Rogue Juniper Pale Ale

Rogue. Ah, the fines ales that come from that craft brewery. Their brewhouse in Newport is one of the main attractions of the Oregon coastline. I find their Portland location a bit pretentious and overpriced (maybe I can look the other way when I’m on vacation, but $16 for a pitcher is a bit much). Actually, it’s fairly friendly, it just seems pretentious.

At this moment I’m consuming their Juniper pale. Juniper pale ale used to be known as Yellow Snow. Really. I liked the name better then, but I think juniper berries are a good replacement for that water source. The aroma is extremely pleasant, smelling more of juniper berries than a shot of Beefeater, and the flavor complements it well. The body is light to medium, and remarkably consistent from sip to swallow, and the color is a clouded gold.

This pale is fairly heavily hopped, though with the junipers the madmen at Rogue are attempting to find a balance. I believe that they succeeded admirably in finding the balance…there is only a hint of overt bitterness, so subtle that it seems out of place when it makes itself apparent, and yet focusing on it is almost zen. At first this ale seemed a bit overwhelming with sweetness, but, being the thrill-seeking challenge facer that I am, I grabbed that sweet bull by the horns and kept drinking. It wasn’t long before the sweetness was a concern of the past and I was happily enjoying this glass of ex-yellow snow.

If you can tolerate adjunct beers (see Elysian Avatar), you should definitely not shrug this one off. I’m enjoying it very much and will happily order it next time I’m at a Rogue brewpub. Go pick up a bottle at your local beer trader, while I’m not giving this my highest recommendation, it is a solid option, a bit different, quite tasty, and has even won some awards given by people who probably know a lot more than me. Good for Rogue! cheers.