John John Dead Guy Ale - Rogue Ales

Cresant

Kentucky

2.23/5  rDev -41.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

Poured this 22 oz. brown bottle into a Sierra Nevada hops glass. No date. The body was the color of a penny and clear of sediment. The light tan head left creamy lacing. Pretty.

Smell was simple - whiskey.

Taste was whiskey and Rogue yeast. Malty, caramel sweetness, but primarily whiskey. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this one but I just felt like I was drinking a bad whiskey cocktail. I am no stranger to bourbon barrel aged beers but this one was too overpowering.

Mouthfeel was medium in body with adequate zippy carbonation. Not one I would seek out again, but if you really like whiskey, this is your beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2010 19:46:56 | More by Cresant

Jeffo

Netherlands

2.23/5  rDev -41.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Dad picked this up in NC sometime in the spring. Thanks for thinking of me pops!

From a bomber into a snifter
Dead Guy Ale in Dead Guy whisky barrels

APPEARANCE: Pours a two finger, very loose, fizzy, off-white head with lousy retention. Head quickly fades to a good foam cap and holds there. Perfectly clear saftey orand in color with medium carbonation evident. Only a faint, splotchy wisp and ring remain with touches of lacing down the glass. Really lousy head, but the body was quite nice, which saved it some.

SMELL: Caramel, toffee, and then some green fruits, like apples and pears. Some honey and spicy notes from the yeast, perhaps. Almost something Belgian about it, like a Belgian pale or triple. Relatively mild on the nose as well.

TASTE: Mild in flavor as well. Caramel and toffee up front with some green fruits at the swallow. Green apples, pears, and then a mild and lingering finish of malt sweetness, fruits, a light, spicy yeast note and a hint of oak vanilla flavors. The barrel is very mild on this one, and the base beer isn't all that impressive either. The yeasty, green fruit charecter reminds me of Belgian pales/triples as well.

PALATE: Medium-light body and higher levels of carbonation. A little prickly on the palate, could definitely be smoother, goes down fine and finishes a touch dry on the palate. Definitely needs to be creamier and smoother.

OVERALL: Unfortunately there are no dates on this, but this bottle isn't more than 6 months out from being sold. Mild in the nose and taste, and the barrels are boring at best. I guess they decided to just put an unimpressive beer into unimpressive barrels. The feel sucks as well. This is a boring beer I'd hope they'd forget about making again. I've had better from Rogue. Thanks again for the beers dad. Always appreciate you thinking of me while you're lapping up the sun.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 13:57:36 | More by Jeffo

JayAre46

Texas

2.25/5  rDev -41.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

had on tap at MLG AND...HERE...WE...GO

A - ok, presented in a tall pilsner style glass hazy red orange color, could have been the low temp of the beer. Absolutely zero head, just a thin ring around the edges, and obviously no lacing.

S - this beer is of sweet caramel malts maybe a hint of toasted malts, vanilla, not getting any hops, not a lot of bourbon in the nose as well but thats probably for the better.

T - this is where it got bad for me, absolutely a cloying mess on the sweetness; aramel, vanilla, bourbon, and malts all over the place and maybe i just missed the hops. There is a hint of woody flavors but not enough to overcome any of this messy concoction, and where are the hops?!?!?! the worst part is that the temp was most likely well under the recommended serving level, thank God everything was dormant in the brew and didn't come to life.

M -light to medium and slick, medium carbonation. nothing to rave about.

O - i have never given the majority of a beer to the drain at a bar, i kept trying and i just gave up after about 6 of the 16 oz. couldn't do it. take this for what you will but i will never forget this brew...in the beers defense this was the first time ive experienced John John Dead Guy Ale so i can say i'll give it another shot, but not anytime soon. maybe this should be called "The John aka the Shitter"

Serving type: on-tap

04-06-2011 05:14:43 | More by JayAre46

bobhits

Kentucky

2.38/5  rDev -37.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

it's hard to review a Rogue beer. When was it brewed? Why is it so expensive? So yeah...it's Rogue, I'm sure this is a 5 dollar beer sold for 9. I'll just have to see how it works out.

Golden orange colored body. Big pillowy cream head. A lot of bubbles shooting up from the middle, very tiny.

Bourbon barrels aroma just DOMINATES the nose. Mixed in are some citrus hops that barely are able to separate themselves. Also a bit of caramel malt as well.

This beer lacks the flavor the nose hints at. Opens with almost not flavor, and has it moves back you start to pick up a strong malty caramel finish. There's a touch of hops in the finish and not much else to speak of. The barrel aging has mellowed this beer but not imparted much flavor. Perhaps a bit of vanilla from the barrels. The 40 ibu's I feel are greatly a result of oak aging ruining an ok beer. The end result though isn't bad. It's a tasty malt head's ideal use of oak I'd say.

Kicks with way too much alcohol, heavy bodied, and rather creamy. A step down from dead guy to say the least.

This bottle will be all I want and then some. Maybe make a 4 pack of this in 12 oz bottles? I mean if you like it 12 oz is more than enough. If you don't like it you won't even consider them. Oh wait...this is rogue. They're fine with their beers just sitting on shelves for months/years.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2010 09:25:59 | More by bobhits

LilBeerDoctor

New York

2.4/5  rDev -37.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Reviewed on 4/3/2010. Bottle. Pours a clear ruby orange with a thick white head. Aroma of sweet malt, bready malt, honey, and floral hops. Flavor of whiskey plus the Dead guy malt. Wow, the whiskey does NOT go well with the malt base! What was Rogue thinking? This was pretty disgusting flavor-wise.

Serving type: bottle

12-23-2010 20:06:25 | More by LilBeerDoctor

bth86

Maine

2.4/5  rDev -37.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

Let me start out by saying this is the second time I've tried this beer. Back in January the bottle of John John REALLY impressed me! It's smooth, creamy, and sweet caramel taste had me craving more. After trying to hunt it down I finally came across a bottle and picked it up to review.

I must say the second time buying a bottle of this, and I was much less impressed! Not too sure if it had been sitting out too long or what, but I couldn't finish the bottle. The smell was nice, giving off a nice touch of oak, however the taste was poor. Very bitter, sour, skunky! After a couple sips, I poured the rest out.

How disappointing! And I hate giving this beer such poor ratings. However I would love to try this one again, as I think I simply just got a bad bottle.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2012 00:54:39 | More by bth86

WVbeergeek

Ohio

2.53/5  rDev -33.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

I've loved plenty of John Maier's offerings but this one explodes with the malts and whiskey barrel aged effects. Appears a pale copper hue with a bright off white beige head, forms thick lacing scattered on the sides of my laced ridden imperial nonic pint glass. Aroma hits with the smoked vanilla and bourbon barrel aging going on that's what comes through in the beer not the underlying dead guy ale. It opens up the nares and eyes with alcohol vapors, what a beer indeed. More malt ridden alcohol, vanilla, bourbon aged light bodied presence with a hars oak after taste is left on the palate making this one nearly impossible to finish with a smile on your face. I'm one of the biggest fans of Rogue beer but keep your whiskey seperate from your bread winning Dead Guy, these two creations have no place joining as one. It's hot with alcohol on the palate, carbonation is soft and mellow the body is medium but soaked with alcohol. Drinkability overall is pretty freakin' poor, not a beer I would ideally indulge in if I knew that it was soaked in alchoolic oak barrels of whiskey.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2010 18:21:18 | More by WVbeergeek

armock

New York

2.6/5  rDev -32.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

On tap at the Petrol Station in Houston, TX

A - Poured a brown color with a thin tan head with no lacing

S - Has a roasty nutty nose for the most part

T - Follows the nose with a roasted and nutty malt flavor

M - This beer has a thin watery body with light carbonation to it

O - I was very disappointed with this beer this is what you get when barrel aging doesn't work the barrel added nothing to this instead it hurt it don't bother with this if you see it save your money and buy something good

Serving type: on-tap

01-02-2012 22:30:55 | More by armock

klewis

Ohio

2.65/5  rDev -30.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A: Pours golden with a moderate bubbly head. Good lacing.

S: Caramel malt and toffee with just a hint of whiskey.

T: Dominant whiskey flavor in the taste with a mild sweetness. Another sip, and the whiskey seems to bite even more. Some earthy astringency in the back.

M: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.

D: Very one-dimensional with nothing to offer except whiskey flavor. The Dead Guy just doesn't hold its own against the barrels.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2010 00:41:20 | More by klewis

Teleweizen2

New Jersey

2.78/5  rDev -27.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2

Glass = ommegang stem glass

A - pours a clear golden color with some orange highlights and 2 fingers worth of white head. Very nice looking beer.

S - wow a lot going on here. Strong alcohol pressance, along with some cherry, oak, vanilla and some smokeyness.

T - basicly it tasted like dead guy ale with a shot of jameson. And it's not as appeling as it sounds. The flavors just did not mess well.

M - medium bodied a little higher on the carb.

D - the flavors just didn't jive well together. While I like some whiskey and I like a good dead guy ale this combo just didn't work for me at all.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2010 21:27:30 | More by Teleweizen2

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

2.85/5  rDev -25.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

16 ounce pint - $7.00 at Taco Mac in Woodstock, Georgia.

Appearance: Near clear, bronze body providing no real head formation beyond a scant white ring. Looks befittingly dead, I guess.

Smell: Aroma loaded with a dominating mediocre whiskey scent. Beneath the wood, the lighter vanilla, and overall fuming hotness are notes of glazed bread and toasted grains.

Taste: A befuddling scrambling of varying flavors in the taste. Sweet start of lightly toasted bready malts with light honey-toned accents are soon surged with Old Grand-Dad Whiskey. Touch of menthol. The whiskey is just a bit disproportionate to the underlying brew. Modestly hoppy, with a fair amount of bitterness and hints of citrus and spice. Coarse, hot, oaken finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium-low carbonation.

Drinkability: Uncomfortably unbalanced. Honestly, it's a bit tough to finish off. An accompanying glass of water was immediately requested. If someone had asked me what I thought would be the top ten best candidates for barrel-aging of any kind from the Rogue stable, DGA would have been absent from the list.

Serving type: on-tap

04-08-2010 17:07:04 | More by ChainGangGuy

waldoiverson

Texas

2.85/5  rDev -25.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

bomber into nonic

A: slightly copper, massive pillow of a head that just didn't want to go away, active carbonation

S: sweet, maybe a bit buttery or maybe that is butterscotch (Diacetyl), slightly herbacious,

T: buttery in the mouth (could this have turned over the months it was sitting to the side?), a slight bite of green piney bitterness at the very end,

M: Smooth but ends surprisingly dry

O: My gut says that this bottle may have been sitting for too long because i'm pretty disappointed with the experience, too much Diacetyl, whether from the brewery or from further maturation. It is, however, a beautiful beer to look at.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 23:04:44 | More by waldoiverson

Brewmeist

Pennsylvania

2.9/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured on tap into a standard pint.

A - a cloudy brown amber, decent lacing that stuck around. minimal head retention.

S - very faint of the barrel it was aged in. Faint rasin and citrus.

T - sweet, mild oak and grainyness. Not throughly impressed for a beer with this price tag.

M - mild. Lacking carbonation, but I'd imagine you'd have that with barrel aging.

D - drinkable but not blown away. I'd much rather enjoy a regular dead guy for half the price.

Serving type: on-tap

08-24-2011 22:08:57 | More by Brewmeist

fastsrt

New York

2.95/5  rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

poured 22 ounce bottle in a pint glass

A: golden, large head, leaving a great lace.

S: kinda flat was expecting more pop!

T: lots of whisky kinda loose the dead guy in an over powering display of the whisky,

M: feels like a liquor hot, and dry not that enjoyable.

D: I split the bottle and was glad I did at the end of my glass.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2011 23:59:01 | More by fastsrt

jsh420

Illinois

2.98/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

pours dark amber copper with a 1 finger off white head that faded pretty fast and left some spoted lacing

smell is light and watery - some faint malts and earthy hops

taste - much better then the nose - but still for whiskey barrel aged this beer is a joke - telling me it was aged in barrels and it adds nothing only hurts the beer - it tastes so so maybe some oak - light malt some fruit some hops - nothing to see here move along

mouthfeel is a little heavy - good carbonation very smooth and creamy

drinkability is not good and i would never buy this again

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2010 04:07:16 | More by jsh420

mikesgroove

South Carolina

2.98/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Was very happy to see this one tap at Barleys last night. Served chill and consumed on 02/27/2010.

Pour was a little weak, headless light brown in color with no visible carbonation coming through the glass at all. Not exactly the way I would have wanted to start this one out. Aroma is warming, bourbon, vanilla, hints of grain and a touch of buttery note coming through but as it warms the bourbon really takes over and owns the night. Hot, unbalanced flavor for me. Light touches of vanilla and oak are overshadowed by way to boozy of a flavor. To me it spent too much time in the barrel as the underlying flavors are gone. Sharp, very hot finish that leaves you a little put off.

The original dead guy is a classic, but I really just dont think this treatment worked as well as it could have, dont think I will buy a bottle of this one.

Serving type: on-tap

02-28-2010 16:47:29 | More by mikesgroove

yemenmocha

Arizona

2.98/5  rDev -22.2%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Very slight haze to this orange to pale amber beer. Not much head, even with vigorous pour. Nose has some peach skin fruity aromas. On the palate there's the immediately noticeable high abv, honey-malty flavors, some cough drop flavors, and then finishes with more malty sweet and alcohol warmth.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2010 04:30:49 | More by yemenmocha

Tilley4

Tennessee

3/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pours a surprisingly light golden with a very small wispy head... Nothing remarkable here...

Aromas of lightly roasted malts and loads of bourbon... The bourbon is predominant here which is sort of disappointing... I was hoping for a little more vanilla and oak but this is mostly bourbon...

Very thin watery mouthfeel on this one... Tastes are very generic of malts with a huge dose of bourbon that seems to overpower everything else...and not in a good way...

Sort of disappointing here... Won't be getting this one again..

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2010 04:32:22 | More by Tilley4

vfgccp

New York

3/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A - Apple red amber. Yellowed white head that dives straight into a halo, but hangs around once it gets there.

S - Bright brown sugar, notes of booze, drop of lemon, bready malt.

T - Strange profile. Ramps up almost instantly then trails off. Tingle of booze up front. Light-brown breads. Some of that lemon from the bouquet comes through. Finishes with rolling brown-sugar a mulling spice.

M - Thin body with a moderately boozy feel throughout the profile. Finishes pretty much dry.

D - Ok, but not great. The taste and booze didn't keep me coming back.

Serving type: bottle

01-01-2011 20:10:08 | More by vfgccp

Mantooth

North Carolina

3.05/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Draft into a Samichlaus snifter.

A: Orange - red - hazey - very pretty - thin head, slight lacing.

S: Vanilla, nutty, musty.

T: Some roasted nuts, earthy malts, oak.

M: Thin, lightly carbonated.

O: I got it on draft for $3 and was not impressed. I'm a big fan of barrel aged beers, but this one didn't gain many interesting characteristics from the barrels it was stored in. Don't go out of your way for this one.

Serving type: on-tap

01-31-2012 00:24:21 | More by Mantooth

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.08/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours a golden orange color with a huge frothy white head that sticks around for a bit. Smells of sweet malt with a some bread, vanilla, and some toffee. I pick up some faint oak but its really hidden. Taste is sweet with honey, toffee and caramel up front. I get the whiskey, vanilla, and oak next. Then a stinging higher alcohol that's almost vodka like and hop bitterness in the finish. Thick sticky mouthfeel, medium level of carbonation, medium body. I tried to enjoy this one, but its not for me. I don't think the flavors meld very well and the alcohol burn kills it for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-13-2010 02:05:26 | More by johnnnniee

rpstevens

New Hampshire

3.08/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a dogfish head signature glass. The pour yields an amber orange body gets lighter as it reaches the edges of the glass and has a nice glow to it. There is a thick three finger bone white head that fades to a tight cap, leaving an ample amount of bubbly sticky lacing.

The smell is a fleeting citrus hops followed by caramel, vanilla, oak and bourbon. This is a very interesting smelling beer, the citrus hops and crisp lager characteristics come through but they are evenly matched by the oak and vanilla from the barrel.

The taste is not as pronounced as the smell, it's a bit muddled. The hops and bourbon seem to collide in an unnatural way. The citrus hops and crisp lager characteristics are nice, and the vanilla, caramel and bourbon oakiness are also pronounced, but neither component takes a back seat. The flavors keep rolling over each other, competing in a weird way.

The vanilla and bourbon make the beer seem boozier than it is. The beer is medium bodied and crisp, which is definitely different from most barrel-aged bourbon tasting beers I have tried. This is an interesting beer that I am glad I tried, but not one of my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2010 01:51:52 | More by rpstevens

bashiba

Iowa

3.08/5  rDev -19.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured a cloudy orange with a thin tan head.

The smell is a bit malty and slightly tart, a touch of sourdough.

The flavor is strangely tart with a long lingering grain flavor, a bit of oak and cedar notes come through, but the weird tartness seems to overpower everything else.

The mouthfeel is light and a bit oily.

A strange beer, it really makes me think that rogue's whiskey must be strange as well.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2012 01:07:38 | More by bashiba

Lerxst

Florida

3.1/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

A-Pours a clear copper with a 1/2" slightly off white head that faded quickly but left some decent lacing.

S-Whiskey hits immediately, followed by a somewhat sweet maltiness, some oakiness, maybe a bit of caramel and a touch of vanilla.

T-Whiskey is dominant here. There lurking somewhere in the background is some caramel, lightly roasted malt, and a faint lingering woodiness. Its...interesting. Not bad, not great.

M-It feels hot, but its not. Its just the whiskey barrels. Medium body and carbonation.

D-The pervasive whiskey nose and taste make this one a sipper and a one and done. It was tough to drink a whole bomber myself. I wish I would have had someone to share with.

Its an interesting one to try, but I can't see myself buying this one again.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2010 23:26:49 | More by Lerxst

SkeeterHawk

Texas

3.1/5  rDev -19.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: Pours a clear light orange to golden color with a small head of off white bubbles that was fizzy and fell back into the beer quickly. Afterward there were very few bubbles rising so the head was reduced to a small ring and the beer looked rather lifeless overall.

Aroma: The aroma had some defined hops, but the oak character from the barrels is definitely a strong component of the aroma. There is some clean vanilla as well as a bit of booze noticeable in the cold beer. There is a phenolic component that is coming out in the aroma now that I have tasted the beer.

Taste: The flavor is an odd hodge podge of different components that aren't really jiving together all that well. The hops are pretty strong and they are just sitting on top of this vanilla thing with a subtle mix of sweet caramel and toasty notes from the malt. This malt thing is also rather odd in how it contributes and then the lack of carbonation shows through to let the beer sluggishly come across your palate on the way to the belly. The beer itself is medium bodied, but feels light, so any more carbonation would make the beer seem thin. The finish is pretty balanced between hops and other sensations. I would say that the hops nudges out the rest slightly, but it isn't nearly as strong of hops in the finish as the original Dead Guy.

Opinion: I don't know. This beer misses the mark for me on a number of levels. I think that it starts out by calling the Dead Guy a Maibock as it is a really hopped up version of that beer, if you can even call it one. That said, now you mix this with some bold barrel flavors that don't really seem intended to be there, so the whole thing falls apart. If barrel aged beers are your thing, which I really enjoy them myself, this may be a good one to try so that you can get another review. Otherwise, I doubt that aging this beer will bring it together, so I would steer clear if I were you.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 05:18:10 | More by SkeeterHawk