January 30, 2006
Red Fox and Imperial Stout from Rogue
You know a beer is approachable if my father likes it. And guess what? Rogue Red Fox ale, apparently made mainly for export to Japan but obtained on my recent trip to Beers of the World, is a beer my father likes! It's got a smooth and just-sweet-enough maltiness with very little hop character, kind of like a richer version of Killian's or other amber/red ales. It's got that Rogue smoothness that I always like.
And speaking of Rogue, I split a bottle of Rogue XS Imperial Stout with Dan. It comes in the black-coated ceramic 750-ml bottle, and (unbeknownst to me until right now) is a hearty 11% ABV! The beer is very well-hopped and nearly black in color, with a slight alcohol nose which gets stronger and stronger as your glass empties. There are also oats brewed with the beer, which help give it a silky yet full-bodied feel in the mouth. Great in small doses with some vanilla ice cream or a hard cheese.