Chipotle Ale - Rogue Ales

DogFood11

California

2.35/5  rDev -34.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

This offering poured into a chalice, formed a marginal head, loose carbonation, chilli smell is generic and something you'd find at chilli's. tobasco type smell.

Of course there is a spicy center to this brew and to be perfectly honest it has a nice sting. Needed. There is a vinegarish middle, sharp carbonation. Taco seasoning packages. Light watery mouthfeel. I've got to say this is the the offering from rogue where I go ....HUH?

I would never drink this as a daily. Weekly is out of the question, and yearly?....yeah maybe. Not for me fellas....I'm convinced this will sell well with certain demo's but it misses me alltogether.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2006 06:33:37 | More by DogFood11

shanem

Vermont

2.35/5  rDev -34.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

A: copper with pretty good sized head

S: a little smokey and spicy with a bit of hop aroma

T: didn't work for me. I was really curious about this when I saw it but felt the smokey chipotle pepper was a little too overpowering to have a 22 on your own

M: average for an almost reddish ale

D:just too much heat. I love good spicy food and hoped this would be a great combination but it just seemed a little too one dimensional to me

I would say it's an interesting beer to try, but best to have a few friends around to taste with you as I couldn't do a whole 22 by myself

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2009 04:37:58 | More by shanem

RoyalT

Ohio

2.38/5  rDev -33.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Appearance – This one is clear brown in color with no head. It looks like a flat Marzen.

Smell – The light, weak malt nose is no match for the strong chile aroma. NassT.

Taste – I found some peaty notes that seem to say that these chiles were roasted on an open grill. It actually does taste a bit like chipotle, but in a bad sort of way.

Mouthfeel – This one is a bit bigger than light-bodied and flat. The aftertaste had me gagging.

Sinkability – Ay, caramba! Estos cervesa es muy malo.

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2004 17:18:22 | More by RoyalT

jondeelee

Massachusetts

2.38/5  rDev -33.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Chipotles and beer do not usually go together, except in the forms of spicy tacos and Corona. So it is with some suspicion and trepidation that I approach an ale made with chipotles. Even the first whiff lets me know the strength of the peppers, as the ale--with its expected odors of lightly toasted grains and malts--bears a strong smoky quality about the nose, reminiscent of a Rauchbier, but with more kick.

On the tongue, the chipotle flavor is front and center, dominating from the first moment to the last with its spicy smokiness. And make no mistake: there is a definite light burn to it, like watery Tabasco. On a good note, this is top-quality chipotle flavor, reminding me instantly of greasy cantinas in Mexico City where the chipotles are fire-roasted out back in rotating mesh drums--the kind of cantinas where you eat until it's simply impossible to stuff more food down your windpipe. On a bad note, the flavor is strong enough that the rest of the ale is largely left by the wayside, which is truly something, considering this ale has three kinds of malts and two varieties of hops.

Overall, then, while I do adore the flavors of chipotles in general, they're overly-represented here, and should have been equal partners, rather than the dominating boss demanding those TPS reports be delivered five minutes ago.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2011 02:23:22 | More by jondeelee

HopEnthusiast

Massachusetts

2.4/5  rDev -33%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

I had no idea what to expect upon buying this one. The aroma definitely has chipotle with the usual hops. Pours deep amber with a medium tan head. The taste is actually very mild. Hoppy and malty, the chipotle takes a back seat. You can taste it, but its not like that horrible. It wasn't to enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

03-06-2009 17:11:28 | More by HopEnthusiast

froghop

Washington

2.4/5  rDev -33%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

pours a semi-hazy dark orange with a small dirty white head, and just a little lacing.

smell is of corn, grain, some pepper, a little chili powder in the back, and malt.

taste is of chipolte, corn, malt, and a touch of caramel, end has a strange aftertaste to it.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2010 03:27:44 | More by froghop

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

2.4/5  rDev -33%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

22oz bottle into a snifter

A: Pours a clear amber color with a finger of dense white head. Good retention.

S: Each time I sniff this beer, I get something different - really odd. It's like it has a bunch of different flavors (all fairly mild), but they aren't melded together. It's like smelling several different beers all at once. I get bready malts, a bit of smoke, a bit of piney hops, and a bit of malted milk balls. In the background, I also get a bit of spice.

T: Equally as odd. The beer starts out with bready malts andy a bit of toffee behind that. After that I get some oxidation notes with a piney hop and slight smoke finish. Again, the flavors seem independent of each other and really do not meld together. The beer is also quite dry to the point it's a bit unpleasant. The aftertaste has a bit of spice burn.

M: Very thin with medium to high carbonation.

O: Definitely an odd experience. There are a lot of things going on in this beer, but all very mild and the flavors do not meld well. I really don't like this beer very much. It need a thicker mouthfeel, more sweetness, and flavors that complement each other a bit better.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 02:04:48 | More by coreyfmcdonald

Metalmonk

North Carolina

2.42/5  rDev -32.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Overheard some guy at a recent beer festival complaining about one of the more experimental offerings: "Keep all that fruit and spices and shit outta my BEER!" I appreciate a pure approach to any craft, but for those of us who feel beer is somewhere between craft and art, his remarks seemed short-sighted. But it takes all kinds, even the people who don't want pineapple in their pizza or keyboards in their rock 'n' roll.

So it was with brave heart and palate that I reached for this strange Rogue offering several days later. Now I open it and find a light-tan head with a slight red tint to it. The color of the beer is also very red, with sparse and mellow bubbles.

The aroma is strongly of chipotle but even more strongly of the smoke they were smothered in. It's a very nice and, for a beer, very unusual smell. If I were blindfolded I probably wouldn't guess this was beer I'm smelling.

Flavor-wise, well, you gotta love smoked beer to get anything out this. As with the aroma, the smoke comes on much stronger than the actual chipotle flavor. But, chipotle being a very distinctive flavor, it's here, and the smoke/pepper combination is a hairy thing to have in the mouth in liquid form. Yikes. Had the smoke been a little less powerful, and the beer itself carried through something, ANYTHING resembling traditional ingredients, it would've helped offer more depth than it does. It has no depth, and thus strikes these tastebuds as a novelty.

Mouthfeel is fairly dry and the spicy and smoky elements linger long.

The first sip is cool. The second sip you start noticing its weaknesses. By the fifth sip I'm not sure I can make it through this bomber-size bottle. Maybe they should sell this in 6 oz. bottles. A novelty beer, a novelty bottle. Glad to have had it, and I still don't agree with the ultra-purist beer drinker referenced above...but no doubt, neither one of us are big fans of this particular experiment.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2006 21:47:45 | More by Metalmonk

packetknife

Idaho

2.48/5  rDev -30.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Perhaps I don't understand the style but this beer really didn't take to me. Thick dense head on top of a dark amber crystaline body. Smelled lightly of peppers and timber ash, pleasant on the cool evening. It tastes vaguely of chili paste or spoiled almonds (kinda a numbing sensation). Left no discernable aftertaste but was hard enough to take down. Felt about right but not drinkable as it's taste was a bit too chili for me.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2005 16:45:36 | More by packetknife

blitheringidiot

Pennsylvania

2.53/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

Eight ingredients: Great western Harrington, Klagos & Maier Munich Malts, Cascade & Willamette, Smoked Chipotle peppers, H2O & Pac Man yeast.

Dim cloudy peach hues containing small particles floating around, leaving a thin beige halo collar easily aroused and then flattened with a swirl.

Aromatic scents of hard candy, a oerceivable latex lolipop malts meets a vegetal celery salt hint. (Maybe my imagination, but Cuervo might be in there.)

First swigs: Malt and a delicate smoked background. Reminiscent of a scotch ale. Halfway through, the pepper hot twinge perks up with lingering butery malt aftertaste followed by a throat warming pepper. Aftertaste of diacetyl? Maybe this bottle is oxygenized?

Overall, this was merely a delve into the curiosity corner. This was a bottle of Mexicali, actually. Now labeled as Chipotle. I'd like to re-try this at a later date, but the Mexicali might be past its prime. Buttery malty ale with a touch of tobasco.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2005 14:12:40 | More by blitheringidiot

Dogbrick

Ohio

2.53/5  rDev -29.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This brew is a clear amber color with a thick and creamy off-white head that recedes slowly. Thin rings of lacing on the glass. Smokey aroma with prominent peppers and light hops. Medium-bodied with flavors of spicy pepper, sweet malt and citrus hops. The finish is spicy with a fresh pepper aftertaste. Maybe I am still gunshy years after my Cave Creek experience but I really want nothing to do with these types of beers.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2008 21:31:41 | More by Dogbrick

TheLongBeachBum

California

2.55/5  rDev -28.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Presentation: 22 ounce Bomber. Cream, Red and Brown colored façade with the words ‘Chipotle Ale’; underneath the familiar looking Rogueish Chap. The geeky beer blurb lists this as an Ale Brewed with Chipotle Peppers on the bottle, but its vital statistics are more scientifically expressed as 13° Plato, 34 IBU, 77 AA, 3.2° Lovibond.

Appearance: Dark amber-red body with deep orange flashes, looks extremely good when backlit. The beige head is thick and has an egg-white stiffness which leaves a nice run of smattered lace on the edge of the Glass Mug I am using. Conditioning seems high at first but settles to a moderate level once the head sits down and relaxes.

Nose: Smokey malt nose with a Chipotle Tabasco Sauce odor. Toasted malts break through in the finish with a delicate hint of hops, but not much.

Taste: Lots of smoky malts in this one smoked and toasted the middle only hints at the Chipotle Peppers, which is a shame. Overpowering and one-dimensional, the experience is finally ruined with a waxy, lard ridden smoky bacon feel in the back end.

Mouthfeel: Starts OK, middles average, and slowly finishes with unsettling thick lard-like constitution that coats the inner cheeks with a smoky bacon flavored fat-like residue. Not very nice at all.

Drinkability: I managed the Bomber, but only just, I did struggle with it. I found the smokiness to be too overpowering in this brew to be honest, I expected more from the Chipotle Peppers, a more refined balanced brew, what I got was a smoked beer which was a tad sickly in the long run.

Overall: Tastes like a ‘run-of-the-mill’ smoked beer to me, and a rather unbalanced one at that. Sadly, only the merest hint of Chipotle Pepper in the back end here. I love spicy food and peppers, but I’m glad I only got one of these. More Smoked than Chipotle, which was a disappointment, nevertheless it’s not a bad brew….it’s just not for me though.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2005 20:06:54 | More by TheLongBeachBum

AlesRTasty

Texas

2.63/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

This beer pours amber with orange highlights and little head, no lacing. Smells quite smokey and roasted with a taste of well roasted peppers. To be honest I don't really like this. It is an odd flavor to me and I'm from Texas. It's not disgusting. I could still finish it, I just won't spend more money on another.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2007 02:05:24 | More by AlesRTasty

bort11

Missouri

2.63/5  rDev -26.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

22 oz bottle poured into a pub glass. A tall initial head that recedes quickly. Not much lacing left. Color is a clear, dark redding brown. Minimum carbonation activity.

Smell is a little weak, though it leans towards a chocolate malt aroma. A bit of hops and pepper mingles. Taste is pretty confusing. It starts off with a smoked/chocolate malt then moves to Cascade hops and then finishes with a chile pepper after taste. Really all over the place. Mouthfeel is light bodied and a tad creamy. The carbonation stings a bit, but that may have been enhanced by the pepper.

Over all I'm not that impressed bt the style.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2008 12:15:12 | More by bort11

SaCkErZ9

Florida

2.65/5  rDev -26%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a 22oz bottle into an imperial pint glass. A nice head forms on the top of a slightly cloudy, orange/red beer with nice tiny bubbles jumping from the bottom to the top.

Everything about this beer is unusual and different. The smell is of yeast and fruity hops but there is an overwhelming presence of smoky mothballs, if that is possible. If someone where to put a couple of mothballs in a bag near a campfire overnight, put them in the beer, and bottle it, I think this would be the result.

The taste is the most unusual and different of all aspects in this beer. Tastes very campfirey. Brings to mind days in Colorado camping out and waking up the next morning with the campfire still smoldering. A stale, smoky aroma was in the air and that is the way this beer tastes. Barel detectable are peppers. Nice hop and malt balance though. Seems a bit bitter at first taste but mellows in bitterness during consumption.

A very astringent mouthfeel makes this beer tough to finish. Overall, very unimpressed. Definitely needs more pepper or jalapeno flavor and maybe more malts to balance out that spicy pepper flavor.

Serving type: bottle

10-29-2005 15:22:32 | More by SaCkErZ9

TheEclecticGent

Georgia

2.68/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Had this unusual beer at the “Rogue Fest” in December 2005 at Summits Wayside Tavern in Sandy Springs, GA. They somehow have close ties with Rogue Brewery and get unusual kegs. I was skeptical about this one and avoided it on a few trips. I do love chipotle sauce and beer but didn’t know about combining them. Poured like standard ale, a clear golden amber with a little bit of quickly disappearing head. The smell is of beer and yep chipotle sauce! Smells pleasant like a backyard BBQ. The mouthfeel was a little flat. The taste was OK, mildly hoppy ale with a heavy chipotle finish. It grew on me a bit as I drank it but can’t say I would have another. It’s a novelty though. Glad I tried it.

Serving type: on-tap

01-21-2006 01:22:42 | More by TheEclecticGent

Enola

North Carolina

2.68/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

This is a wierd brew. The beer poured with little head and it is the color of sweet tea. The smell is not too bad, similar to a light beer with some spices. The taste is hard to describe. It starts out as a dull spiced taste. Then it turns into a lasting bittersweetness with small hints of peppers. The mouthfeel is not too bad. There is no harshness, just the weird lingering aftertaste. This is not a beer I would try again. Probably not too bad when reveiwed within the style but I don't think I will try this style again either.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2006 23:41:18 | More by Enola

SPThirtyThree

Colorado

2.68/5  rDev -25.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.5

A: Pours perfect grainy, cloudy, yet average amber. Looks like burnt straw in the summer sky in late May, just before being harvested under the sun.

S: Citrus-like and spicy, the aroma of this one hits like a buffalo wing. The heat in the nose perfectly balances the spicy and hoppy tones. The hops smell like west coast varieties, contributing a fruitiness with a slight but weak resemblance to
grapefruit. The sweet honey malts are hidden deep within the odor and are difficult to detect amidst the hops and peppers.

T: This beer hits the tongue with strong honey flavor and then washes around the tongue, leaving behind fire as it swirls down towards the back of the tongue, exciting the saliva glands. Some fruitiness is present, but it is completely dominated by the smoked pepper flavors. It somehow tastes like eating a can of green chilies that have been rolled in fireplace ashes. Smoky, spicy character dominates the palette.

M: The mouthfeel is very light, with the slightest bit of puckering astringency at the end.

D: Low to medium, although the amount of heat in the beer might be limiting.

Overall, the peppers hit a completely different region of the senses than the beer itself, which is unfortunate, as i wanted them to blend more amicably, the way coffee flavors sneak into a beer. This, and the overly cloying sweet taste of the beer are its only faults.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2009 06:12:45 | More by SPThirtyThree

veech

Tennessee

2.7/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

It's rare that I don't care for a Rogue beer, but chile beer is far from a beer I can recommend. Maybe if drunk with a Mexican meal it would be complimentary but otherwise it's just unpleasant and funky. This beer was too acidic and the aftertaste was just plain rough. Not anything you would want to burp repetitively I can assure you. I think the adjuncts of chiles added to me feeling terrible the next day. It cannot be solely to blame due to my indiscretionary excess but it didn't help either. I might attempt this one again with Mexican cuisine but no time soon.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2006 21:40:21 | More by veech

pants678

California

2.7/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Transparent orange with an off-white/beige head, great retention.

Smells of a dry spice, like a rub for bbq.

There's a sweetness to the hops that accompanies the jalapenos, the desert dry finish reeks of chipotle peppers. Probably better enjoyed with a meal. Looking for more in the way of complexity, but simply not a stand alone brew. While the alcohol is masked, there's no punch.

Highly carbonated yet smooth.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2011 06:24:21 | More by pants678

jasonpeckins32

Michigan

2.73/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

The appearance is a hazy autumn bronze with minimal head. The smell is very subtle, a hint of malts and not much else to speak of in the nose category.

It has a crisp, malty flavor. Roasty. I only notice a chipotle trait after a few sips, deep in my chest. Quite warm inside, almost heartburn-like.

Average body and carbonation. This one is good at first, but too warm for the lack of intense flavor that I had expected.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2007 19:39:07 | More by jasonpeckins32

beabear

New Jersey

2.73/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Pours a brownish-orange color with a small cream-colored head. Even just from looking at it, I can tell the carbonation is really vigorous. Not the most attractive color.

Smell: The spiciness isn't as pronounced as you'd think, though it's definitely there. The most prominent smell is clearly smoke. I'm not getting any hops or malt.

Taste: It's like sticking your head in a chimney. So much smokiness and spiciness that it can easily become overwhelming. Personally, while I can appreciate how different this brew is, I'm not sure if I enjoy it.

Mouthfeel and Drinkability: Ever had a shot of hot sauce? Did you enjoy the lingering taste in your mouth? If not, this might not be the beer for you. In terms of drinkability, I'm not sure if I can even finish one.

I'm confused. I had this beer a year or two ago and I don't remember it being anywhere near this overwhelming. Maybe I got a bad batch? I have no idea.

Serving type: bottle

08-01-2008 03:06:27 | More by beabear

rootbeerman

Virginia

2.73/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Picked this beer up as a fathers day gift along with a few other brew. I lucky got to split this with my dad.

Appearance: Poured brown, very thin head minimal lacing..

Smell: Smoked, chipotle and a certain sweetness i cant place

Taste: As with smell its smoke, a slight pepper bite on the first sip
with a lingering heat that is getting hotter as i drink it.

Mouthfeel: full bodied

Drinkability: only one i will drink probably couldn't finish a bomber by myself

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2009 03:35:59 | More by rootbeerman

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

2.73/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Poured the bottle into my mexican ceramic beer glass, in honour of their dedication... Because the glass in opaque, it appears somewhat like a normal ale, with a thick lasting head which remains stuck to the edge of the glass.

It smells nice, mainly a sweet maltly aroma with a whiff of that promised chipotle. I am intrigued...

Upon trying this I am no longer quite so intrigued. Reminds me of the time I added chipotle and habanero to some vodka, interesting idea but not much I could drink it with. It tastes like a thin beer without much carbonation that is smoky. Clearly there are chipotles in the beer, but the beer offers nothing beyond it. Maybe I am wrong in reviewing it in comparison by other beers, but I find it to be having no great beeryness to it... I don't read reviews first, and had decided on what I would do and then saw the Bros highly reviewed it, that will be my next stop to see why they liked this (to me) highly mediocre beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2009 23:35:29 | More by kjyost

GreenWBush

Oregon

2.75/5  rDev -23.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

As much as I love Rogue, there was no way I was shelling out $5 for this. I expected Rogue's take on Mexican-style beers ... boy, was I wrong. My friend got one so I had to try it out and review it.

It pours out a lightly gold color that, when examined against the light, almost reveals hints of green. Ugh. The head was average and it left a few rings.

The nose on this one was interesting. There is a mild hoppiness mixed with a slight hint of spiciness. Malt presence isn't at the forefront. I also am presented with something akin to a Mexican restaurant ... hmm ...

Wow. What a strange cacophony of tastes. There is a distinctly dry and bitter hop twang and then a strange sour wave. There is a mild burning sensation on the palate, the first reminder of the chipotle peppers.

Overall I was not too impressed with this beer. It was bought on a whim by a friend and I might have otherwise not tried it. The "best" part of the beer for me was the lingering residual pepper effect. The further and further you got down on the pint you'd notice a slight heat in your stomach rising upwards. Could be dangerous for those with heartburn issues. I would like to try this with some Spanish or Mexican cuisine, however.

Serving type: bottle

02-29-2004 18:05:13 | More by GreenWBush