Kells Irish Style Lager - Rogue Ales

JuicesFlowing

Kansas

3.33/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a standard pint glass. The beer is a hazy wheat yellow, not unlike an unfiltered wheat beer. The white head dissipates to a thin film with sticky lacing. Smells of faint banana peel, wheat? The beer tastes crisp with hints of orange peel, banana peel, yeast and wheat. But this does NOT taste like a fruit beer -- the taste is fairly hard to describe actually. But there is a sweetness to it. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and finishes with a hop presence.

Overall, I guess I was expecting an Irish red? What I tasted here was a wheat beer. But what do i know about names and categories. I guess it is a Euro Pale Lager though. It's got an orange/wheat sweetness that makes it very easy to drink. Glad I tried it, but I won't revisit this anytime.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2011 22:24:48 | More by JuicesFlowing

TTAmod

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz. decanted into pint glass

A: Clear gold color. The initial pour developed a pretty thick white head, but it dissipated quickly to a thin film on top of beer. Minimal lacing. Stray bubbles can be seen racing to the top.

S: Primarily grass, husky grains, fresh baked bread.

T: Crisp grass and grain flavor early, followed by a quick bit of sharp bitterness with finally a slight metallic taste. There is a bready malt base throughout the drink.

M: Goes down nice and easy. Medium bodied. There's a nice crispness to the beer that gives it an addictive quality.

O: Essentially a higher class lawnmower beer. I could session this all day long and be extremely happy. Really no complaints here. It's pretty uninteresting and could use some more assertive flavors, but I don't think this beer aims to be anything more than a session beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2011 01:41:18 | More by TTAmod

mrfrancis

Kentucky

2.95/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A: Pours a clear, shimmering gold with a puffy white head. Looks about like every other pale lager on the planet.

S: Aromas of caramel, apples, biscuits, and minerals are easily detected on the nose. Not much in the way of hop aromas.

T: The entry is smooth and sweet, leading to notes of grass, green apples, heavy cream, caramel, lemon, minerals, and biscuits. The finish is smooth and straight-forward with a combination of caramel, cream, and apple notes. In the end, it's almost like drinking a caramel apple.

F: Medium-bodied and relatively dry, this is far from the heaviest beer in Rogue's lineup. Left me wishing it had a bit more heft to it.

O: I don't really know what Rogue was going for here. In my opinion, this is just an amped-up version of Harp Lager (that green apple taste is almost identical to one of Harp's flavor components). I just don't see the point of this beer. It's not all that appealing.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 13:55:26 | More by mrfrancis

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.7/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer poured out as a clear golden color with a fizzy white head that came and went pretty quickly. The smell of the beer has some nice sweet grainy aromas coming off of it, not much in the way of hop aroma. The aromas of wood and a little bit of grass kind of creep up in there too. The taste of the beer is sweet, not in a gross way but sweet like a wheat ale or something like that. The mouthfeel is thin on this one but it's supposed to be so I'm not being too critical on this. Overall this brew is pretty good for the style. I wasn't about to run and get more of it though because it's just not my thing.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2011 21:18:42 | More by Knapp85

avalon07

South Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Had a yellow-brown color and a slightly hazy consistency. There was a good-sized, creamy, long-lasting head. Excellent lacing.

S: Aroma of grassy hops, malt, and grain.

T: Tasted of some malt and grain, a little lemon, and a lot of grassy hops. Not a terrible flavor, but certainly not the most interesting one.

M: A good amount of carbonation with a dry, crisp finish. Light-bodied.

O: A decent enough beer, but hardly one I would buy again.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 12:03:34 | More by avalon07

jondeelee

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Has a light, crisp aroma that consists mainly of toasted grain and fruit notes, smelling quite a lot like Grape Nuts cereal with berries.

On the tongue, the lager starts off equal parts grains and fruits, the Grape Nuts cereal flavors translating over well, and the fruit turning into light apricots and apples. The fruits fade off slowly, exposing the brew's grainy base, bringing hints of toasted wheat and wheat bread. Hops are always lightly present in the background, but make a third act appearance and provide a nice bitter fuzz in the end, as well as adding to the grainy aftertaste. All of the flavors are delicious and well-balanced, which is impressive, considering how light the beer feels on the tongue, and how easily it slides down the throat.

This would be perfect summer fare--say for a hot day at the beach or on the deck-- but would also match quite easily with any lazy afternoon.

Serving type: bottle

08-09-2011 15:54:31 | More by jondeelee

bogus564

New Jersey

3.1/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22 ounces, poured into a pint glass.

Earlier, I enjoyed a couple of hot dogs from my new favorite dog spot. It occurs to me that perhaps I should have had this beer with the dogs; hindsight is 20/20. But enough of that; on to the review...

A: Not what I was expecting; I was thinking that this would be more amber in color, when this appears to be more cloudy lemon to me. It produced a 2cm wheat-colored head that lasts about ninety seconds before slowly dissolving into lace.

S: Not knowing what to expect now, I dive in. Okay, now I'm really confused; the first thing I'm smelling is wet newspaper. Huh? I can't get anything past that. I hope to goodness it doesn't taste as it smells.

T: Okay, now I'm disappointed in full. I can taste a light citrus, like really diluted lemon and orange, and a teensy bit a grassiness, but this might as well be Coors Light for all the taste.

M: Ehh. Light in body, carbonated well, a forgettable finish.

O: I had such high expectations, this being an offering from Rogue and all. This might be the first beer from Rogue that I not only didn't like, but even disliked. Now I'm glad that I ate the hot dogs before.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2011 02:51:57 | More by bogus564

mdfb79

New York

3.25/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

From 07/20/11 notes. Thanks to my girlfriend for bringing this back from her trip to Oregon. Apparently one of her friends from Portland told her that Rogue does not get distributed outside of Oregon...she was wrong. Still, a Rogue beer I haven't tried before is always welcome. Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into my Duvel tulip.

a - Pours a cloudy bright yellow color with high carbonation evident and one finger of fluffy white head. There is very light lacing on the glass and no real retention.

s - Smells of wheat, bread, grain, and very light citrus. Mostly wheat here, kind of average and bland.

t - Tastes of wheat, grain, light citrus, light apples and fruity malts, and bready malts. A definite step up from the nose as there is some fruit, but still a bit dominated by the wheat.

m - Light body and high carbonation. A bit too carbonated for me.

o - Overall a pretty average beer; lots of wheat and not much going on in the nose. I think this would be a good beer for someone first getting into craft beers, but it just didn't do much for me. Very drinkable because of the light body and ABV, but considering some of Rogue's other great products out there, I'd pass on this one next time.

Serving type: bottle

07-21-2011 15:33:54 | More by mdfb79

mactrail

California

2.95/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Tastes like a watered-down malt liquor. Slight sweet hint, nose of damp cardboard. Big head on golden beer with a chill haze. Quite lovely lacing in the wine glass. Rather coarse carbonation. Just the slightest touch of bitterness appears in the aftertaste, which is welcome to the taste buds. Extremely light bodied and refreshing at first sip, but turns a little soapy. Overall, pretty anemic, but clean and drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2011 04:12:17 | More by mactrail

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.15/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 22oz bottle in to a Fisherman's pint glass.

Appearance: Clear and super pale golden yellow. Bordering on straight gold. Head is bright-white and leaves almost no lacing. Carbonation is constant and effervescent.

Smell: Apples, touches of roasted grain, and the faintest touch of hops. The hops jog toward earthy and grassy. Sweet, but like apple juice sweet. A touch tart.

Taste: Lots of grain, some of it leaning toward toasted. The apple from the nose is barely noticeable on the back. Faint earthiness on the back of everything. A little sweet, but the sweetness is quickly covered up by the earthiness.

Mouthfeel: Decent mouthfeel, but it's a little heavy for what I was expecting. It's dry as promised, but lacks a certain nuance in the long run. It's dominated by an inability to decide which is more important, being dry, or having a body.

Overall: Relatively unexciting, but sometimes that's a good thing. Delightfully drinkable, but it loses a little in the long run. The big bottle format doesn't work for this beer. Given a 12oz size, it would be the perfect amount. After the first 12 ounces, this beer struggles to assert itself.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 03:54:08 | More by Goblinmunkey7

jwstaubs

West Virginia

3.85/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Deep yellow color with a two finger head and little lacing.

S: Mellow and sweet smell with hints of citrus and wheat.

T: Light and crisp, very refreshing. Wheat taste is up front with a bit of citrus afterward.

M: Light body with good carbonation. Slightly dry finish.

O: Very solid, enjoyable beer. Good for relaxing after a long day.

Serving type: bottle

07-01-2011 01:48:14 | More by jwstaubs

jgurley

Florida

2.4/5  rDev -33.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

On tap at my local Wine World. Poured with no head, no lacing. Really cold. No smell. Fairly tasteless. Cold, refreshing, thin mouthfeel. Drinks, smells and tastes like a macro. Not good, not off-putting. As average as a PBR, but not as cheap. Oh well.

Serving type: on-tap

06-22-2011 20:18:08 | More by jgurley

BeerLover99

New Jersey

3.9/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: golden/deep yellow, semi-cloudy, nice 2 finger head, great legs

S: mild malt, citrus nose

T: sweet peach/lemon rind, malt, pine mild crisp bitter finish

M: med body, semi-dry crisp mouth

O: Very nice euro lager. Great session/summer beer.
Well done, Rogue. I would get this again.

VERY NICE, WORTH TRYING!

Serving type: bottle

06-03-2011 20:35:37 | More by BeerLover99

nickthetick

Maryland

4.4/5  rDev +22.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Pours a light straw yellow in to an American shaker glass with a finger of white head with great retention and moderate lacing.

S: Light sweet and mellow malt with a great wheat note backing it up. A tad fruity, apples and a bit of bananas.

T: A lot like the nose. More of the wheat and less of the apple, some bread and biscuit flavors with weak honey.

MF: Light body, Extremly crisp and refreshing. Great carbonation.

O: Awesome beer with some great things going on in the nose and the taste.

Serving type: on-tap

06-01-2011 15:19:47 | More by nickthetick

litheum94

California

3.25/5  rDev -9.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22 oz. bottle. No dates. Reviewed on 5/11/11.

Clear, golden body. Dense bone-white head that settles slowly. Nice lacing.

Aromas of cereal grains and cut grass. Earthy hops. Apples. Some corn husk and cracker malts.

Wheat and corn flavors at first. Creamy, with a hint of carbonation. Dry, bready malts mid-palate. Very mild hopping, spicy and earthy. Vague fruitiness on the finish. Dries up on the tongue, with no residual flavors at all.

This isn't my favorite style, but I could drink this one. Probably be good on a warm day.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2011 20:47:57 | More by litheum94

BeerMeWilk

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Overall good beer. Reminded me of some other lagers. Nothing out of the ordinary with this one. It was a smooth drink with very low alcohol content. There definitely was a crisp sensation after taking a few drinks so the brewer is not lying about "apple crisp finish." But there are no apple notes to this brew.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2011 02:26:44 | More by BeerMeWilk

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Got a 4oz pour sampler at my local place.

A - Pours a murky orange color with a half inch of off white head. Didn't see the lacing.

S - Smells like a yeasty lager with light tones of honey or orange. Smells rather sweet.

T - One of the more sweeter lager choices I have had with sweet malts and honey. Kind of boring but very drinkable.

M - Light to medium. Sample went rather quick.

Overall I would have got a bottle but was shocked that the price was around 8-9 dollars a bottle. Just for a lager? Upon research I found most places charge 6-7 dollars for this bomber which is kind of reasonable. Would like another sample though...

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2011 23:57:52 | More by DrDemento456

womencantsail

California

3.58/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a nice golden color, as anticipated, with a couple fingers of white head which stick nicely to the glass.

S: Sort of a generic lager aroma. Lots of lager yeast with a light malt aroma. Some pale cracker malts, floral hops, and a bit of wheat. As it warms up, the hops start to become a touch herbal.

T: The flavor is sort of ho-hum as well. Sort of unremarkable malt, hop, yeast flavors. Lightly sweet with bready and cracker flavors from the malts and light floral hop notes. Plenty of lager yeast, too.

M: Light in body with a fairly high level of carbonation.

O: A decent enough lager, but there are plenty of better choices out there.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2011 19:03:13 | More by womencantsail

Chickenhawk9932

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dirty orange with an off white head - slight retention.

Smells of orange, malt, wheat, and clover.

Tastes of tart peach, acidic orange balanced by a sweet honey taste. Finishes crisp and clean with a hint of apple-wood. A very nice distinct lager.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2011 22:54:02 | More by Chickenhawk9932

BeerCon5

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear golden color with 2 fingers of white fluffy head.

The scent is of yeast, caramel malt, herbal notes.

The taste is of caramel malt, yeast, herbal hops, some apple and spice.

Light body, crisp and clean, high carbonation.

This was a decent beer, very refreshing and easy to drink. Excellent beer for a summer day.

Serving type: bottle

04-08-2011 18:31:03 | More by BeerCon5

sixerofelixir

Ohio

3.85/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

22 oz bomber. No freshness dates or anything like that. Nice, painted label art. Served in a pilsner glass.

Pours a hazed, pale-straw yellow. A huge, sudsy white head stays around and clumps around the glass. Bunches of carbonation. Looks almost comical, like beer in a cartoon. Smell is of mineral and a *lot* of that apple smell. Taste is crisp and fruity, apple-y as all get-out. Lite biscuity malts all the while. A bit of a Euro-hop finish. Feel is very carbonated, and almost a bit sour at the end. I swear this beer tastes exactly like the first batch of Mr. Beer (American Pale Ale) I made long ago. Crazy.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2011 04:32:42 | More by sixerofelixir

claspada

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nice bright golden beer with average larger carbonation resulting in a big white fluffy cap with good retention.
Smells quite fruity and malty up front, it's pleasant and interesting. More fruity than I would expect from a lager but greatly appreciated.
A mix of fruity and sweet grainy flavors up front with a perfect European hop bitterness (earthy, slightly floral). It's delicate but definitely present. Medium to heavy bodied, almost chewy. This beer finishes medium dry with just a touch of floral flavors and herbal hops. It's definitely interesting, and extremely drinkable, one of the best lagers I've had in a while. (I really dislike lagers, btw).
Interesting beer with an good amount of character, worth a sample, nothing spectacular or mind blowing, just tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

03-20-2011 14:33:38 | More by claspada

ant5431

Rhode Island

4.88/5  rDev +35.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Had my 1st at my favorite spot today liked it so much I had my 2nd & 3rd!
Had a nice white head on it, with a earthy citrus aroma. then I took my 1st sip it had a rich creamy taste with a touch of lemon over all a great beer I could sit at the bar watching the game and drink these all day long! Would be a nice beer to sip in the backyard on a warm night! Have to thank Kim from East Ave Cafe for recommending this beer!

Serving type: on-tap

03-19-2011 20:06:00 | More by ant5431

Jesse13713

Ohio

2.88/5  rDev -20%
look: 2.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Appearance - Persistent lacing that covers the glass. Appears to have average carbonation. It is an extraordinarily light yellow that almost appears white.

Smell - I hardly get anything in the smell here. Slight earth notes and hops.

Taste - A slightly maltier than expected beer. Feels frothy and well carbonated in my mouth. I can't help but think I'm drinking a juiced up adjunct lager. Tasty caramel and light cherry notes.

Mouthfeel / Drinkability - Delicious caramel malts linger for awhile and are delicious. Refreshing and crisp; but nothing too different or special. Exceptionally smooth, light bodied and easy to drink. I could sip this all night.

Serving type: on-tap

03-14-2011 04:28:10 | More by Jesse13713

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Simply fantastic tasting lager, I'm glad I grabbed a fresh bottle with the new neck label with Dare*Risk*Dream printed. God knows Rogue doesn't use any freshness info on their bottles, this was bought in season approaching St. Paddy's Day. Really a beer I've drank on tap and bottle in the past but have never written down any thoughts on it. APpearance is simple fizzy yellow beer at first site, but then you notice a slight haze to the straw golden body. Actual hop haze going on with a creamy texture fluffy white head that sticks around for awhile. Lacing is the same forms intricate chunky layers that add to the eye candy. Aroma has a mild rolling layer of citrus/herbal/grassy mild skunky hop notes going on. A nice dose of cereal grains backing up the malt profile. Flavor is a nice mix of malts and hops some would consider this boring, I think it proves what great brewers they have at Rogue this is a simple style flavor wise but extremely tough to brew. There's no hiding any sulfur or off flavors like diacetyl in this one. This is a well brewed clean crisp drinking beer, with herbal grassy hops from their own supply and no Pac Man yeast to create the typical Rogue house flavor. A touch of green apple tartness in the finish, but really a nice grassy/bready biscuit malt layer going on. Nothing off putting completely easy drinking experience, medium to light bodied lager carbonation is lively definitely doesn't fall flat, probably one of the better lagers widely available from a craft brewer. Up there with Sam Adams Noble Pils, Rogue Uber Pils, and Sierra Nevada Summerfest.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2011 19:51:32 | More by WVbeergeek