Mogul Madness Ale - Rogue Ales

woodychandler

Pennsylvania

4.88/5  rDev +30.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

My locals (including my out-the backdoor neighbor) have really been stocking up on Rogue! Love, love, love it. Especially when, as I walk in, they are so proud of the new beers they have in stock. Freshness is occasionally an issue, but not in this case.

From the bottle: "A lively seasonal ale, assertively hopped, dark in color and festive in taste."

I poured gently as I could see at least a modicum of sediment in the bottom of the bottle and I still got a finger of deep-tan head with excellent retention. Color was a deep ruby-red with cola highlights. Beautiful! Nose was "like chewing on pine needles" as one wag recently said to me. Har! Wow, was the the taste gooood! We/I recently postulated on the pairing of Girl Scout cookies and beer and this would either be like gilding the lily to the Thin Mints or a perfect accompaniment. It was medium-bodied, but it had a beautiful marriage of chocolate/coffee malt and wintergreen hops on the tongue. Gott dang! It suddenly struck me as more of a dessert beer, like in lieu of a Grasshopper, but samey same. OMFG, I would totally lay this on a lotta people that claim not to like "hoppy" beers. Phuckin' phenomenal! Finish was clean and dry, like a deep breath on the mountains. Try some today!

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2011 22:09:29 | More by woodychandler

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.53/5  rDev +21.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a deep, opaque, stout-like sable with a nice tan head that leaves behind some average lacing. Aroma is seriously hoppy, having a firm evergreen tone like fresh-cut pine wood. Bold flavor has considerable hoppiness and some bitterness with woody and earthy notes and just a hint of caramel. Firm-bodied texture is fairly fizzy and leaves a tingly, slightly smoky finish. Go mad!

Serving type: on-tap

12-23-2011 19:07:22 | More by Cyberkedi

lacqueredmouse

Australia

4.48/5  rDev +20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at the brewery in Newport, OR.

Pours a deep red colour, quite clear, with solid weight behind it. Head is yellow tending to beige, and forms a solid ring. Fine, but arrogant carbonation. Who knows what I mean by arrogant.

Nose is big and juicy and sweet. Toffee comes through strongly, with touches of stewed dates, rum and brandy. It's Xmas pudding in a glass: heavy and sweet, no doubt about it, but with solidity and purpose.

Light toffee entry before a big welling of sweetness and more booze than expected hits mid to late in the picture. Dates and prunes come through along with a dusty roasted character that melds towards a slightly cutting astringency at the end. This helps clean out the palate from that clinging sweetness, leaving a very harmonious if cacophonic whole.

Feel is exceptionally smooth.

Drinkability: well, I'd think it was too heavy, but it's not huge overall. At only 6.6% it's actually light enough to drink more than one, and the awesome depth and complexity ensures you want more than one. Love it.

Serving type: on-tap

07-23-2012 06:21:43 | More by lacqueredmouse

CampusCrew

Florida

4.45/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

had this at the huge kickbacks dinner in Jacksonville, FL. I took some notes but mostly doing this from memory.
Appearance: dark burgundy in color,
Smell: citus hop aromas
Taste: intense hop flasvor backed up with a great maltbackbone. berry/mocha flavors to boot. comaplex brew and one of the winners tonight

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2010 17:30:46 | More by CampusCrew

BeerNinja007

New Hampshire

4.43/5  rDev +18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Ramunto's in Lebanon NH. Served in a standard pint alongside two specialty pizza slices for a cool $10. Reviewed from notes taken this evening.

A: Slightly hazy brown/ dark copper brew shows red highlights against a light. Thin light brown head.

S: Fairly intense and very balanced, a bunch of malt and a bit more hops. Hops are a mix of herby, citrus, grass. Malt is bready and brown sugar, like a crisp brown ale.

T: Great mixed hoppiness of mixed citrus rind, pine, a bunch of florals and fruits. Malt backbone is bread and brown sugar, slight caramel and vanilla notes. The finish is residual hop, candied cherries, cinnamon, apricot.

M: Medium/ medium-heavy body, great balance. Good carbo, mostly dry finish with a bit of hop resin.

D: Great! Very tasty. Alcohol not apparent but it feels like approx 7%.

Serving type: on-tap

12-16-2010 01:15:00 | More by BeerNinja007

ADZA

Australia

4.35/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This brew pours a dark amber,red colour and almost looks like brown creaming soda with a nice two finger foamy head and heaps of nice lacing around the glass,the aromas are coffee,herbal piney hops and a touch of kiwi fruit,it has a weighty mouthfeel although its just weighted nicely enough to easily have another sip after another with tastes of piney,herbal hops the first thing i taste followed by a nicely balanced middle body of caramel,toffee malts that really smooths out the tailend of this beer to make it not really that bitter as i was expecting with the 7 hops that they have used i was expecting a big bitter bomb right at the end but not at all and to be quite honest this has to be one of the best balanced beers that i have had and if you come across this brew i highly recommend you buy a few of them as im going back to my bottleshop tomorrow to buy more,definately a top class beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2009 11:41:56 | More by ADZA

atsprings

North Carolina

4.33/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On-tap at Woody's City Market served a dark amber almost brown with a decent light-tan head. Aroma is pine hops and burnt caramel. The taste is a nice blend of burnt caramel, burnt toast, and bitter pine hops, paired with that distinctive Pacman yeast characteristic, this is a very tasty brew. The beer is medium bodied with smooth carbonation. I must admit, being from North Carolina I hold all Winter Warmers to the standard set by Highland Cold Mountain Winter, and while the style had a wide range, this one is likely the best on I've had that's on the hoppy side!

Serving type: on-tap

11-24-2009 22:12:38 | More by atsprings

ShogoKawada

Rhode Island

4.3/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

An interesting beer, this is. 22oz into standard pint.

A- A dirty-penny copper with a brown sugar head, 3 fingers. Great lacing, well-formed head, good staying power. Nice all the way around.

S- Sweet, mildly roasted malt, cinnamon, and a faint coffee kicker. Pretty hearty.

T- Whoa! Deep, rich, heavy flavors. Like black coffee, a hint of cinnamon... deep dark malts grown in the Marianas Trench. Incredible depth of flavor from the malt. I am impressed. Impossibly flavorful. Hopped a fair amount, but the strength of the malt is what kicks your teeth in on this.

M- Thick, heavy, but superb carbonation leaves this one feeling crisp and easier to drink than you would think from the magnitude of the flavors.

D- High. One is more than enough, but I really, really, really like this beer. I will buy some more... congrats, Rogue... this beer is a home run!

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2009 19:56:10 | More by ShogoKawada

wingman14

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had on tap at Rogue Ales Public House in San Francisco.

Pours brown with red highlights, and no real head when it came to my table. Smell is inviting, hops up front with citrus notes and a kick of pine. The flavor was smooth with the citrus and hops up front, followed with subtle bitter notes. The hops lingered in the aftertaste with the pine. A medium mouthfeel beer with deep flavor, but not very complex, but is done very well. This one is an easy drinker, definitely worth checking out.

Serving type: on-tap

03-28-2011 03:06:05 | More by wingman14

Mantooth

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured on draft at Tyler's (Carrboro, NC) into a Rogue pint glass.

A: A rich beautiful burgandy colored brew with minimal head (poured slowly by the bartender) and thin, delicate lacing throughout.

S: Big nose - piney hops, caramel malt, roasted nuts, burnt toast and a smidge of vanilla.

T: Suprisingly hoppy with a caramel malty background that evens out the hops and slight heat. I'm tasting pistachios, vanilla and maybe a little blackberry.

M: The mouthfeel is silky, dry from the hops and fairly warming from the alcohol.

O: Pretty hoppy for a winter warmer but the malt backbone evens out the hops and heat, making this one of the better brews I've had by Rogue in some time.

Serving type: on-tap

02-14-2012 13:43:15 | More by Mantooth

TwelveOunces

Kentucky

4.23/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bomber shared with a friend

This beer pours very dark black brown with reddish hints and a nice tan head. It has a very hoppy nose with fruity hops and a crisp bitterness. The taste is very hoppy, consisting of citrus fruits and a modest astringency to it. It has a strong backing of caramel malts and some carafa. Its dark and smooth yet not too heavy as it looked quite thick. This is a unique and refreshing brew that I really enjoyed. I do however disagree that this is a winter warmer, It tastes 100% like a black IPA and nothing like a winter warmer. No complaints about that being that black IPA's are one of my favorite styles. This is a solid beer, very similar to their dads helper black IPA.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2012 08:19:29 | More by TwelveOunces

ggilman

Maine

4.22/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 oz. bomber poured into a tulip glass.

A - Coffee colored w. a touch of cream. Thin frothy head, reminds me of an espresso.

S - Hops & Coffee Beans, Sweetly pungent

T - Hops are present up front, but masked with a roasted coffee, Kahlua covering. Hint of alcohol and candied fruit. Delicious roasted espresso tobacco finish. Nicely balanced.

M&D - Smooth, rich. Not overly done. The toasted hues linger, and alcohol settles in, in a relaxing way. At 6.60%, session-able, and feels like you could get into it without it overpowering you. Lighter than I've made it sound.

The Rogue Chocolate Stout is out of this world, and over the top chocolaty. This is a nice hoppy alternative, that you can stick with all night if you find it on tap.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2011 18:40:45 | More by ggilman

russpowell

Oklahoma

4.22/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Review based on notes, drank in late November

Pours caramel with 3 fingers of tan head. Great lacing & good head retention

S: Herbal & piney hops & a little brown sugar

T: Breadyness, piney & herbal hops up front along with a smidge of brown sugar. Dryness & brown sugar as this warms. Finishes with a herbal hop bite, some boozey warmth & more brown sugar

MF: Medium bodied, smooth carbonation, nice balance & a nice warming sensation

A good winter warmer, easily one of the best Rogue beers I've had in a long time

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 04:16:20 | More by russpowell

loren01

Oregon

4.2/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a reddish brown color, good sized head with nice lacing down the glass
S: Smell is nice and hoppy, piney hops mostly. Also earthy scents and slight yeast
T: Roasted malt flavor and coffee followed by earthy/piney hop aftertaste
M: Medium bodied beer carbonation feels about right to me
O: This is a tasty beer really complex in the aroma and taste. Hadn't had this one before but I'm glad I picked it up.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2011 01:07:14 | More by loren01

TheSixthRing

California

4.2/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance - Pours a dark cola brown, with a fat, 3 finger light caramel head, good retention, and the lace stays thick and sticky.

Smell - Classic Rogue smells here - chocolate, coffee and caramel maltiness, backed by a slight hoppy aroma.

Taste - Different than the aroma; pine and citrus hops are at the forefront, then followed up with some darkly roasted malt, coffee with light caramel and slightly bitter chocolate notes. The bitter chocolate follows through into the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Medium body. Creamy. Carbonation provides a decent bite on the tongue.

Overall - A very, very good Winter Warmer offering from Rogue. Classic Rogue flavors, but stands on it's own merit. Flavors are bold. A bit too much pine in the hop for my liking, but still a complex, aggressive winter warmer.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2012 03:37:32 | More by TheSixthRing

olympuszymurgus

Minnesota

4.18/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

we arrived at the eugene city brewery and just happened upon the brewer here at this fine rogue establishment. nate showed us around as i attempted desperately to nurse this fine ale. can a brown thing sparkle? i feel so. a winter warmer? maybe. an ipa? not quite. and not a cda? no, indeed, not. somewhere in between these beers lies the mogul madness, a deliciously hopped winter ale that is a treat to the northwest, and indeed, anywhere else it goes. grassiness and pines, like imagining what lies beneath when you're trekking with giant pads beneath your feet. a solid body, and an amazing finish. usually i'm a rogue hater, i mean, i don't hate rogue, i just wish for so much more from them. am i reconverted?

Serving type: on-tap

02-10-2010 02:11:40 | More by olympuszymurgus

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.18/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

"It is sheer madness to live in want in order to be wealthy when you die."

--Juvenal

Caramel brown with bright orange accents... that becomes dark russet when backlit by my sun-drenched front window. The golden beige cap is a chunk of melted marshmallow-like beauty and there's already a ridiculous amount of sticky lace on the sides of the glass.

The aroma isn't quite as dark as a brown ale, but it leans in that direction. The toasted earthiness of Munich malt is noted, as is the tropical fruitiness of a hop bill that is more extensive than Rogue usually uses (Newport, Horizon, Simcoe, Centennial, Amarillo, Crystal and Willamette).

Mogul Madness is toothsome beer that manages to taste like a winter warmer without the use of spices or an estery yeast strain. Then again, an interesting grain bill, a generous amount of hops, and an ABV that's probably somewhere in the vicinity of 6.5-7.0% gets me every time.

Thankfully, caramel malt is more prominent than Munich on the taste buds. Kilncoffee malt was a fascinating choice, even if it doesn't impart any java beaniness to the proceedings. The hops have undoubtedly lost some of their initial 68 IBU swagger, but they're still going strong enough to rough up the tongue a little. Especially over the course of a bomber.

The flavor profile includes English toffee pudding studded with apricot chunks and golden raisins, then sprinkled with grated orange-grapefruit peel and tea leaves. The beer also has a fascinating vanilla-like quality that is reminiscent of a 'dark' cream ale. This is tasty stuff and is compulsively drinkable.

Rogue is one of those breweries (like GLBC) that always comes through on mouthfeel. This one is easily big enough for the job at hand, is softly silky smooth and is perfectly bubbled. What's not to like?

Sure, these guys have occasional issues with packaging and pricing, but the final product is incredibly satisfying much more often than not. Mogul Madness Ale isn't bumpy in the least. Rather, it's a smooth and delicious descent from first ounce to last.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2010 14:43:23 | More by BuckeyeNation

vette2006c5r

Wisconsin

4.18/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beers pours a dark and deep amber color with a little head that staed throughout. has a light smokey smell. tastes a bit smoked, starts hoppy, but not too much, finishes a bit malty, very unquie. nice strong taste gives it a nice mouthfeel, flavor lasts on your palatee for a while. Overall a good beer, very unquie very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

11-05-2010 01:58:19 | More by vette2006c5r

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked this up because I hadn't had a lot of bombers lately and this was a limited release for the winter. I love Rogue's beers but most of them tend to be pretty strong and/or hoppy. Amazingly, this beer was hoppy without being a bomb and not that strong, even though the ABV %'age isn't listed here. It's been a long time since I had something this balanced!

The pour was good but there could have been a bit more lacing to go along with the deep reddish-brown hue. The taste up front was that of crystalline sugar, followed by a fairly strong earthy hop presence that had floral, citrus, and caramel notes to it. It was just a bit short of being dry-hopped, and it was amazing to feel it slowly recede as the malty backbone kicked in. There wasn't any spice to be found here, which is why I was surprised to see this categorized as a Winter Warmer.

While this isn't the best beer that I've had from Rogue, it's probably the most drinkable of their offerings that I've ever tried. On a cold night like this, it's a welcome change from the darker beers that fill the shelves this time of the year and for someone trying out a winter seasonal, this is very good one to start with!

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2010 04:50:48 | More by JerzDevl2000

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Supposedly one of the early Cascadian Dark Ales, but I'd say it's more of an American Amber.

A: Deep, deep amber with a light tan head, great retention, awesome lacing.

S: Huge Amarillo hop nose, tangerine, nectarine, grapefruit, vanilla, sponge toffee, slightly grassy & floral.

T: Plenty of Amarillo. Tangerine, nectarine, aspirin sorta flavour, caramel, sponge toffee, solid bitterness.

M: Moderate to full body has a light residual sweetness and hop acidity.

D: A good drinker.

Serving type: bottle

01-02-2011 01:35:14 | More by Derek

ralree

Maryland

4.15/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Extremely deep red color, beautiful reddish brown head, great retention and perfect lacing. Just a fantastic looking beer.

S: Wonderful hops, just like I like them from the West Coast. Grapefruit, spices, and a hint of honey.

T: Hops a really fruity and strong, malt is a little on the weak side, but brown sugar comes through nicely. Definitely some coffee on the back end. Aftertaste is a bit of burnt toast, but really sweet. Rather light flavor, but I kind of like it. It's like a light IPA - really strange, but good! Might be a good one to indoctrinate non-IPA drinkers. I would prefer a stronger flavor personally, though.

M: Really light and refreshing - definitely something fit to drink after skiing. Completely non-astringent. Good carbonation. Not super-dry, but dry enough. Medium-light body.

D: Goes down pretty well. This is one to have on hand after a hard day's work. Not something to have as a treat, though, as the flavor is so light.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2011 01:28:37 | More by ralree

avalon07

South Carolina

4.13/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had an almost rusty hue to it and a thick, cloudy consistency. There was a big, light brown, foamy, long-lasting head. Excellent lacing.

S: A sharp smell of hops, caramel, pine, and malt.

T: Tasted of caramel, pine, an earthy quality, malt and a big shot of hops. A generally pretty well-rounded flavor that reminded me somewhat of a barleywine.

M: A well-carbonated beer with a slick, prickly finish. Medium-bodied.

O: This is a surprisingly tasty and well done beer. An interesting take on the Winter Warmer.

Serving type: bottle

07-27-2011 12:08:55 | More by avalon07

jwhancher

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Had bought a bomber bottle of this at Total Wine last month. Being that one week ago I had endured my Colorado skiing trip, I thought it would be a fitting occasion for this one.

A: Pours a cloudy, dark amber with two-finger head. Suds cling marvelously at the sides of the glass after the head faded to a respectable corner of the glass.

S: Nice American hop aromas going on. Spicy & piney hops with good malt undertone to back things up. I get pepper notes, maybe some cinnamon-like aromas, and a sticky caramel bar sweetness.

T: Lots of malt character in this. A real face punch full of malts. The hops follow in the end with the piney character mostly. The malts feel cocoa-like with some roast, nice crystal sweetness and a bit of a grainy character. I also get the spicy, peppery, almost cinnamon-like holiday notes as I did in the nose.

M: Feels medium. Nice malt character that's evened out with a sufficient amount of hops. A nice bitter quality to it. Solid.

O: I really enjoy this. I could easily see me having this again during some ski trip or even during the holiday season while I dream of my next ski vacation. A nice offering from Rogue. While I haven't had too many of their beers at this point, I can already feel the Rogue "trademark taste" in this one. I also like that they used some proprietary ingredients in this one. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2012 17:50:18 | More by jwhancher

stampfler07

Georgia

4.13/5  rDev +10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Dark amber-brown with a thick, lacy, light brown head

S- Strong piney hop, sweet maltiness comes through as well

T- Moderately roasted malt sweetness and light bitterness to start, takes on more of a pine hop character towards the middles, slight alcohol warming, finish has lingering light bitterness and a faintly yeasty/straw flavor

M- Moderate in both body and carbonation

O- An enjoyable brew, just seems to have more dark ale-like characteristics than that of a winter warmer to me.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2012 02:09:44 | More by stampfler07

PBoegel

New York

4.1/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bomber into a 22 oz stein, pours a deep red tea with dark wood stain brown colors and a dense lacing deep tan head.

Aromas are reminiscent of old ales , burnt dark sugars, dates and a bold mix of hops.

Flavor is very solid mix of coffee and espresso character with dark fruit and citrus/tropical fruit notes from the hops, very well attenuated with a solid rich malt base. Finish is toward dry and hop accentuated.

Extremely solid and drinkable ale with lots of robust character and an assertive hop bitterness.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2009 04:27:38 | More by PBoegel