Kells Irish Style Lager - Rogue Ales

feloniousmonk

Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This bottle is different than the one pictured, a silkscreened 22 oz. bomber, with an Irishman in an Irish sweater, playing a hornpipe.

Lightly hazed, pale yellow appearance, big, lasting, pure-as-the-driven-snow head...

Floral, perfumey nose...light, sweet...lager-y.

Tastin'...thickish intrusion on the palate, for a lager...big and chewy, grainy, but crispish and clean. Light body, neat finish, lays around a bit on the palate. Quite a nice lager.

Don't think I'll spend another $4.99 for a bomber, but that's just cause it's not my style. An excellent rendition, though.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2006 04:11:50 | More by feloniousmonk

kirok1999

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Just got a fresh 650ml bottle.
Appearance- Slight coppery gold, white head with little retention.

Smell- Malty, with a slight citrus/herbal hop note. Maybe some nuttiness?

Taste- Malty, slighty hoppy, wheat sweet. Probably my favorite wheat style beer. Some yeast and nut as it finishes.

Mouthfeel- Crisp and clean, very nice.

Drinkability- Very nice session beer. Nothing exceptional and nothing objectionable.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2006 22:57:02 | More by kirok1999

MABZ

Nebraska

3.43/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This is a decent beer, but it lacks the refreshing qualities I like in a lager. Seems almost pointless in that regard.

The beer pours to a nice clear golden color with a very healthy carbonation that supports a likewise healthy white head. Lacing sticks to the glass in sheets. Looks like a good lager, but unfortunately looks can deceive.

The smell is quite grassy, spicy, and herbal hoppy with only a subtle caramelized malt aroma. Smells good as well, but there is something fishy going on with the taste.

I'm no brewer, but I'm thinking this beer was fermented at the wrong temperature for a lager. Seems to have some ale characteristics to it, for instance it is buttery and has some fruity esters. Decently bitter. Starts off nice and crisp like I was expecting, with a great noble hop flavor, but the finish turns into a puddle of buttery Rogue crap. Tastes like very cheap malt, or as I already hypothesized, a warm fermentation.

The mouthfeel is surprisingly thick for a pale lager, and the butteryness is unpleasant. The drinkability could be much higher if this lager were much cleaner.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2006 04:18:29 | More by MABZ

TastyTaste

Minnesota

3.18/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Apparently a beer that was brought back into production, this is the first time I have seen it around here.

Appearance: Hazed light copper color,streams of carbonation make their way to the surface. Head is small for the style.

Smell: Grassy, grainy, musty, like cooked vegetables. Nothing great.

Taste: Malty and full, lots of grass flavor. Crisp and fairly refreshing, but also has somewhat of a rotten vegetable flavor, not the best.

Mouthfeel: Just fine, no complaints here.

Drinkability: I will pass on this one, one of the least impressive beers that Rogue brews. The old guy playing the tin whistle on the bottle is kind of cool, though.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2006 17:07:19 | More by TastyTaste

hero27

Iowa

3.05/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bomber.

Just picked up a fresh bottle of this at my local beer store, so apparently it's making a comeback tour.

Clear yellow/gold color with a grainy, grassy aroma. The dusty pale malt character is a staple of most Rogue brews, and it's present here also. Clean, crisp finish, but leaves my tastebuds dissapointed. Classified as a Euro Pale Lager, this thing is was $5 for a relatively watery, obviously light bodied and low-alcohol beer. Putting this brew under the $4 mark would certainly make this a bit more attractive to any potential buyer.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2006 22:31:51 | More by hero27

mynie

Indiana

3.8/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Note to whomever: this is no longer retired.

About as pretty as a Euro Pils can pour. Very dark golden, slightly hazed, with a nice white head.

Very dull fruit malt mixed with a dry hop. Absent is the pac man yeast or tasty hops of your usual Rogue. This just smells like a good Euro Pils--that is to say, pretty god, not great.

Tastes very much like it smells. Fruit grains alternating sweet and dry. Light hints of summertime hay. Ends on a very dry, lingering hop, Nice, pleasant, but far from what I expect from a Rogue.

Goes down like water.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2006 04:10:29 | More by mynie

whartontallboy

New York

3.08/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Hmmm...I just saw this for the first time, but it's apparently retired.
Pours out a clear, weak yellow color with a thin fizzy white head that fades quickly. Some carbonation streaming through, but not a ton. Not a lot to look at.

Smell is lightly fruity, a bit of clean toasted grain, and a very slight Euro hoppiness. Not much action in the nose, either.

Flavor is light, slightly fruit, with some apple and peach flavors building on top of toasted grain and a slight corn-husk flavor. Finish is clean with little lingering aftertaste.

Overall: Just not a lot going on in this one, not bad per se, but definitely not worth five bucks a bomber. Mediocre.

Serving type: bottle

01-11-2006 02:35:49 | More by whartontallboy

Bighuge

Minnesota

3.08/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Hazy looking piss yellow. Thin off white head. Barely anything. Lace is minimal. Hmmm...On the nose, crisp malts, noble hops and a touch of acidity. Pretty basic with regards to flavor. Bland malts. A little grainy. A little biscuity. Not much to speak of. A touch of noble hop goodness. Mouthfeel is moderately carbonated. Medium body. Pretty average brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2005 02:20:46 | More by Bighuge

ZAP

Minnesota

3.65/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a slightly hazy golden color...smells like wet mown grass....taste is on the sweater side but I wouldn't call it a bready profile...more of a crisp pilsner like grainy profile...very subtle hopping....works nicely....body is firm..crisp....overall a decent enough lager...probably a step up from Harp but nothing to hord cases of...

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2005 02:25:27 | More by ZAP

cubedbee

Maryland

4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bomber, different design than the picture. Pours a golden straw with a thin fizzy white head. Large amount of nice looking lacing though. Nose is a nice sweet doughy malt with a bit of honey. Taste is full of grassy hops, there is a sweet grainy malt, a somewhat vegetably taste, and a fair bit of lingering bitterness. Mouthfeel is well carbonated and rather dry. This is a pretty good example of a euro lager, simple but refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2005 17:31:15 | More by cubedbee

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Not much to look at,pale and little head, but very decent and drinkable lager. Well malted, and tasty in that respect. A pint of this went down quickly after a hot summer day. Herbal, spot of spearmint, tad of spice,lightly lemony, well carbonated. Well done.

Serving type: bottle

07-03-2005 04:46:29 | More by northyorksammy

WesWes

New York

4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a nice golden color with a thick frothy white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a light, dry malt scent that boasts of pale malts and a creamy "Irish" style, musty aroma. It is a bit sweet and breadlike. The taste is good. It has a nice malty flavor that boasts of pale and carapils malts. It is sweet with a smooth slightly grainy finish. This is a full flavored lager; yummy. The mouthfeel is good as well. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate/good carbonation. This is a good lager. It has flavor, unlike most on the market. This is a nice sessions brew; a good drinker.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2005 21:55:02 | More by WesWes

pentathlete

Virginia

3.55/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Deep gold pour into the footed pilsener glass, 3/4 inch head, with 1/4 inch remaining after a minute, slight lacing on the glass. Plenty of tiny columns of carbonation. Not much in the nose, some malt, sweet notes. Taste is well-balanced, crisp finish. Mouthfeel for this style was quite good and full. This is an easy drinker and the spouse unit loves it. We'll be buying a bottle or two whenever we find it.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2005 01:52:25 | More by pentathlete

wailingwench

New Mexico

4.72/5  rDev +31.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Eye Candy: Golden Amber hue, light edges. Minimal rising lines of carbonation. Small, thin white head that vanished 1/4 way through. Slight hop clumping at pour. Thin and lifeless after 10 minutes (must be keeping with style).

The Nose Knows: Initially a touch grassy, but straightened itself out. Clean light malt aroma with a touch of biscuit, finishes with a hint of pepper.

Tongueland: Slight hoppiness upfront, malty middle, touch of caramel, biscuit end that is cleared by peppery, herbal hops. Light and airy end, not grassy as I expected. Finish reminds me of a light American Pale Ale. Lingering yeast and herbal hop.

Bender Factor: As far as Lagers go, this and Dortmunder (Great Lakes) are tops. Kells is amazing complex for such a seemingly simple style. This could easily be an all day affair.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2005 22:41:20 | More by wailingwench

arizcards

Arizona

3.85/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Bought a 22 oz bomber from Papago Brewing back in November for $4.95.

This poured a golden pale yellow, with a nice head and is leaving a nice lacing. Smell is average, a bit grainy, nothing much noted. Taste is malty, slightly lemony, and almost detect a faint hint of pepper. Mouthfeel is very full and lively. I never expected a lager to carry the fullness this one does. Overall drinkability is good. Rogue has produced the best lager I have ever sampled!

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2005 00:41:11 | More by arizcards

Stubbie1

Connecticut

2.88/5  rDev -20%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

This brew starts of with a slight cloudy golden color and a white foamy head. The head fades and some lacing is hanging on. Aroma was a bit grassy…to grassy for me. Hops and a whiff of caramel mixed in. Taste is a bit grainy, a touch of sweetness and dry. Not bad but not a favorite.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2005 18:56:20 | More by Stubbie1

MobBarley

Oregon

4.05/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

This fine lager pours an average looking yellow-orange with moderate head and retention. No lacing evident. Smell is grassy with fruity malt undertones. Taste is well rounded with an initial green hoppiness that warms into a malty alcohol flavor before finishing with a dry and pleasant crispness. Mouthfeel is fairly carbonated and crisp...refreshing. Drinkability is good.

Serving type: bottle

01-10-2005 07:06:08 | More by MobBarley

ManekiNeko

Virginia

3.15/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 oz. bomber served chilled in a Guinness glass.

Appearance: Slightly hazy dark golden color topped by a frothy white head. Very bubbly, though the head retention left something to be desired.

Smell: Lightly fruity malts with a bit of a sugary smell. No real hop presence and what there is is of the grassy sort.

Taste: Mildly tart and sweet pale malts. Bready and grainy overall.

Mouthfeel: Watery and lightbodied. Slightly refreshing.

Drinkability: Kinda underwhelming. I imagine this would be much better in situ with some fish and chips and a band playing in the background.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2005 21:11:08 | More by ManekiNeko

budgood1

Minnesota

3.88/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

pours out a clear golden colour with an inch thick frothy head...the head has staying power and leaves lots of chunky lace. huge grainy and grassy aroma...smells delicicious! upon tasting...lots of light and sweet grainy flavours abound...lightly hopped for flavour and relatively lightly bittered for a rogue offering. supremely balanced for a lager...less than medium bodied with an extremely smooth mouthfeel. finishes sweet and light with a nice dryness that would accompany any pub grub well. session lager/pils. good stuff.

thanks go out to my buddy tony for bringing this from oregon the weekend of my wedding oct. 2.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2004 01:48:40 | More by budgood1

RoyalT

Ohio

3.13/5  rDev -13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance – This one is light yellow in color with some noticeable carbonation and a big, beautiful, head even though I had it in a taster. The head left some foamy pits and lacing all over the glass.

Smell – There was no mistaking the raw American grain in this nose. It was mixed with some light, sucrose-type of sweetness and a grassy hoppiness.

Taste – The grain is a lot lighter than I thought after smelling this lager and the hops are muddled. The sweetness from the nose finished up the taste.

Mouthfeel – This one is light-bodied (lighter than what I experienced when drinking it bottled) with a nice, tingly sensation in the mouth. It is smooth and the flavors flow well together.

Drinkability – It seems that American breweries really struggle with this style. Having said that, this wasn’t half bad and is better than most.

Serving type: on-tap

09-27-2004 19:40:14 | More by RoyalT

PatandDavid

Massachusetts

2.55/5  rDev -29.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

I was disapointed in this one...very hard to find lager like qualities at all. The one area in which it did was the appearance, but only I believe because I had just finished a keller bier and they looked similar. Pour was cloudy and tangerine. Aroma was of hops and syrup. My tasting notes say: this beer tastes like a syrupy, high alcohol brutal bitter. I really like brutal bitter, and if I'd wanted one, I would have ordered it instead...Sorry to be so harsh, but when I look to the right, and see other beers listed that are in the same category (like Samuel Smiths Organic lager), this beer just isn't the same.

Serving type: on-tap

09-13-2004 12:49:00 | More by PatandDavid

beerinator

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Clear light yellow. Golden with a hint of orange. Crisp bubbles on an off-white head.

Aroma: A bit fruity. Sweetness upfront with a hint of apple.

Taste: Sharp on the tongue. Smooth dry finish with very little sweetness left. Crisp finish with slight apple notes. Body seems a bit thin for a non-american style lager.

Notes: Decent beer. The dryness makes it quite drinkable and thirst quenching. Worth a try, but not one of my favorites.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2004 11:19:56 | More by beerinator

HochFliegen

Oregon

3.63/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a golden color with a nice head that had some good staying power all the way to the finish. The smell was very malty but too. You could also pick up the hops with a nice fruity/floral smell.
The taste was a nice full malt flavor with a nice finish of floral hops. Just enough bitterness to finish. It was a very smooth and complete beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2004 04:50:36 | More by HochFliegen

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

2.68/5  rDev -25.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

The beer poured crystal clear pale golden. The head was moussy and fell slowly to lace the glass.

The aroma was slightly malty with a caramel fruity aspect.

The flavor was fruity and the hops are a bit harsh within the flavor. A slight bitter burned flavor stays through the aftertaste.

The finish was dry with a lingering bitter aspect that is not pleasant. The body was a little below medium but thin.

22 ounce bottle. I think Rogue should definitely skip the lagers...

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2004 23:29:52 | More by GCBrewingCo

DESTRO

Nevada

3.45/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours out a fine clear golden color that leaves a lacing. the nose is malty, sweet. raw grain, very clean. in the mouth its medium bodied, somewhat full, good carbonation. on the toungue its simple, light grassy notes, some light malt, light hops...lots of "lightness". seems subdued, but still decent. overly clean. drinkable, went good with chinese. nothing overly impressive, but a quality brew that has its niche.

$3.99 a bomber

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2004 04:30:10 | More by DESTRO