Take 5 pints, walk 5 miles home, 1 blizzard ... (Rogue Juniper Pale Ale)

Member Name: Newfloridian

Product:	Rogue Juniper Pale Ale
Date:	31/10/06 (94 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Another intriguing strong ale from those Rogues in Oregon .

Disadvantages: Disappoints in the juniper stakes

I guess you know that winter is just around the corner when the stores start putting out the Christmas decorations (in the UK this happens sometime in September although in the US at least this is ameliorated somewhat by the displays for Halloween until the latter days of October) and the shelves start to fill up with seasonal brews. We were lucky enough to escape to San Diego last year at this time so we enjoyed pumpkins rather than holly and ivy.

When we got back home, we were faced with a couple of really hard frosts overnight in the North East leaving early mornings with an unexpected coating of ice to remove from the car windows. As if to celebrate that enterprising firm, James Clay & Sons, had been “going its ends” stocking up the shelves in the approach of the festive season with a bumper crop of import beers.

I have enjoyed a couple of the labels from the Rogue Brewery (Oregon) in the past (Rogue Amber, Dead Guy Ale) and have reported my enjoyment on these pages recently. It seemed only appropriate to give this third visitor an appreciative nod. I have to warn you here and now that the label on the bottle last year may well not be the same as the label now. The Rogue Brewery renamed this brew at the end of last season and now call it Juniper Pale Ale. I have not seen it over here in this new guise but did sample a drop on the West Coast. So, for the moment I will tell you of this brew under its old soubriquet - in case there are still some bottles lurking at the back of the shelf. In any case the old name is also the more intriguing.

I have always had a sneaking liking for beers and ales that have been spiked or enhanced with extraneous flavourings. I have enjoyed glasses of seasonal ales that have benefited from the infusion of blossoms or winter fruit. I have to say that, linguistically at least, I could have dreamed up a more appetising appellation. I don’t know whether North Americans do it any differently, but everyone I have asked around here so far came up with similar ideas for creating Yellow Snow …!

THE BREWERY

Rogue Ales was founded in 1988 by a trio of industrialists who set up a brewpub (a microbrewery that also has a hostelry that sells its own produce) in Ashland, Oregon. Theirs is an extensive catalogue now of 25 different labels. Of particular interest to us in the UK is a Scottish inspired Younger’s Special Bitter (named after a local publican not the Younger’s of Scottish and Newcastle fame!), Imperial IPA and Shakespeare Stout (a replica English oatmeal stout). They also produce a number of Belgian monastery and German bock look-alikes. They have experimented with flavoured beers (hazelnut, chocolate, soba bean and buckwheat)

The brewmasters pride themselves on using only the finest hops and barley malt, free range coastal water and Pacman top fermenting proprietary yeast. They guarantee that there beers are preservative-, additive- , chemical- free. Rogue beers are not pasteurised. The ales are bottled using an oxygen absorbing cap, brown glass for better shelf life, and plenty of malted barley and hops to provide stability.

They say of this brew “John Maier and his crew are up to their old tricks. They brewed a new beer called Yellow Snow in anticipation of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah.” Yellow Snow uses Northwest Harrington, Crystal Triumph, C-15 and Maier Munich Malts; Amarillo and `Styrian Golding Hops, top fermenting Pacman Yeast, and whole Juniper Berries. It is available in 22-ounce bottles, 64-ounce jugs, and on draft.

THE BOTTLE

In common with other Rogue brews, Yellow Snow Ale arrives in a tall and bulky dark brown glass bottle (650ml). The front and rear labels that are “painted” onto the glass. The mainly black crown cap bears the name “Rogue” and the mantra ‘Dedicated to the rogue in each of us”.

This ale’s label shares many of the attributes of Rogue Amber Ale. It features a tough looking muscular roustabout wearing snow goggles pushed up onto his forehead and making a clenched fist salute. He has his right arm around his dog (?black Labrador). Next to them is the mantra “Together We Can Do It” (What – make yellow snow?) The colour scheme is red, yellow and white. It is brewed to 5.3% ABV.

The label also notes that it (the bottle? The beer?) is “dedicated to common sense”. The bottle contains “a pale ale, saffron in color with a smooth malt balance, a floral aroma with a dry spice finish from whole juniper berries”. It is brewed in Newport, Oregon As before this supply has been imported into the UK by James Clay & Sons of Elland, West Yorkshire. (I wonder if they have any vacancies on their import beer auditioning team? ‘Ecky Thump, that’d be a labour of love!!).


THE DRINK

Although the bottle did not recommend any particular storage environment I kept it in the fridge until serving. Well the name suggests the frozen wastes and it does come from a cold climate. It was at about 8ºC when opened. I took the top off with a bottle opener. (I must remember to find out how the cap absorbs oxygen!) Yellow Snow poured a mid amber colour with a slight bloom in the glass. Saffron it is not. There was no deposit left in the bottle. It produced good carbonation but created little head.

The nose was moderately hopped with vague hints of spice, spirits and the hedgerow. The first taste is quite bitter with fairly strong hints of blossom (elder), pepper and spice. There was also a vague hint of aromatic oils. This is a medium bodied ale that is quite smooth on the tongue. The bitterness developed during drinking and persisted gently on the palate long after swallowing.

I drank this bottle as an evening beverage alongside a bag of bar snacks. The flavour is perhaps a little quirky to sit comfortably with most mealtime menus. By the same token for my taste there are many better defined brews out there – including the other two Rogues. The near continent (particularly Belgium) is well known for the addition of spices (coriander) to its beer. I was initially intrigued with the idea of adding juniper berries to the brew. There is an aromatic quality to the bouquet of Yellow Snow. However this is stronger in the blossom rather than the berry register. I am well aware of the flavour of juniper in alcohol (for strength try Bombay Sapphire or any of the Dutch Oulde Genevers) and in cookery (it is a classic addition to game casserole or game pie). There was little of that juniper quality here. In this respect, Yellow Snow disappoints. In future I’ll stick to the G&T when I need a juniper fix. Similarly a far more pronounced, rounded and mature elderflower and pepper brew can be found in Golden Champion Ale from England’s West Country Badger Brewery.

Like the other members of this stable Yellow Snow Ale is perhaps on the expensive side in the UK. Although not as strong as Dead Guy given the large size bottle you probably wouldn’t want to drink more than one or two at a sitting.

AVAILABILITY:

Rogue Yellow Snow Ale. 650ml bottle. Intermittent supplies at various supermarkets £ 2.99

POSTSCRIPT:

So why the change of name? The website doesn't say. Maybe jibes like mine finally got through to them and they felt a more moderate name would be helpful. Whatever the reason, they have declared that the beer is just the same.

Summary: A seasonal ale promising an aromatic finish from the addition of juniper berries .