John John Juniper - Rogue Ales

jera1350

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours into a nonic a rich gold color with a thick fluffy off-white head that clings to the glass.

Smells like a pale ale. Biscuity, mildly hoppy and the faintest of juniper and gin.

All the makings of a pale ale with a little extra. Little is the key. Some lighter malt that adds some honey sweetness and biscuit flavor. Lightly bitter hops. Hard to distinguish between the hops and the gin flavor. The gin is really pretty subtle, but does add some dry juniper, pine and oak flavors. Some astringent alcohol is noticeable as well.

I love the mouthfeel in this and most of Rogue's brews. Smooth and creamy as can be. There is a warming feeling from the alcohol.

This drinks pretty well. This isn't much more than a regular pale ale to me. The barrel aging isn't that noticeable and if I wasn't told, I would think this was a pale ale with some juniper berries added in. It's a good brew, but probably not worth the price tag.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2010 01:56:40 | More by jera1350

Mebuzzard

Colorado

3.48/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

To note: I hate gin. Bad experiences of yesteryear. So, when I saw this I immediately said, 'no way I'm trying this.' But, I'm a forgiving soul. So....

Pours a pale yellow, almost looking watered down. Still deeper color than the 'fizzy yellow stuff'. Not much head. Little lacing.

A spicy nose. Spruce is calm, so too the gin. Tastes 'green'. Like garden salad. Cucumber and viny.
Taste is much the same as the nose, but through in a bit of spice and carbonation to give a refeshing 'ahhh' quality. The malt keeps it from runing away to a "Sprite-like" drink. A bit thicker than it looks.
Overall, this isnt' bad. The gin isn't overwhelming, nor the spruce, but both give it a clean quality. Not my thing, but good nonetheless

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2010 20:52:09 | More by Mebuzzard

Brad007

Vermont

3.95/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a mild golden color with a decent head that leaves a bit of lacing. Seems full of life.

Aroma is full of buttery malt, grassy hops and just a small hint of juniper.

Taste is full of buttery/bready malt, grassy hops and it's a bit sour as well (but not like you would think) as in the spruce seems to show up a bit. Interesting dynamic at play here but I'm not sure if it works.

Mouthfeel is full of lingering grassy hops and spruce. Again, it doesn't seem to work as well as I'd hoped.

A decent stab at something different from Rogue. However, I can't get past the kink in the mouthfeel. Certainly worth a try either way.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2010 03:24:19 | More by Brad007

GeezLynn

Minnesota

3.83/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Attractive cloudy yellow-orange shade like a yeasty hefeweizen. Accompanied by a full white head that is well retained.

S: Heavy pale malt and some light hops. Not much in the way of wood or spirit. Maybe a hint of juniper. Opens up with a little fruityness as the beer warms.

T: No doubt here that the base beer is a pale ale. Biscuit flavors balanced with pilsner-like hops. The spice and bitterness from the juniper and spruce are subtle, yet more noticeable when the beer is cold, reminiscent of certain winter warmers (esp Alaskan). As things warm, the gin botanicals become more apparent (citrus peel and corriander). While oak is listed as the barrel wood used, I'm not able to pick it out. Finish is abrupt, fairly clean and accented by the juniper bitterness.

M: Slightly thicker than most APAs and well-carbonated with a light alcohol burn.

I'd describe this as a decent pale ale with a little added complexity. Warning to fellow gin lovers: the effect of the barrel aging is not huge, like you'd expect from most bourbon barrel aged beers, but you get plenty of the gin character if it's warm enough. Good beer for a change of pace and one would buy again.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2010 03:10:49 | More by GeezLynn

Parrotbeak

Minnesota

4.28/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Hazy pale yellow with an orange hue. Very thin, white head that fades almost immediately.
Smell is weak malts clouded by the gin and spruce presence. Peculiar, salty dill cracker aroma, as well as some woody notes. Different, but appealing nonetheless.
Taste is malts with a sharp, vinegary bite that shifts to the gin and spruce. The spirits are much more present in this one than in John John Dead Guy. Some more woody notes. Bitter finish, with the gin flavor swelling a bit.
Mouthfeel is crisp yet smooth, with a dry finish. Medium-light body.
Drinkability is very good, but being fond of gin, I may be biased. I could see how this one might rub some people the wrong way. I was happy to find that the gin is more noticeable than the whiskey was with JJ Dead Guy.

Serving type: bottle

04-24-2010 00:47:14 | More by Parrotbeak