Brutal Bitter Ale - Rogue Ales

WalterHeisenberg

New Mexico

4.91/5  rDev +21.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Aggressive pour into goblet
A: cloudy orange fat off white head. Dies slowly good lacing. Looks mighty tasty
S: Biscuity big lemon orange citrus malty floral hops.smells bitter. Smells as good as it looks
T:Biscuty malty hoppy Bitter orange rind Bitter malty orange dry finish. Malt orange bitter hops linger BUT all balanced very well. Hoppy over the toppy. It ain't called brutal bitter for nothing
M: a tad bit thin at first. Then smooth chewey sticky.
O: It is bitter all around but not brutally. But it's a balanced bitter. Very smooth. Overall a top notch IPA looks smell taste are all quality.You can definetly do way worse I can see this being a bitter pale ale.And this particular bottle was old. I found it in the back of my pantry. Been there 10-12 months. Still pretty nice.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2013 00:18:39 | More by WalterHeisenberg

SometimesIfart

Michigan

2.03/5  rDev -49.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

A - Popped the top and was instantly met by an overflow. Pours a murky orange with a three finger slightly off-white head. Left good lacing.

S - Upon twenty attempted whiffs, i could not pick up a damn thing.

T -A small amount of grapefruit and pineapple quickly transition to nothing but water.

M - Medium bodied with high carbonation.

O - What. The. FUCK. This beer is neither brutal nor bitter. Where's the flavor? it tasted like grapefruit flavored water. And even that didn't stick around for more than half a second. Yes i checked the date on the bottle and it's only a few weeks old. this was the blandest IPA ( If you can even call it that ) That I have ever had. I wasted nearly 8 bucks on this atrocity.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 03:36:13 | More by SometimesIfart

Kremlock

Ontario (Canada)

4.06/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: Thick white frothy head that is 1 inch thick. high lacing with big legs. Some of the foam sticks in chunks to the glass. Beer is unfiltered, hazy and orange in colour.

S: Orange, grapefruit and citrus aromas. Malty, bready backbone balances the hop aromas.

T: Citrus flavours well balanced with some bready malt.

M: med-high body, balanced flavours, dry finish.

O: This is a great ipa. Well balanced 50-50 hop to malt.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 00:20:58 | More by Kremlock

JordanPhraczek

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Served in a Baxter Brewery Can-shaped glass out of a 22oz Bottle bought at Depot Liquors in Beverly, MA.

A - Clear dulled orange body with a quickly rising beige head. Bubbles in this burst apart like molten lava and eventually dissipate into a one finger head. Filtered.

S - Smooth citrus hop smell. No alcohol detected. I dipped my nose into the head because the smell was luring me in, I wish it was even stronger. Pine notes upon exhalation.

T - Crystal hops with a nice earthy malt taste, lighter but this beer delivers. The namesake of this beer would not lead you to believe it is 5.8% alcohol, but given all the IPAs that raise the alcohol % way up to achieve this kind of flavor, I'd say this beer flawlessly delivered a drinkable ale with great hop taste. As with lots of Rogue beers and some of the other Northern Cali/Oregon beers the cleanliness of the brew is noticeable.

M - The malt sticks to your tongue and forms an even film on your tongue that the hop taste builds off, so the mouthfeel in this beer is pretty outstanding. The head on the beer lasted until the end and formed a pillow of foam to drink once the beer was finished.

O - I thought because of the name that I was getting a DIPA, and I am pleasantly surprised that this beer was lighter than most northwest IPAs with this kind of flavor. A clean, crisp, earthy offering from Rogue that reminds you of great home brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-18-2013 22:33:52 | More by JordanPhraczek

SebD

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Appearance: It has a nice hazy golden/orange color to it. It has a nice bubbly off-white head that dies down moderately and leaves nice lacing.

Smell: The aromas definitely give out hints of floral and grassy hops, some light citrus and sweet bready malts.

Taste: Like the aromas, it has some floral notes, grassy hops, some pine resins, a touch of citrus and some sweet bready/toasty malts.

Mouthfeel: It has a low/medium carbonation with a nice overall balance and feel.

Drinkability: It's a smooth drinkable beer accompanied with good flavors and aromas.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 20:42:21 | More by SebD

CaptMaelstrom

Tennessee

4.05/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A - Cloudy and orange.

S - Hoppy.

T - The first time I tried this beer, I thought it was a perfect 5. Now, I'm not sure it's hoppy enough. Still nicely balanced and quite bitter.

M - Smooth and creamy, like a wheat beer more than an IPA.

O - Balanced. Doesn't really live up to the brutal namesake. But good.

Serving type: bottle

03-29-2013 19:05:26 | More by CaptMaelstrom

Digimaika2

Ontario (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Bottle has a production date of Jan. 10, 2013. Last one on the shelf. It was meant to be.

(4.25) A: Cloudy and copper with a very pleasing frothy/bubbly foam head. Commendable retention and evident lacing down the glass.

(4.25) S: Damp pine, rich buttered bread, oranges, honey, toffee, faint peppermint, and spices. Overall a smooth and gentle aroma that is as much malty as it is hoppy along with a bit of a sweeter emphasis. Not a very strong aroma but what’s there is very nice.

(4.25) T: Wet pine, juicy yet non-tart citrus fruits, floral qualities, rich bread-like backbone, assorted spices, and a tea-like taste. This is very smooth and very well balanced from what I can taste. The hearty malt presence gives the citrus fruits a juicy and modest taste that increases the drinkability as this is very palatable.

(4.5) M: Med-full bodied with moderate carbonation. Nice and oily with a bit of gritty texture. Well done.

(4.25) D: This is real interesting and a nice change of pace from intensely hoppy IPA’s (not that there’s anything wrong with those). The taste profile is quite diverse, flavourful, yet down to earth. I may have to scrounge the liquor stores for more of these.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 01:32:32 | More by Digimaika2

DeltaGolfSierra

Tennessee

3.53/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance is ight copper with a smaller than average head that fades quickly. The scent of hop oils is citrus and pine, and while it is a pleasing smell, it seems a bit subdued compared to other IPAs. The taste is a bit subdued as well, as hop bitterness does not overpower a malt y sweetness. Not brutally bitter by any means. Mouthfeel is average. Overall, there is nothing particularly memorable about this beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2013 01:18:40 | More by DeltaGolfSierra

Liquoric3

Germany

3.6/5  rDev -10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nice orange golden colour with a two finger white head. Label on the bottle is simple but I like it. Smell is not as intense as in many other IPAs ( think it is an old bottle) I had but still very pleasant, I get light citrus and pine.
Taste is also citrus, but mostly pine and all tastes come in very mild. Pleasant hop bitterness on the palate not very intense but really enjoyable. Body is medium. I think it is a good IPA for beginners who are new to the style but nothing outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 14:32:22 | More by Liquoric3

tdm168

North Carolina

3.74/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A - orange with a huge, towering, white head that has good retention

S - faint bread, some citrusy hop aromas

T - faint bready malt, citrusy, pineapple, grapefruit, mildly bitter finish

M - medium bodied, well carbonated

This is an easy drinking IPA, but there isn't much here. The flavor is good, but simple. Despite the "brutal" promise it just doesn't deliver. I get more citrus than bitter. Overall, not a bad beer and it may be worth a tick, but it's not one that I'll purchase again.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 04:30:43 | More by tdm168

fatmusic14

Colorado

4.14/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Bomber found at my local store. Poured into a GD pint glass.

One of the prettiest pours I've seen in a long time. Off white creamy head, about half an inch. Little lacing. Color looks like a dried apricot and fried chicken. SO golden brown, really really nice.

Smells kind of generic for an IPA, but not really in a bad way. Smells fresh, hops, earth, piney. Some citrus (maybe grapefruit, but nose is a little more tart). Not quite what I was expecting.

Tastes fantastic. Heavy citrus, hops, floral in nature. Not overpowering as the name might suggest, really smooth and well done.

Mouthfeel is better than expected. Highly drinkable (name is kind of misleading, but I'm ok with that). Great carbonation, bubbles dancing throughout the whole pint. Great tastes, during and after.

Overall I'd recommend this to anyone. A pleasant surprise

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 01:03:09 | More by fatmusic14

BurgeoningBrewhead

Pennsylvania

4.48/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured entire bomber into a 34oz mug. Cloudy light orange with a thick, foamy white head that sticks around everywhere. Smell is hops and flowers, but subdued by malty sweetness. I found this rebranded as Brutal IPA, and it is an IPA, so I was expecting a more hoppy taste. The hops are more of an equal presence in the flavor, instead of the overbearing leader. This beer seems to follow its name more than its style; it's more akin to an ESB than an IPA in my opinion. Still a great beer, fullbodied despite the average %abv. A solid offering from Rogue (would you expect anything else?)

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2013 03:57:37 | More by BurgeoningBrewhead

skifreaky

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I've consumed a lot of IPAs and I have to say that this has been one of my favorites. It has a nice cloudy appearance with good head, a floral and fruity aroma, a good amount of hops with a nice strong bite, and a very satisfying beer to drink both going down and after. If you are an IPA fan, you will like this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 20:30:22 | More by skifreaky

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.68/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

We pour a pumpkin colored brew holding a two and a half finger head of creamy off white bubbles. This shows great retention, leaving sticky, honeycomb lacing down the glass. Carbonation appears moderate. There is a definite haze throughout, with flecks of yeasty sediment from the last quarter of the bottle. The nose gives clean pale malts, fusel booze, lightly browned red apples, marshmallow sugars, cloudy muskiness, bright lemon, and sticky pine for hops. There is a high sweetness in the form of tart citric candy and bittering hoppy rind, but in the sickly sweet kind of way. Warmth brings light plastics, a chalky grittiness, and more floral hop aromas. Our first impression is that the advertised bitterness delivers, with the feel giving surprising airiness. As we sip, pale and caramel malts, with soured chalkiness, meet with bittering floral and grapefruit hops. Booze comes to the peak, with a pale wash of gritty malts, mineral, bready yeast, and those same bittering hops. The finish takes an interesting turn, with the hops quickly becomes subdued by a mineral water wash, more pale malts, light phenolic plastics, and floral notes of hops without the bitterness. The aftertaste breathes of light lactics, plastics, yeasty muskiness, mineral, and faint spiciness of earthy, soapy, and citric hops. The body is lighter, and the carbonation is medium to high. The bubbles don’t prickle the palate as much as coat and pad it. There is good foam, cream, slurp, and pop on each sip, with the lip left with a brush of froth. The entire sip is airy and light. The abv is appropriate, and the beer drinks nicely.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the drinkability due to the interesting design of the sip. The bitterness expected came all at the start of the sip, with a bit of flow through the center of the mouth. By the finish, however, most of the bitterness and overt hoppiness was washed through by waters and a sweeter malty mash. In this sense, you get all the bitterness of a “brutal IPA” but not the intense flooring pucker through the aftertaste and feel. This makes the beer very drinkable, and keeps you sipping easily throughout.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 01:07:10 | More by TheBrewo

StJamesGate

New York

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

On tap at WJ Kavanagh's, Dublin.

Hazy honey blonde with lumpy white carpet that webs.
Passionfruit, wax, flowers and orange sherbet - booming fresh nose.
Melon, more passionfruit, Orange Whip, a touch of toffee and a bit of hoppy grassiness at the end.
Resiny finish and slightly woody linger.
Medium, round, some chew, and sticky.

Nothing brutal about this: sweet, sweet, citrus/tropical fruit fiesta that recalls Lagunitas for being compellingly gluggable. Not particularly English, in spite of the malts. Plenty of resiny hops without the IBU hit, which makes me madly curious about Crystal. Well-integrated and sooo easy.

Rogue's best next to Shakespeare.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2012 16:24:40 | More by StJamesGate

CHickman

New York

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

Pours cloudy orange copper color with sediment floating in it like snowflakes in a globe, a massive 2 finger foamy off white head that faded very slowly and was full of big bubbles of all sizes, leaving decent lacing and a foamy layer on top.

Smells of big hops up front with grapefruit and pine leading the charge, followed by orange peel, lemon zest, guava, citrus hops, flowers, floral hops, biscuit and light grains; smells like fresh wet hops were added and has that hop oil nose – damn inviting nose.

Tastes like it smells, big hops up front including citrus hops, grapefruit, orange peel, lemon zest, guava, piney hops, fruit like pear or apricot, floral hops, herbs, biscuit, light grains, wheat bread, brown sugar, caramel, light spices and fresh cut grass; fresh hops essence is in the flavor profile as well, but this only has mild bitterness which leads me to question the name…it’s not brutally bitter, it’s quite the opposite and very quaffable. There’s a little spice nip, but the malts add great balance to let the hops dance on your taste-buds and let all the complexities come through.

Mouthfeel is creamy and buttery smooth, with light almost watery carbonation, a medium chewy body, and a sweet finish that’s full of citrus notes and only slightly bitter.

Big time IPA, nope; very above average IPA, yep; could it not be an IPA, yes indeed; no matter how bad they labeled this brew did I enjoy it, definitely. This was a different beer from when I first tried it years ago, but it was really good and a session beer for me. This is a cross between an IPA, and ESB and an English Pale Ale, but it just tastes good. Ignore the classification and pick up this Rogue classic, sit back and enjoy a craft beer pioneer. Highly drinkable, I’m not waiting years to have this again, I really enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2012 04:38:44 | More by CHickman

Serge

Alberta (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle. Pours a great amber with a slight haze. Fine, creamy, white head. Good duration. Aroma is hoppy, lots of pine and grapefruit. Some good, clean maltiness as well. Medium carbonation, fine creaminess. Flavor has a very nice malt base, some sharpish hops. Relatively bitter, some caramel and a good, lasting flavor of pine and fruity hops. Nice.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 10:44:55 | More by Serge

cougznthebear

4.3/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Though i would pop my reviewing cherry on this hop bomb.

A - Poors Hazy almost amber color.

S- Smells resinous dank greenery, some sweet malt notes

T- Hoppy with a piney/citrus hop bite. toasted sweet malts, Finishes with a orange peel bitterness thats not over the top and quite pleasant

M- Medium Body, the carbonation was a little thin but in this case it works, lets the hops shine.

O- A Extremely well balanced ipa(doesn't make my mouth feel abused afterward) pity its so expen$ive here.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 05:33:51 | More by cougznthebear

t2thebro

Iowa

4.03/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A- murky orange with hints of amber color, full two finger head. Sticky lacing.

S- light biscuity malt, and earthy sweet grass smell.
Some orange zest and apricot scents.

T- this beer has maybe the strangest bitterness I have tasted. There is a balance in the hop, and alchohol bitterness. Neither dominates but both are subtle flavors to balance a huge hop bill. Starts fresh, fruity, grassy and ends with a defined earthy pine note. Makes for a long stretch of differing flavors. Wonderful balance in hops not so much grains.

M- medium to low carb, smooth.

O- I think rogue is over rated from time to time but this is a great beer. If I could get it in six packs I would definitely pick it up from time to time but at $7 for two glasses I can find a comparable beer for much less cost. Strangely amazing balance of hop flavors, which compliment each other well. This is a hop ale not an ipa, brewers need to get off the ipa fad and use either a apa or hop ale label. Not an India pale ale.

Beer snobs unite!

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 00:25:24 | More by t2thebro

WastingFreetime

Wisconsin

3.03/5  rDev -24.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed from notes.

Pours out a lightly hazed typical orangish amber color with about two fingers of white foam that lasts for two to three minutes, leaving behind medium amounts of lacing. Medium body and carbonation levels.

I don't understand what is so "Brutal" about this beer, and I'm not even sure it passes as an IPA. It smells and tastes of a very green, zesty, and leafy medium-light hopping with orange peel and herbals being the central focus over a lighter toasted / crackery malt that presents the flavor and aroma spectrum of a fairly good PA, but most certainly not an IPA, much less a "Brutal IPA". If the label didn't lie to me, I'd have almost nothing negative to say about this one. It really pushes my buttons when labels misrepresent the bottle contents like this.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 23:26:19 | More by WastingFreetime

Fatehunter

Oregon

4.15/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Into a tall glass. Three fingers of head, dark straw, little hazy body.
A spruce and citrus smell. Nice and strong.
Starts with solid maltiness, moves towards a stronger bitterness. Pine and lemon shine through. Great complexity and balance.
Medium body and moderate carbonation. A medium bitter finish.
An excellent IPA, can't go wrong with this one.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 00:53:28 | More by Fatehunter

dmatsui

3.38/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a bomber into a Chimay Goblet. Tulip was dirty, so sue me.

Two-finger off white head, good retention. Looks like a typical, unfiltered IPA.

Mostly malt characteristics in the nose but with some grassy hops, There's a sweet, raw honey-esque sweetness.

Good spicy hops, clean malts and good mouthfeel. The hops are not particularly strong or robust, but very clean. The mouthfeel is perfect.

Overall Brutal is a fairly standard IPA in my opinion but very well balanced and is definitely a quality brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 01:21:24 | More by dmatsui

thatruth

Washington

4.53/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz from Cornwall Corner Store poured into a pint glass at Dave's.

Pours a champagne color with a pear like tint. Middle finger head with chalky, off white lacing: both which last for days. Light amber-copper color with orange peel hues.

Smells hoppy, but not brutally so. I've smelled hoppier. Although, the quality of the hops on the nose is superlative. Equally wheaty as it is citrusy.

Mouthfeel is simply flat and dry with a quick finish. Aftertaste quiches your thirst as you pine for another sip.

Taste- Kindly spicy. Hops are exotic. The hefty bready taste adds to this one greatly and makes the brew filling and makes you want for more. A hearty brew.

Overall - A badass brew. Impressed for the 8 bucks I spent. Great color, great look, great taste.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 21:09:48 | More by thatruth

dbell23

Tennessee

4.65/5  rDev +15.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Libation Station for having this on draft. It's now called Brutal IPA. Poured from a growler into a tulip glass. Hazy amber orange in color, with a two finger head with good retention and great lacing.

Smell is sweet hoppy with malt undertones. Not hoppy like an ipa but more sweet hoppy with malt. Doesn't smell like an ipa.

Taste is really good. Slightly hoppy to start with sweet citrus hoppy in the middle and a really nice hoppy finish. Not hoppy like an ipa just really smooth hop flavor. This is an incredibly balanced beer. Almost perfect hop malt balance.

Mouthfeel is almost perfect as well. Really smooth with an almost oily mouthfeel.

Overall this is one of my favorite Rogue beers. Brutal? No. Ipa? No. Really good beer? Oh yeah. It's definitely an esb. If you go by the name and are expecting a smack in the mouth ipa you will be disappointed. If you like a great esb you'll really like this beer. Far be it from me to give advice to Rogue's marketing department, but if they called this what it is-an esb, they'd sell more beer.

Serving type: growler

09-15-2012 21:06:57 | More by dbell23

TheSixthRing

California

4.13/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance - Pours a hazy honey amber with a white finger width head, good retention, resulting in a consist, somewhat sticky lace.

Smell - Notes of floral hop, citrus, toasted bready malts and fruity esters.

Taste - Hits strong with toasty malt notes, and hops that are both floral and citric. Superbly balanced. Finishes with a soft orange peel bitterness.

Mouthfeel - Medium-bodied and a nice, lively carbonation that bites at the roof of the mouth.

Overall - Just like the Lagunitas DayTime I had last night, this is really not an IPA despite what's on the label. Hell, Rogue's own website classifies it as a Bitter. Why'd they change the name from Brutal Bitter to Brutal IPA? To cash in on the IPA craze? If so, for shame on my favorite brewery.

I might just be splitting hairs here. Regardless, this is one hell of a beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2012 04:18:13 | More by TheSixthRing