Rogue Double Dead Guy Ale

Here we are in 2009.  For some reason this number seems very Sci-Fi to me.

2009.

Wow, who would ever thought that I’d live this long?  It’s freaking 2009.  Where’s my flying car?  Why aren’t we colonizing Mars?  What the hell are we doing embroiled in yet another Vietnam type conflict and facing a new depression era?

What a disappointing future this turned out to be.

Oh well, at least we have good beer.  This one has got to be good.

A bright red bottle?  Two skulls and crossbones?  The name “Double Dead Guy?”

The fact that it cost $10 a bottle?

It better be pretty damn good.

We’ll see.

I thought I’d celebrate the new year with a Double Dead Guy Ale.  I just popped the top on this bad boy and it smells hoppy.  Hoppy, sharp, with tantalizing malty undertones.  One thing I can tell already – whether or not I like it, it’s going to have a strong flavor.

I heft this very heavy red bottle up to my lips and tip the 9% alcohol into my mouth for that first tantalizing taste…

Obviously, this is from Rogue, from Oregon, you know it’s going to be a blast of hops, and my beer-loving friends, YES IT IS.  Blam!  They spank your tongue right up front, then apologize to it with a almost grapefruity sweetness, mixed with a malty brown-sugary wave.  The wave rushes out leaving a pleasantly balanced bitterness that begs for the next sip.  The extra alcohol creeps in as a kind of after-vodka tang, right on the edges of your palate – which is not a problem if you like vodka.  Which I do.

Okay…  Hmmm.

Well, yes, I have to say it, this is an amazing ale.  It is completely over-the-top and at the same time exquisitely balanced.  I love it.  I’m happy to have it.  I feel it was worth the $10 I paid for it.

This, my friends, is one groovy brew, and I award it 8.8 on the Holy Grail Scale.

And, by the way … happy new year!