird not kind of way
- Would I have another? I had the whole bottle and it was enough, for now. But bring me another and we’d be friends.
- Would I share with a friend on a porch and set the world to rights? I think yes, yes I would, this is a beer that needs an audience.
I’m listening to an album of music by “the Pet Shop Boys” called “A Man of The Future” – this is one track “he dreamed of machines” – it’s a tribute to mathematician Alan Turing, spoken word and flighty musics.
BARLEY WINE
A Barley Wine is a strong, top-fermenting ale, with an alcohol contents of at least 9% and up to 13% (or more) by volume. Hops may be hardly noticeable at all or very noticeable. Sip them out of the special glass, that will concentrate the aroma. They are excellent with cigars or with dessert.
A life just as ordinary 
Reblogged this on BEER not WAR.
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WOW, when I woke up this morning the last thing I expected was to hear PetShop Boys…….good one on you sir….;)
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It’s not your actual pet shop boys “west end girls” like I remember, but it is them !
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