Juniper Pale Ale - Rogue Ales

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to tenderbranson69 for sharing this w/ me. Poured cold and allowed to warm in a goblet.

A - A brilliant amber w/ 2 fingers of white foam that creates sporadic lace on the glass. This ale had a slight chill haze when poured.

S - A light apricot aroma is fragrant w/ a subtle floral note. There is a pleasant aromatic pine/juniper note w/ an herbal aspect. The citrusy amarillo hop aroma is noticeable in the nose.

M - Grainy w/ a moderate amount of bitterness up front. The malt provides a decently balanced feel. A full effervessence contributes to the balance also w/ a nice touch of malty warmth underneath and herbal tinges.

T - A smooth malt flavor w/ a good juicy dose of tangerine flavored citrus hops. Plenty of malt flavor w/ crystal influence is detected in the sweetness of the flavor. A piney note that carries on until the sweetness and subtle warming w/ a hint of spice.

D - Very decent drinkability wise. This is a nice NW pale w/ plenty of hop flavor and the juniper is hinted at also. The balance is very good, I would definitely pick this one up again.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2007 18:59:29 | More by Slatetank

dirtylou

Washington

3/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

22oz bomber, split three ways last friday night after work

appearance: poured into pint glass, watery golden-yellow body

smell: ehh, grainy malts, skunky noble hops, light pale malt

taste: Maybe im missing the point of this beer or something, but i was totally unimpressed by this rogue offering - just not a good APA...really grainy, skunky euro hops, light and watery. No Thanks.

mouthfeel: light and watery, grainy

drinkability: decent

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2007 04:21:17 | More by dirtylou

cokes

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev +12.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I'm not gonna lie to you and pretend I know the first thing about juniper berries (other than the fact they are used in the gin-making process). But since I firmly believe that beer should make a person think, here are a few fun juniper berry tidbits for all y'all:
-it's a remedy to treat tapeworm
-In the Ayurvedic system (don't ask me) juniper is believed to not only purify the body but also the aura.
-contains thujone, which I believe is a hallucinogen (of absinthe fame)
-It has stimulant and analgesic properties.
-it helps clear acid wastes from the body.
-It acts on the urinary, respiratory, nervous and digestive systems
-it's an insect repellant
-It can be used during labor to stimulate contractions.
-And it makes your urine smell like violets (as yet unproven by yours-truly).

Anyway,

This is of the 2002 breed.
Pours a smogged golden under a bleached beige head.
Nose full of ferns and pine needles, and black-light ganja. Notations of dish-washing liquid. The berry sweetness present may or may not be imaginary.
Toasty up front. Progresses towards english muffins, topped with a spit of butter. Not sweet at all, at least right away. Hops are certainly the featured event here. Lightly resinous pine cone Amarillos (oh how I love them), along with the more abrasive and metallic Styrian Goldies. Interesting cross. There's a suggestion of blueberries soaked in gin- adding minor sweetness to the general bitterness- and that is my only entrance to the topic of juniper berries.
Medium bodied and monster drinkable, though that has nothing to do with any sort of berry.
Not as unique as expected, and a bit out-of-place as a winter seasonal, but a dandy pale ale regardless.

Now off to see if that whole violets thing is true.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2003 08:31:23 | More by cokes

Bitterbill

Wyoming

3.88/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a nice cloudy gold with a good head dissipates quickly but remains as a fine partial layer.

Smell is malty with citrus notes.

Taste is malt and more of the citrus. For me, it's a nice taste that I've enjoyed many times before and I'll have again without a whim. Good pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2005 23:39:02 | More by Bitterbill

Tone

Missouri

3.6/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a slightly hazy, golden color. 1/3 inch head of a white color. Good retention and decent lacing. Smells of strong spice (juniper), slight wheat, slight hop, hint of sweet malt, and a hint of yeast. Fits the style of a Herbed/Spiced ale. Mouth feel is smooth and clean with an average carbonation level. Tastes of strong spice (juniper), slight sweet malt, slight hop, and a hint of yeast. Overall, very strongly spiced, as far as Juniper beer goes, it's the best I've had ... and only.

Serving type: on-tap

06-09-2010 02:53:23 | More by Tone

kylehay2004

Florida

3.98/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Singer finger white head on a hazy golden with slight crimson hues. Aroma is nice but faint sweet juniper aroma with a slight almost noble hop like aroma. Flavor is mildly hoppy with a subtle nobel hop, musty almost wet sock hop flavor. Light malt. Moderate to high carbonation and light to medium body. A nice beer if u like noble hop tasting beers.

Serving type: on-tap

01-05-2012 01:15:24 | More by kylehay2004

nickfl

Florida

3.93/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Two fingers of off white head on a golden-orange body with excellent clarity. As the head settles, it leaves a nice, dense lace pattern.

S - Grainy, with herbal hop notes and, of course, juniper (although the gin like character is not as pronounced as one might expect).

T - Spicy, grainy flavor up front, followed by a bit of sweetness. The herbal flavors come in next with flavors of juniper berries and floral hops that fade into a strong, grapefruit bitterness in the finish.

M - Medium body and high carbonation along with just a bit of residual sweetness in the finish.

D - For hop or gin lovers, this should be pretty easy to put down. I hadn't had this beer for some time and I am a bit disappointed to find that its gin-like character is not as intense as I remember it. Nevertheless, this is an unusual beer that has some good herbal notes and just enough sweetness in the finish to be reminiscent of a gin and tonic.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2008 06:35:23 | More by nickfl

smakawhat

Maryland

3.33/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from the bottle into a shaker pint glass at Jackie's restaurant Silver Spring. From notes.

A pale amber body, slightly cloudy and hazy, is presented with not much rising carbonation, but a real big fluffy white head and thick clumpy lacing is given with good retention also. Iniviting, and looks big.

Nose is very faint, hints of spruce tips, faint herbal quality, but I am not getting a big juniper sense off of this at all.

Taste is fairly pedestrian. Chalky body and malt, dry finish with not much of a lasting aftertaste. A bit of a wet body, with not much flavor going on, but a passable maltiness, and slightly herbal finish.

Overall, not the worst, but not very memorable either.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 13:22:21 | More by smakawhat

RedDiamond

Oregon

3.43/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I appreciate the concept inherent in this herbal beer; however, this ale is less charismatic than most of Rogue’s other efforts. Juniper Pale Ale (also known as Yellow Snow) is clouded chamomile color with a relaxed sudsy head and broad draping lace. It tastes like a clean and handsome pale ale in a curious juniper dress. An agreeable curiosity and a welcome diversion, but not a standout on Rogue’s roster.

Serving type: on-tap

03-31-2005 01:34:23 | More by RedDiamond

Brent

Kentucky

4.75/5  rDev +30.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

What impressed me about this ale was how sharp the spicy/floral hops were at the middle, but then became quite dry at the finish with relatively little hops residual.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2001 09:27:29 | More by Brent

StonedTrippin

Colorado

3.54/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

the juniper doesn't really come out as much as it should I don't think in this brew, not nearly as out there as the john john ale, but still a decent pale ale for what it is. hazy brassy colored with a short white head, rather generic, yet still really appealing with a little foam running down the side of my frosted pint glass. slightly fruity nose, slightly astringent, slightly bland. American malted barley and west coast hops in lower dose for the style. the flavor is balanced, but more malty than hoppy I think, a touch of toasted grain bread to it, and the juniper comes in at the end with a fresh pine medicinal vibe. its not out of place really, just sort of a funny addition. I much prefer the john john for juniper, although I didn't love that beer either. bright carbonation and a drinkably medium body, if it wasn't so funny in the stomach id have several. not my favorite thing from rogue, but I certainly appreciate the attempt.

Serving type: on-tap

04-11-2013 16:12:11 | More by StonedTrippin

alexgash

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

One of my favorite Rogue bottles thus far. Pours a medium straw yellow with a puffy off-white head. Smells of light, macro-ish malt, with palpable un-macroish floral and citrusy hop notes. Taste is light, crisp, smooth malts with a touch of fruitiness. Hops are the main event here; very grapefruit-citrusy in flavor, but not too bitter. Finish is a touch oily, bitter, and thirst-quenching. I'd rather drink this in the summer than in the winter. Reminds me a little of New Belgium's Loft (but I like the Loft more).

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2004 18:58:23 | More by alexgash

GClarkage

California

3.93/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

07/27/05- Purchased at the Rogue Alehouse in San Francisco, CA

Presentation- 22oz bomber with no dating. Poured into a random pint glass.

Appearance- 1/2 inch foamy white head. Just the tad bit of cloudyness in the golden pour. Excellent lacing.

Smell- Picked up a noticeable amount of fruity hops as well as a heavy yeast scent.

Taste- Taste reflects smell almost identical. Very hoppy with a very fruity base. Light malt intertwined. Reminescent of the yeast used in Pyramid brews, but better tasting. No juinper berry taste detected. Doesn't taste like the Yellow Snow Ale at all.

Mouthfeel- Average carbonation.

Drinkability- Perfectly fine Pale Ale almost towards an IPA. Nice and fruity and refreshing.

Serving type: bottle

07-29-2005 00:47:37 | More by GClarkage

tdm168

North Carolina

3.9/5  rDev +7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - tranparent copper-amber with a huge, soft, white head that has good retention

S - bready and sweet, some faint caramel

T - caramel, bready, bitter, subtle juniper berries

M - medium bodied, smooth, well carbonated

This is a pretty decent beer. It's a bit malt forward and the juniper berries are faint, but it's easy to drink and enjoyable. I'm not sure I'll buy it again, but I'd never turn it down.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2012 08:35:34 | More by tdm168

merlin48

Kentucky

4.28/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

This bomber bottle pours a chill hazed, apricot body with a prominent, ivory head that finally stabilizes at about two cm. Gorgeous, patch lace decorates the imperial pint glass I am enjoying this in. Massive presence of small, carbonation bubbles rising to the surface is duly noted.

Interesting aroma that begins with a Munich maltiness, earthy English hops which evoke a meadow suitable for grazing livestock, and some fresh bales of hay to accompany said livestock. At room temperature, the nose is closer to a British style ESB malt note.

Mouthfeel is rather average, light to medium bodied, with good carbonation.

Taste: Hops dominate the beginning, with earthy hay and bitter grass. The juniper berries are definitely noticed, but not in the sense of gin. They meld into the unique hops profile to produce a citrusy, mandarin orange/tangerine, bitter, tartness that is quite tasty. As this Rogue approaches room temperature, a delicate and complex balance emerges between the hops and malts that makes this seem very English, in style. A hybrid between a British pale ale and bitter comes to mind. The bittersweet, dryness that the juniper berries contribute adds a bonus to the complexities present here.

I like this one a lot. One of the most drinkable Rogue ales that I've sampled. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2004 21:57:30 | More by merlin48

flagmantho

Washington

3.6/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from 22oz bomber into a pint glass.

Appearance: light orange hue with a thin finger of rapidly-dissipating ivory foam head. Just a touch of haze; overall, not too bad.

Smell: slightly sweet caramel malt aroma with an earthy herbiness. I suppose this is the juniper, although I can't readily identify it as such. It reminds me a little bit of heather-seasoned beers. Not bad if you like earthy stuff.

Taste: slightly sweet, slightly dry caramel malt flavors with citrusy hops and an evergreen flavor. I think the juniper is rather nice here, but again, it's more of a general herbiness. Not bad.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a nice level of carbonation. There's a good creaminess here.

Drinkability: quite a refreshing and quaffable beverage. The overall impression is greater than the sum of its parts.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2010 00:52:56 | More by flagmantho

mynie

Indiana

3.88/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Very hazy. The color of over ripe apricots with a small white head that fades to clouds lining the top of the beer.

Juniper is what makes Gin taste like pine, right? Right? None of that here. Pac man yeast takes center stage against Amarillo hops, fruity and dry and slightly wine-like.

Tastes like berries upfront, moving into the pac man yeast, and ending on dry, simple hops. Nothing here really gets me moving, but it's solid all around. I also really like the pacman yeast.

Easy drinking, firm summer session ale.

Serving type: bottle

06-14-2006 04:19:42 | More by mynie

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a golden color with a small head. Smell is mild, some berries. Taste is of sour berries with hops, not bad but nothing great. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and has average drinkability. Overall this is a decent but unspectacular beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2010 15:21:23 | More by tone77

Suds

Pennsylvania

3.84/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

From a bomber, this beer is a clear, pale golden color. Not much of a head. Medium carbonation. The juniper and a little spice is very dominant in the smell...malt, pa,e, with some flowery and resiny scents. Yeast and a little musty earthiness. Semi-sweet and malty...spice follows to the taste, with a bit of to tongue-numbingness. Medium body. Overall quite good.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 20:32:01 | More by Suds

KarlHungus

Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This brew pours a cloudy orang-red color with a small white head. The aroma of juniper and pine with some fruit peaking through. The taste is like a pale ale softened by juniper. It reminds me a lot of Fraoch. The mouthfeel is incredibly smooth, and medium bodied. Overall, this brew is a nice change of pace.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2005 02:42:46 | More by KarlHungus

GbVDave

Illinois

3.05/5  rDev -16.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a 22oz bottle into a 20oz imperial pint glass.

A: Pours a nice and cloudy, pale, hazy peach color. Lots of sticky lace in the glass.

S: Hard to get much of an aroma out of this one. Very mild toasted malt and a tiny pinch of juniper. Barely noticable. Not at all like a knock you on your ass gin smell.

T: Just slightly more juniper flavor than in the nose. Dry, toasted malt and a teeny amount of citrus-y hops.

M: Dry and crisp. Prickly on the tongue and, to me, just so-so.

D: I expected more from this Rogue beer, and sadly it didn't really deliver. It's a fair beer but it seemed rather bland.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2007 23:03:53 | More by GbVDave

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +6.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours mid gold with a big head, this is a beer that reveals its charms with time and a little warming up. The nose is hoppy and slightly piney . The beer at first is a normal APA with the tradmark Rogue yeast taste but after awhile the juniper comes out in the finish as dry and herbal. A nice drinking beer with subtle influence from the juniper

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2008 00:40:44 | More by canucklehead

brewdlyhooked13

Ohio

2.88/5  rDev -20.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5

Appearance - pours a hazy pale peach color, two fingers of white foam form up (and recede) relatively quickly. Some dotted lace left behind. Nice beading action from below.

Aroma - the initial pour is a tad sloppy just to give me a nice aroma burst. I get a good orangey, tangerine citrus and, here's a first, an aroma that reminds me of Off bug repellent. Just briefly, then it disappears, leaving behind a more conventional hop and malt nose.

Taste - a light malt, biscuity base, moderate hopping coming out fairly quickly. The swallow brings out the dryer side of the hops and what I imagine must be the juniper. A somewhat tinny, (coppery?) flavor, again reminiscent of Off repellent. It's not unpleasant but not that great either. If I was more familiar with juniper it might make a difference.

Mouthfeel - very crisp, pretty light-bodied too.About right for the style.

Drinkability - not for me. The metallic bitterness isn't all that appealing.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2006 19:39:37 | More by brewdlyhooked13

Floydster

California

3.33/5  rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

22 ounce bomber purchased from Cooke's Family Market in El Segundo for five dollars, split with my dad a couple nights ago

Poured into my Firestone pint glass with a pale golden yellow color that a bit of a murky appearance, small 1/4 inch white soapy head did not stick around for long, weak retention and minimal lacing

Smell was a mixture between fruit, hops and mild spices, mostly sweet berries and bready malt characteristics stood out, the hoppiness was faint but still definitely there

Taste was crisp at first when chilled and the straw-like hops really stuck out, then it turned into a chewy malty beer and had too much funky fruitness going on, particularly blueberries and cherries, the spices were a little much too and had a strong herbal flavor, not my thing when the beer is overly sweet and spicy, if I were ever to drink this again I would make sure the beer was very cold and not drink it because of its enjoyable taste because that is not the case, pale ales should be far more hoppy than sweet and this one was the opposite

The body was pretty weak and not thick, the carbonation might have been too heavy, the beer tasted much better when it was cold rather than when it warmed which is usually a bad thing, taste did not last long

Could drink about two bombers before getting really tired of its weak flavor, it is not heavy and the alcohol percentage is low, but the sweetness would really catch up to me, not a good session beer like most pale ales tend to be

Not Rogue's best, thought it was worth trying because I only see it about one month out of every year and it seems to sell out pretty fast, recommended if you are curious but not the best pale out there, average beer that did not do to much for me overall

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2007 02:02:13 | More by Floydster

kmpitz2

Tennessee

3.43/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours solid light coppery color with a finger of head that falls to a nice coat over top. Nose is defintaly APA. Earthy and slightly sweet hop, with a moderate caramel sweetness from the malt. Flavor is a little light. There is a moderate sweet citrusy hop, moderate bitter on the finish with a hint of the juniper flavor right at the end. I'd like a touch more robustness in the flavor. Feel is moderate with a light-moderate carbonation. Overall, this is a pretty nice brew. Nothing really keeps it down, but I would like more flavor boldness.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2005 01:42:30 | More by kmpitz2