Rogue Chipotle Ale
All my friends (well anyone who has even eaten anything with me) know that I am, for the lack of a better phrase, a hot sauce freak. I love hot sauce on just about anything and everything that can handle it. I had long sworn by Franks Red Hot but within the past few years my sauce of choice has been without a doubt Chipotle Tobasco hot sauce. For those of you who are not familiar, Chipotles are smoked jalapenos and the smoking process brings out a deep, rich flavor and spicy profile from the pepper and is absolutely amazing in chili! This all being said, hot peppers and beer do not particularly seem like a logical (or remotely appetizing) combination. I had my first taste of a hot pepper beer a few years ago when a local brew put attempted a jalapeno and Anaheim chili beer. It wasn’t particularly great, but it definitely opened my eyes to the possibility of a combination sent from the gods, beer and hot peppers.
As I was reading through the latest Draft Magazine, which is one of the leading magazines on beer and food in North America, I noticed Rogue Brewery’s Chipotle Ale was being reviewed. I have tried many of the Oregon brewery’s beers in the past, and never have been disappointed. Rogue Brewery is one of the many West Coast micro-breweries pushing the limits on what actually entails as a delicious beer.
One thing that stood out immediately from the Draft Magazine’s review, was the incredibly high score their Chiptole Ale received. Many times, innovative or “different” beers do not receive high grades with professional tasters. So when when I saw their score for this unique beer, I knew it had to try it. I went out and found one of the Rogue’s traditional 22 ounce bottles to give it a whirl.
As soon as you open the bottle, the smell of the Chipotle peppers is extremely apparent. The first sip proved to back up what the nose was telling me, the peppers were certainly not just a back note of flavor. The beer almost tasted like a creamy, liquid form of the Chipotle hot sauce that I love. It is an amber style ale that was fairly heavy in flavor, although I would almost describe it as a cream style ale. It has a very creamy like texture and its fantastic on the palate. The Chipotle flavor definitely is the main thing you taste, however, the creamy texture cools the tongue to a point where even people who do not love very spicy foods could enjoy the beer. That being said, if you can’t handle say, at least a solid medium wing, the beer would be much too spicy to enjoy. In addition to the creamy texture, a faint hop aftertaste hits you to even further elevate the heat. I could not have been more pleased with my beer choice. The Chipotle ale obviously isn’t a beer that you are going to drink all the time, or drink a ton of at one time for that matter. However to compliment a spicy meal (such as great Thai or Indian food), the beer was phenomenal. It was very much deserving of the 95 out of 100 score that the professional tasters at Draft gave it. If you are a fan of spicy wing, spicy food or hot sauce in general, this beer is a must try.
Enjoy and Cheers!
