Name: Double Dead Guy

Brewer: Rogue

Style: Strong Ale

Vintage: 2008

Cellared On: October 6th, 2008

Original Tasting: October 13th, 2008

It was awhile since I’ve had a new brew from Rogue Ales on here. I swear I stare at them every time I walk into one of my local beverage centers, but I’ve just been walking by them lately. I knew that had to change when I saw this very cool bright red bottle from Rogue sitting on the shelf. I love the normal Dead Guy Ale so needless to say I swooped a bunch of these babies up fast!

Double Dead was a very clear amber in the glass. It had a very rich smell, almost reminiscent of an aged barleywine (and I’ve had more then a few of those over the past year). I was a bit surprised at the almost total lack of hop aroma as the malts were totally dominating the smells here.

I have to admit I was a bit taken aback from the taste. Those rich malts I smelled? Not so rich or heavy at all - the hops were much more prevalent then I was expecting. This was a very balanced, drinkable brew. There was still plenty of roasted malt flavors; spicy grains flavors were all over the place. Background flavors of bright fruit added complexity to the malts - notes of orange and apricots came to mind. The bitter hops were flowery with citrusy grapefruit tastes. Tying everything together was a slight caramel sweetness that lasted straight through the finish.

All in all, a surprisingly drinkable, medium bodied, tasty brew!

Cellar Outlook: I’m not sure with this one. It’s around 8% ABV which bodes fairly well, but I’m worried if the malt backbone of this brew can stand up over the years. I get the feeling that we’ll see some interesting stuff happen over the next year or so, but I doubt it’ll be holding up for much more then that.

Next Tasting: April 2009

Jason

jason@brewbasement.com

www.brewbasement.com