Rosebud - Rubicon Brewing Company

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

4.1/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

"(Rosebud was) first brewed in 1995 on the day Jerry Garcia died, and is named after one of his guitars."

--Rubicon website

Caramel brown that becomes either dark orange or dark red when backlit, depending on your light source. A scant one finger of golden brown sugar colored cream appeared on the pour. The lid looks good, lasts quite some time, and lays down some pretty good looking lace.

The nose is caramel malt-dominant, which is a definite positive. It also has hints of hops and a background earthiness from rye malt. This may not be a 'blow your socks off' old ale, but things should be just fine on the palate.

Rosebud is flavorful beer that should become even more so when it gains several more degrees. Even though there isn't a flavor hook, per se, everything works well together. Flavor depth and balance are good, as is sweet-bitter balance.

Specifics include toasted brown bread croutons slathered in caramel sauce, musky fruit skins, and bitter black tea leaves. There must have been a fair amount of hoppiness immediately after the release, because this bottle is at least six months old... and probably older. Alcohol is buried very well too.

Even though the mouthfeel could be slightly bigger and the carbonation could be slightly more integrated, neither is enough to result in the next lowest score. Besides, both are improving over time.

This is my first Rubicon beer and is a humdinger of an American old ale. It was probably even better (read: more hoppy) last year, but has aged gracefully and is some kind of delicious right here and now. Cheers to Jerry, to his guitar Rosebud, and to Rosebud Special Ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2011 13:03:15 | More by BuckeyeNation

RBassSFHOPit2ME

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

06-06-2013 00:52:08 | More by RBassSFHOPit2ME

skdmks

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

02-07-2013 18:33:49 | More by skdmks

Beerswag

California

4/5  rDev +6.1%

01-22-2013 03:07:27 | More by Beerswag

mactrail

California

3.3/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Rich and flowery beer, like an IPA crossed with an Old Ale. Attractive reddish amber color in the tulip. Pleasant enough head and a mouthful of suds.

Warm malt flavors with a distinct tang. The hops are very assertive. Quite bitter aftertaste, though it also has that buttery Old Ale flavor. Resiny hop flavors along with some grapefruit peel, even a little of the old orange that's been in the fruit bin too long. Fairly light body with the spritziness lasting well. This even tastes like a really over the top amber, with the dank hops and dark toast barley flavor.

From the 22 oz bottle bought at Bine & Vine in San Diego.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 05:19:53 | More by mactrail

Zorro

California

3.4/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Clear red colored ale with a small tan colored head.

Smells malty and sweet. Brown sugar and mild northwestern style hops. Toasted bread and mild molasses. Mild pine and cedar aromas.

Starts out malty and mildly bitter. Toffee candy and burnt sugar with some cedar taste to it. Vanilla and butter. Fairly mellow but it isn't real complex.

Mouthfeel is good.

Overall an OK beer but not a great one, probably will not buy again.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 23:22:58 | More by Zorro

UCLABrewN84

California

3.63/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle dated 8/29/12.

Pours a murky dark reddish-brown with a foamy khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Foamy patches and streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, grain, rye, slight brown sugar, and some herbal hop aromas. Taste is much the same with an alcohol kick on the finish. There is a medium amount of herbal hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer but it smells better than it tastes in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 02:40:25 | More by UCLABrewN84

aflies

Arizona

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

09-18-2012 03:05:25 | More by aflies

2neardead

California

3.25/5  rDev -13.8%

09-03-2012 04:29:43 | More by 2neardead

MrJolly

Arizona

4.24/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4.25

Appearance: From a bomber bottle into a pint glass, the color is almost dark caramel, almost chocolate. Held up to the light, it is beyond cloudy--it is opaque with little light making its way through. The Bandersnatch label on the other side of the glass cannot be read. The head of the beer is thin and the carbonation appears plentiful, bubbling up along the sides of the glass.

Smell: burnt caramel, bread, faint pine. The smell is inviting, but not overwhelming.

Taste: there's something a little acrid in the flavor, but I don't find this unpleasant--again going back to that burnt caramel I was smelling. It is bitter, but the bitter is in a sort of argument with the toasty mellow flavor, and the mellow flavor wins the argument with a sweeter aftertaste that lingers. There is also the taste of a hop backbone with the pine coming in the middle. The taste is my favorite part of this beer.

Mouthfeel: I wished for a sturdier mouthfeel to carry the freight of all that complexity. Instead, the beer feels thin. Initially, I thought there was a bit too much carbonation, but then the little pinpricks of the bubbles were dancing with the bitterness and all was forgiven.

Overall: I really like this one. I'll buy it again on purpose. Thanks, Rubicon!

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2012 20:23:15 | More by MrJolly

scottfrie

California

3.55/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle into snifter.

A: Pours a very dark ruddy brown with a couple fingers of very soft and dense looking light cream colored head. Head stuck around for quite some time before slowly collapsing into soft film that maintained itself through the whole glass. A network of thin lace was left down the glass.
S: Sweet smelling with big notes of raisins, caramel, candied dates and toast. Not too complicated.
T: Follows the nose but thankfully not as sweet as I was dreading. I get notes of roasted bread crust malts, roasted grains, sweet caramel, cocoa powder, dark fruits and raisins. The finish has hints of earthy hops, and the aftertaste is malty and sweet. I get a hint of tobacco as well.
M: Medium body, soft and ample carbonation, smooth and very easy going mouthfeel.
O: What flavors are there are good but I wish this beer was a couple percent higher in ABV and had a little bit stronger flavor. Tastes watered down compared to many of the old ales I’ve had. Still, a solid beer and worth a try if you like malt.

Serving type: bottle

08-04-2012 22:22:43 | More by scottfrie

kyager2000

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

07-22-2012 03:13:06 | More by kyager2000

justinlaz

Arizona

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

07-21-2012 07:11:45 | More by justinlaz

MarkyMOD

Colorado

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

07-21-2012 00:41:03 | More by MarkyMOD

JustinQ

California

3/5  rDev -20.4%

05-12-2012 03:13:16 | More by JustinQ

Rocketman8911

California

5/5  rDev +32.6%

02-26-2012 05:54:29 | More by Rocketman8911

Exiled

Texas

4/5  rDev +6.1%

11-25-2011 20:33:50 | More by Exiled

Seanibus

California

3.73/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Tasty and malty, more like a drinkable porter than an old ale.

Pours hazy brown with a slight tan head. The aroma speaks of brown sugar and dark caramel, with a pumpernickel breadiness. The flavor is sweet and toasty, with caramel and cinnamon and a round hoppiness on the finish. The Mouthfeel is milk and satisfy, with a little prickle of carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2011 01:54:07 | More by Seanibus

Phelps

Arizona

3.25/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Bottle into a tulip. Thanks to flexabull for sending it.

Dark cherry red with good clarity. A finger of creamy tan head descends pretty slowly. Not a bad-looking beer.

The nose is light, but there’s some nice stuff in there: caramel, a bit of toast, grapefruit peel, grass and subtle cherry.

The flavor exhibits a lot of the spicy rye that was used in the malt bill. Grapefruit hops, burnt bread and baked apple are turned down so low you almost can’t hear them.

Body is a velvet-smooth medium, nicely viscous, with a bit of prickly carbonation. Alcohol is hidden very well. Dry finish with a touch of bitterness.

Herm. Rosebud seems as if it’s trying to be a big, hoppy amber, but just falls short. Not worth a second visit.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2011 06:15:46 | More by Phelps

Klym

California

3.55/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Was curious to try something from rubicon and decided to take a shot at this when I saw it on tap at a local bar. Overall I was neither disappointed nor impressed. Pretty basic flavor profile, mostly roasted-malt forward with a little bit of chocolate character, and a tad of spicy floral character. I enjoyed drinking it but wouldn't reach for it again.

Serving type: on-tap

09-23-2011 23:59:45 | More by Klym

flexabull

California

4.1/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Nice label with the nod to Jerry Garcia.

Pours a very dark amber color with a fine off white head, nice lacing too.

Aromas are of caramel, chocolate, nuts, and malts.

Taste is of cola, roasted nuts, caramel, and light cocoa. Beer has some sweetness, but it's restrained, and not over done. Finish has some hints of hoppiness, a bit spicy with some earthiness.

Mouthfeel is soft, smooth, and full bodied.

Overall, this is a nice beer. Didn't know what I was buying when I grabbed it off the shelf, but this is tasty, and well worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2011 19:48:12 | More by flexabull

t420o

California

3.25/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A- very aggressive pour produces a 1-1/2 finger head that sticks around for a while. When it recedes it leaves nice lacing. Beer is burnt orange with hints of red and brown in there. Approaching a barleywine color sort of. Head is a bit darker than off white.

S- Like overly ripe dark fruits and some sweetness. A hint of milk chocolate mixed in their as well. Too sweet smelling, I hope it doesn't carry over to the taste.

T- Overly ripe dark fruits, chocolate, caramel, alcohol, brown sugar, overly ripe red grapes. Not as sweet as the smell but still too sweet. This doesn't really do it for me taste-wise. The flavors are all muddled together and none are that great or stick out. As it warms the flavors come together and taste a bit better and also becomes a little less sweet. Good but nothing special at all.

M- Good mouthfeel. Nice weight, Nice carbonation

O- Not very drinkable because of the sweetness and alcohol taste. A 22 oz was more than enough of this stuff

Serving type: bottle

05-30-2011 02:15:34 | More by t420o

Mora2000

Texas

3.68/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to ericandersnavy for sharing this bottle.

The beer pours an amber color with a white head. The aroma is a lot hoppier than I expected it to be. I get a lot of grass, pine and citrus notes. I get a little bit of malt, but the aroma is all about the hops.

The flavor is also very hoppy. I get a lot of grass, pine and floral notes, with a little bit of citrus. There is not too much of a malt backbone and the bitterness is about medium.

Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

12-28-2010 01:49:30 | More by Mora2000

krisandajt

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This one comes courtesy of mymrnngjckt. I'm definitely interesting in trying this one, it's not a style that I try all that often. Cheers Kevin!

Appearance: Poured from the bottle into my DFH chalice, this brew is a very deep brown color. The color brown is so dark that it almost looks black, only the light hitting the edge of the brew gives it a brownish hue. Not much head atop this beer, only a thin foamy ring where the beer meets the glass.

Smell: Sweet with some nice dark fruit. Definitely picking up some raisins and some sweet currants, and virtually no hint of booze.

Taste: Sweet and malty, and it has some nice fruitiness to it. Raisins and prunes, sure, but sweeter. It has sort of a sweet wine sort of taste. It gets much better and more pronounced at it warms, hence my multiple edits.

Mouthfeel: Full body and lightly carbonated giving it a smooth, almost creamy feel.

Drinkability: I'll admit, this is not a style I drink very frequently. At first, I felt this brew was simple and unimpressive. However, as I sit here watching Big Love I find myself enjoying this brew more and more. In fact, this is the 3rd time I've edited this review. This beer drinks well, has some nice fruity qualities to it. As it warms, the flavor profile improves and becomes more robust. I'm glad I had a chance to try it.

Serving type: bottle

12-24-2010 01:30:51 | More by krisandajt

SolomonGrundy

California

3.98/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Still fuming over finding the blog that totally is doing the same thing I am...Pours a beautiful red amber. If'n I didn't know better (and I have no idea if I do or not), I'd say this is specifically a Red Ale. Not much of a head forms, and what does is apparently lost to an immediate angel's share. Lightly carbonated. No real lacing. Mehh thus far other than the nice color. Nose is decidedly faint. I get piney hops and not much else. Maybe some pineapple and grapefruit. 7.5% ABV and only $4.49/bomber...Now on to the flavor...Huzzah!! It's good. Phew, that is a relief. Lots of vibrant hop notes. Good malty backbone, also, makes this a well-balanced red ale. Not too sweet, not too dry. Really flavorful and drinkable. Of note is the long, bitter-in-a-good-way finish displaying the hops very nicely. Nothing super-unique, but very tasty. Worth tracking down at this price point.

What I like most: The delicious, vibrant flavor profile.

What I like least: The lack of unique qualities and weak aromas.

Verdict: Too well-priced to pass up.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2010 02:11:47 | More by SolomonGrundy