Chipotle Ale - Rogue Ales

ScarletLady

Maryland

2.9/5  rDev -19%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Nice head that didn't hang around leaving ok lacing. A smokey nose. A HUGE smokey flavor with the slight bite coming through at the end. I expected a heavier mouthfeel and I thought it was a little on the thin side. Overall a really interesting beer and I recommend that you try it. I couldn't finish what I had been given - I found the taste too overwhelming to drink a pint of it but i liked it. I am thinking of using it in recipes, maybe in my Beer Cheese soup, or maybe in place of a stout in gravy.

Serving type: on-tap

05-25-2006 14:55:00 | More by ScarletLady

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

Gaisgeil

Michigan

3.93/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Quite an interesting ale, Rogue really made this appealing.

Pours a deep amber/chestnut in color with a fizzy white head. Nose is noticably malty with a certain vague smokiness to it. Taste is sort of rudimentary at first, but then the smoke/heat combo make a bit of a bite on the tongue along with a certain sweetness. Mouthfeel is silky and medium bodied, drinkability is quite high. Pairs very well with barbeque.

Slàinte!

Serving type: on-tap

12-22-2005 10:38:31 | More by Gaisgeil

GClarkage

California

3.4/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

07/22/05- On tap at the Rogue Ale House in San Francisco, CA

Presentation- From the tap into two 4oz sampler glasses.

Appearance- Light amber pour, very slight head and light lacing. Not sure how a chipotle ale is supposed to look.

Smell- Smoky and spicy.

Taste- A bit of smoke taste followed by a fairly strong pepper aftertaste.

Mouthfeel- Medium carbonation, spicy aftertaste and warming sensation.

Drinkability- The only time I would have this again is with maybe with some mexican food. This would probably be an excellent pairing. Not my kinda style, but blows away Crazy Ed's by about a million-fold.

Serving type: on-tap

07-22-2005 23:55:23 | More by GClarkage

unklesyd

Oregon

1.98/5  rDev -44.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 1

Whew! This is the first beer I've ever sent back! And the first Rogue that I have not only not enjoyed but rather detested!

Had this on tap at the brewery. Looked very nice, deep molases-amber. Not a lot of aroma to speak of. Too bad, as it may have portended some of the terrible fury that lay within.

As the beer hit my tounge, I was reminded of a Scottish that I had brewed that had become infected. Nothing but band-aid lickin' all the way (oh, an a smoked band-aid, if that helps).

I told the 'tender about the problem and that they might want to check this out. He poured a sample and told me that, no, this is just what it is supposed to taste like. Hmmm....

At least he let me get something else.

Serving type: on-tap

06-27-2005 00:23:23 | More by unklesyd

guinness33

New Jersey

4.18/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

i was hesitant to sample this style, but, seeing as i like damn near anything that is spicy and rogue brews a beer within this style, i figured i'd give it a whirl and i'm glad i did. it pours a nice copper/orange colour with minimal head but what is there is rather sticky. the smell is mainly your basic pale ale, i felt, with a nice balance between earth malt and sweet hop. there, of course, is a noticeable chile/pepper smell as well. the flavour is pretty much spot on, starting out somewhat dry amnd malty before hitting a touch of those sweet hops and then finishing with a spice kick that will hit you but not overpower you. it's mixed in toward the end just right and provides for a lovely tingly mothfeel that is well placed with the carbonation of the brew. while i can't say that this one would be for everyone, i certainly enjoyed it. at the very least, give it a try. it's most definitely a well crafted brew, even if it is different.

Serving type: on-tap

10-21-2004 22:26:45 | More by guinness33

Truh

New Hampshire

3.65/5  rDev +2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Burned the devil with this one on 7/22/2004. 16-oz. pour at Redbones in a shaker glass.

Hue was amber to a slight vermilion. Little head to speak of; just a faint skein. Peppery spiciness accentuated by a grotto-like outer roundness to the whole nose gay. Not sure which hot peppers were used in this – chipolte, cascabel, California hybrid, Anaheim, jalapeno, pequin, or serrano – but whatever they were, they fired right through my lips, leaving a scalding trail up my tongue, through the roof of my mouth and up into my skull. And I loved it. There also seemed to be a slight cream edge, like baker’s chocolate. The spice didn’t really catch fire until five or six seconds after each swallow. I was happy that the only other thing I was eating at Redbones on this visit was water, and not their barbecue, because I think that would have been sheer overkill. Overall, this is a medium-bodied offering and one that I would choose to have more than one of if my tongue would allow it. I truly enjoyed this unusual pour, and in the end, it packed no more heat than a few drops of Tabasco.

Serving type: on-tap

09-24-2004 23:50:10 | More by Truh

donnebaby

North Carolina

3.88/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Almost clear copper color with a fat collar of white foam. Nose was a balanced combination of sweetness and roasted peppers, with smoky chipotle as well. Taste, too, was oily roasted peppers and a drawn out smokiness. Really grew on me as I drank it, and I would definitely order it again. Good stuff.

Had on-tap at the Rogue Public House in San Fran, where Larry told me it makes a great chaser for tequila ;)

Serving type: on-tap

09-14-2004 19:00:41 | More by donnebaby

FLima

Brazil

3.69/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

I did not get the fact that in the ingredients it mentions Chipotle, but in the description Jalapeños, but they are completely different.
Amber color with a small head with a medium retention.
Aroma of chipotles, but not aggressive, with hints of floral hops and sweet malts on the background.
Fruity taste mixed with dry-smoked chipotles and floral hops. Dry and mildly bitter aftertaste with a residual spicy feeling in your throat and condiments on your tongue. On a second, the smoked flavor is so present that may not come just from the Chipotle.
Medium body with good carbonation.
Interesting beer, I liked the fact they limited the amount of chipotle added to the recipe, and its hops helps to refresh it. That would be a great beer to mix on a blind taste session. It is the kind that I am glad I tried it but not sure I would seek this again, but I would sure drink it again if it knocks my door.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 02:09:59 | More by FLima

BeerEngineer

California

3.51/5  rDev -2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

General - This beer was from a bottle that poured this into a Sam Adams Perfect Pint glass.

Appearance - Great color to the beer, a nice clean amber color. Head was a great off white that diminished fairly slowly. Great lacing on the beer though. The color of the beer honestly reminds me a of a pepper for some reason!

Smell - A smoky scent to the beer with a slight (very mild) burn from the peppers. Really like it, different for sure, but very nice. I can smell a slight backbone of malt with a touch of hops although they aren't floral or fruity. Just a slight bitterness.

Taste - Very understated chipotle taste, really enjoyable. There is a slight burn at the back of the throat after drinking it but nothing that would be "overkill". A definite bitterness to this beer also, you can taste the hops in it more than I expected that you would be able to. The malted flavor stands up to the chipotle very well. There is a good smokey flavor with the beer also, not as severe or noticeable as a true smoked beer but there is a certain hint to it. Very nice.

Mouthfeel - A little on the thin side for a true amber ale, I would say light to medium light. Pretty highly carbonated also.

Overall - Something different that's not TOO different. If you were to drink this without knowing what it was you would know that it was with some sort of pepper but it's not too pronounced. Not something to have every day or in large quantities but for a random beer every once in a while it's good.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 03:47:27 | More by BeerEngineer

EvanJohnson

Connecticut

3.8/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

This is a great flavored beer. I've had a few chili pepper inspired beers in the past and usually they are over the top. This one is right on. You get a nice and very distinct chipotle flavor. That said it doesn't overpower the nice clean underlying ale. This would be a great beer to mix in to a tasting due to its distinctness. I had it paired with some local cheeses and it was fantastic. This isn't an every night beer but a great one to mix it up a bit.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 00:46:14 | More by EvanJohnson

CaptMaelstrom

Tennessee

4.15/5  rDev +15.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Quite opaque, bronze/copper color. Minimal lacing/head.

Smells more malty than hoppy, you can detect a bit of peppery/spicy heat.

Perhaps a bit biased, as I'm enjoying this with arroz con pollo, but I believe this beer to be quite complex and well-balanced. The first wave is a little cinnamon sweet, you get the bready/toasty maltness, followed quickly with the warmth of the cinnamon and something like cardamom. The spice flavors seem well blended, like the beer has been aged or something. Lots of after-tastes.. ham/bacon, more spices/herbs, licorice perhaps.

Surprisingly light. Like the beer turns into vapor when it hits your tongue. Quite refreshing.

Overall, a solid entry into the spiced/herbal beers from Rogue. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 00:19:38 | More by CaptMaelstrom

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

3.78/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Not bad looking, reddish with some orange hues, a bit hazy with a few rising bubbles, meh head and some decent lace.

I'm really on the fence on this one. It's kinda like they were trying to make a smoke beer but made a weak chili beer instead. They also seem to have made a smoke beer but forgot the dark malts. First smell and sip I was thinking "wtf" but after about half the beer it grew on me. It gets better as you go.

Body is good, rich and thick, almost chewy but with a smoky aftertaste.

Overall it's odd, but pretty good nonetheless. For a chile beer, it's darn tasty.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 21:41:59 | More by AlCaponeJunior

atigerlife

Hawaii

3.35/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3

Pours amber with lots of carbonation. Big fluffy head that has good retention.

Aroma is of malts, smokey....

Taste is spicy, malts, pepper. Leaves the tongue tingly. Curious.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and cleansing.

Overall, an interesting beer but not particularly sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2013 17:27:36 | More by atigerlife

DragonzBreath

Michigan

3.98/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Rogues Chipotle Ale --- Great looking in the glass, amber orange color with a nice fluffy head. I didn't notice a distinct smell, and very little smokiness. Good malt with no hop flavor, it was smooth and left a little burn at the end. Taco salad i paired with it brought out the chipotle. Abv 5.50
I would buy it again.

Serving type: bottle

01-13-2013 16:19:43 | More by DragonzBreath

skifreaky

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I wasn't completely sure what to expect when I had this beer, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. I had to take a couple sips of the beer before I could really notice the subtle taste of the peppers, but it adds a nice little kick to the end of your drink. Paired well with a buffalo chicken pizza.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 20:24:23 | More by skifreaky

kangarooAdam59

Maine

4.05/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

First time I've ever tried a "Chile Beer," glad I get to try something from a company I'm fairly familiar with, here goes:

In a pint glass:

A: light amber colored body, really nice looking foamy lumpy white two finger head appears and lasts for a good three minutes before gently dieing into the body. Some carbonation is seen rising. Some spotty lacing is left.

S: wow, I can really smell the jalapeno peppers (honestly, I was a bit skeptical and thought it would be just another amber that displays undertones of peppers)

T: the same adding a very dry smokey aftertaste.

M: medium and sharp on the tongue, possibly because of the peppers that were added (just an assumption, but unfamiliar with the style so slightly unsure). I'm liking this "hot" feel rushing over my tongue after about five minutes of having a couple sips of this, interesting.

O: I've been wanting to try this for a very long time. I'm glad I was finally able to find one. I'm not sure if this is only a "Spring" beer anymore since only recently I saw a large amount added to Bow Street Market, Freeport, Maine. I guess its good for its style since it displays the normal smell and taste of "hot and spicy food" the mouthfeel I'm unsure of and am making an assumption on that part, but I think I would come back to this. I wonder how this would pair with chocolate cake at dessert?

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2012 21:31:49 | More by kangarooAdam59

Justin23060

Virginia

2.78/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Slight head that disappeared to ice tea foam. Cloudy orange ice tea color
S - Sweet malt. Not as much chipotle smell as I was expecting. Slight pleasant leather that turned into unpleasant medicated bandade.
Taste is dominated by smokey chipoltle. Smoke is of mild rauchbier. Starts sweet end semi dry. Nice linger.
M - Adequate
O - Not super impressed by this one. The smoke was nice but he sandaid really killed it for me. Probably won't get this again, and can really recommend it in good conscience.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 04:23:20 | More by Justin23060

jwhancher

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +27.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a cloudy orange with amber highlights. Nice orangish fluffy head. Smells mostly malty, but as it warms you ger a nice subtle smokey pepper character. Tastes fantastic! The chipotles really shine through and are beautifully balanced with the malts. Virtually no hop character - I'd imagine they're strictly for bittering purposes at 35 IBUs. Feels medium with very nice balance between malts, hops, & spices. Really well done pepper beer. Something I'd like to brew myself. Pleasantly surprised!

Note: do not drink this beer with anything that is chipotle spiced. I had a chipotle spiced chicken burrito (homemade) and it completely masked this beer. I'd say try it with something neutral to spice up your meal. And don't worry: there's no noticeable heat in this brew - just yummy goodness.

Serving type: bottle

10-03-2012 23:17:36 | More by jwhancher

tdm168

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - orangish amber with a soft, white cap of dense head

S - smokey, peppers

T - all out chipotle peppers, some very very faint caramel

M - medium bodied, smooth, well carbonated

This isn't a bad beer, bit it comes across more as an ingredient rather than a beer. It has good flavor if you love chipotle peppers, but I'm not sure I would ever want more than this one bomber. I'm glad I tried it once.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 08:53:27 | More by tdm168

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

BrownAleMale

Wisconsin

2.2/5  rDev -38.5%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Bomber bottle poured into a Kasteel goblet glass.

Appearance- The color of cherry 7up with basically 0 head.

Smell- Not getting to much here, just a lot of char.

Taste- Follows the nose. Taste like chard Smokey campfire wood. Some bread malt with no real hop finish at all.

Mouthfeel- Once again think 7up. It's so carbonated. I actually would think this is a lager if it didn't say ale right on the bottle.

Overall- Was underwhelmed all around. Taste of liquid smoke not chipolte at all. I absolutely love spicy peppers and food and this is neither spicy or good at all. Super disappointed!

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 06:20:17 | More by BrownAleMale

Abrandonship

Nevada

4.45/5  rDev +24.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance:
I poured this beer directly from the bottle into red wine glass. The liquid was a reddish copper color and the head was a very pale tan. Just a shade off of white.

Smell:
The malt in this beer is very noticeable. The smell that the chipotle gives off is very faint. It's as if you walked into a room where chipotles where on display, rather than holding one up to your nose.

Taste:
The taste of this beer is very unique. The hop flavor is almost inevident, but chipotle fills that hole very nicely. It isn't a strong chile flavor though (scoville-phobes need not avoid this brew). The chipotle taste is not overbearing and definitely not spicy.

Mouth feel:
Drinking this beer gives me the feeling of having eaten a very spicy meal about 45 minutes ago. I just have a sort of a very gentle tingling in the gums and palate. I'm not sure I described that correctly, but it's a very enjoyable feeling.

Overall:
This is a very nice beer and a unique one to experience. This is my first chile beer, and I hope to explore many more offerings in the genre.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Though I wouldn't even call this spicy, I do enjoy really spicy food and the feeling you get from it.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 22:40:22 | More by Abrandonship

MeneerBeerSnob

District of Columbia

4.2/5  rDev +17.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bomber poured into a stein. Eaten with Chipotle drenched in Tabasco Chipotle sauce.

A-Deep amber with thin creamy tan head

S-Crisp ale with smokey peppers

T-Malty ale with after taste of chipotle peppers (obviously)

M-Just rich enough to let the malty sweetness and smoky peppers flow on your tongue

O-Very interesting take on an ale, but I highly recommend drinking with food with some kind of chipotle seasoning. It complements so well that they should sell it at all Mexican restaurants.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2012 00:23:54 | More by MeneerBeerSnob

smakawhat

Maryland

4.23/5  rDev +18.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

Real nice nearly crystal clear body and a wonderful just magic copper orange red color. Not much noticeable rising carbonation, but a nice fluffy head, three to four fingers deep forming real nicely, with a slight yellow hue to it.

Nose is great roasted pepper, char and slight burnt with airy crispness. It reminds of diving into a bowl of salsa. Hints of smoke whaff out of this almost like a rauchbier. Great smelling brew.

Palate hits the right notes. It's not wham hard, but a real nice subtle char and smoked pepper. Malt sweetness finishes the brew on the aftertaste, rounding out the flavors of pepper to meld nicely on the tongue. Mouthfeel has just the right amount of richness to bring everything forward, nothing thick or wet, just about simple and right.

OVerall great example of a chile and pepper action in a brew, I will have this again when in the mood.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2012 00:42:41 | More by smakawhat