Beer – #789 – Rogue Farms – 7 Hop IPA Redux

It’s been a long time since I had this beer, and I raved over it, a rare 10, it was over two years ago though, and I wonder if I still feel the same. They seems to have toned it down in the ABV and IBU since then, but I’m a man of the world and happy to give it another go.

A bold and balanced IPA

650ml bottle of a 77 IBU beer, of 7.77 %ABV and around the 242 calories a serving. This would be about 3.98 standard drinks units in NZ.

Rogue Farms 7 Hop IPA. Rogue Ales, styled as an Imperial/Double IPA and they are in Newport, Oregon USA

Hops make the hair grow

This is John Maier’s secret recipe that blends seven of the eight hops grown in the hopyard of Rogue Farms.

It is a true taste of the terroir of the Wigrich Appellation, the oldest hops growing region in Oregon.

Malts: Rogue Farms Dare,™ Risk,™ Maier & Dare™ R-3
Hops: Rogue Farms Liberty, Newport, Revolution, Rebel, Independent, Freedom & Alluvial
Yeast & Water: Pacman Yeast & Free Range Coastal Water.

So, what could possibly go wrong?

Compared to some hoppy beers this is daily understated as aroma goes, but it opens with a nice hiss and puff of stuff, you can pick the malt and there is a definite hop darkness.

What a noisy beer! Pours with snap crackle and pop, and delivers up a brilliant orange beer with a nice white head that is airy and light and seems to settle well.

Aroma picks up the hoppiness notes.

That’s a pint that is

Mouth full of party. This continues to be a beer that brings a smile to my dial. Lots of orange citrus in there bringing a lovely sweetness to balance that overall bitterness. The finish is nice too, nice lingering taste without it being dry or bossy at the back.

Although there are some brilliant New Zealand beers this really reminds me why I started to enjoy beers and find them so rewarding and entertaining.

One thing that could make this better would be another one 🙂 It is a lovely beer that has been crafted well for a long time, so they’ve got this, don’t panic. It has many nice things about it, a lot for everyone.

Be clear though, not the best beer in the world, but then this still remains one of the best beers I ever had, the pdubyah-o-meter never lies. Sometimes it does exaggerate though.

Tonight, and on this day, I loved this beer, it has a chewiness, a sense that you’re moving through layers and tastes, each in order, and a full experience beer. It isn’t beer for everyone, it’s fairly ‘bitter’ (dur!) and at that high end of that scale where it’s a race to see how much pucker you can put in a beer. This isn’t that, this is a beer that pushes you, and yet hold you back with that lovely citrus and orange thing, and doesn’t wear you out.

It really is just a bit good.

The pdubuyh-o-meter rates this as 10 on the scale of all things. I know! The once and future king. This is really really good beer, but a couple years on and a few beers later this still reminds me why the IPA beers are brilliant and such a wide game. Being good ain there is being really good.

As a side note I’m sitting later with the Mash Palace Uranium Breath another beer that I rated 10, and I I think that I’m about to find out why NZ beers are world beaters, or at leat contenders.

The Double Dip review :

Where did I get it? The go-to Liquorland in Forrest Hill, but it should be in good places.
Am I enjoying it? This is like a party going on in mouth.
Go again? I would go again every time, but it’s a beer that ends in tears if yo think it’s a beer for a big night out unless you night ends early and in a shambles.
Share with a friend and tell stories on the deck in the sun? This is the perfect beer to share because it challenges you, just enough, and delivers the all of the everything in an IPA, I think it’s brilliant, I’m often wrong, but I don’t think this time I am.

Musics: ” Brett Dennen ” with ” Por Favour” on Spotify

I was feeling pretty good about it possibly the closest I ever got to a beer and music match, but the California and Oregon are different aren’t they. Consarnit.

Brett Michael Dennen (born October 28, 1979) is a folk/pop singer and songwriter from Northern California

I enjoyed the crafted music and the lyrical abilities, it was nice background music. And that is all I have to say about that, except I need to look up music from Oregan and ot ask Rogue to make me Beer Ambassador for New Zealand, but I’d settle for North Island, or Auckland.

IMPERIAL/DOUBLE IPA

Imperial IPA, Double IPA or DIPA is a strong, often sweet, intensely hoppy version of the traditional India Pale Ale. Bitterness units range upward of 100 IBUs and alcohol begins at 7.5% but is more commonly in the 8.5-10% range. The flavour profile is intense all-round. Unlike barley wines, the balance is heavily towards the hops, with crystal and other malts providing support.