Na Zdravi !: Rogue 5 Hop Black IPA

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Rogue 5 Hop Black IPA

Rogue Ales (Newport, OR)

"In a bold collaboration with Mother Nature, we grow our own varieties of aroma hops at Rogue Farms in Independence, Ore. We also string, stake, train, test, trim, separate, sort, kiln and cool them. Brewmaster John Maier meticulously selected and blended 5 varieties of our aroma hops with lightly roasted malts to create this smooth and refreshing black IPA, the black sheep of our IPA family."

Pours a beautiful, rich dark brown with an impressive, creamy tan head. Which is fortunate since that's about the best thing I can say about this beer. There is an initial sharp chocolate bite followed by ... not much.
Disappointing, I had such high hopes. Hollow is my best description.

ABV 5.5% IBU 86
Hops: Rogue Farms McKercher Wheat; Rogue Farms Liberty, Yaquina, Freedom, Alluvial and Rebel
Malt: Carafa, Rogue Farms Dare™, Risk™
Yeast: Pacman Yeast

Na Zdravi!

A 10-second take.
Not really reviews, just my way to keep track of the beers I've tried.

My mother's family is Czech. They emigrated from Bohemia and settled in Nebraska in the mid-1800s.
They were from the region that included the town Pilzen (Pilsen) where a brewery called Měšťanský pivovar Plzeň, now Pilsner Urquell (Plzeňský Prazdroj in Czech), started brewing a uniquely Bohemian-style beer we now know as pilsner.
So, as I raise a glass in honor of my Bohemian roots ...

Na Zdravi! (to your health).

Hops?

A "hop" is the cone shaped resinous flower of the female hop plant. It is used in brewing to add bitterness, flavor, aroma, and stability depending on when it is added.

Hops are one of the 4 basic ingredients of beer although they are not esential in the brewing process. The are used simply to add flavor and complexity to the brew.
Double and even triple IPA's feature an extreme amount of hops, and an ABV to match.
Noble Hops - The traditional varieties of hops that were used to make early European beers. Medieval brewers used Hallertau, Saaz, Spalt, and/or Tettnang hops. All are from Germany except Saaz from the Czech Republic (Žatec in Czech). All are still used today.