David Brockington's Tasting Notebook

Rogue Wild Irish Stout

Dave's Introduction:

This review represents the first contribution of Nick Bruels to the Tasting Notebook. Nick's philosophy on beer criticism is similar to my own (though I would argue not synonymous) and I have long respected Nick's discerning palate. I suspect that you will find his reviews similar in quality and analysis to mine. The advantage of adding Nick's contributions to this Notebook should be obvious, and I hope he brings the same spirit to these pages that long time readers of rec.food.drink.beer are familiar.

Nick's Review:

I was pleasantly surprised to see a new stand of Rogue's Wild Irish Stout at the local grocer the other night. I surveyed the bottle to see if Rogue had kept their word about adding a label disclaimer to indicate that the beer is actually the same as Shakespeare. They did. "A.k.a. Shakespeare" appears in the ingredients list, and rfdb'rs should appreciate Rogue's responsiveness to their customers' concerns. Also on the back of the botle is a dedication which makes me very proud; it also lends truth to my claim that I now have a stout "with my name on it" waiting for me in the fridge.

Background

I've long been a fan of Rogue Shakespeare Stout, especially because of its hoppiness (usually a stout this hoppy is a higher gravity one) combined with a smoothness from rolled oats making it rather unique. A couple of years ago, David Brockington suggested that the (Salem OR) Capitol Brewers homebrew club add a new unofficial sub-category to our AHA sanctioned competition called "Northwest Stout". The idea was to provide stout homebrewers and judges a means of entering a decidedly hoppy dry, oatmeal, or sweet stout without the judges being obliged to mark the beer down for being "too hoppy."

Initial Impressions:

The WIR is actually a special bottling of their very popular Shakespeare Stout to commemorate St. Patrick's Day. A layer of yeast in the 22 oz. bottle suggests bottle-conditioning. I wonder if the WIR enjoys an extra bucket or two of finishing or dry hops than the Shakespeare does...The beer pours opaque black and throws a nice brown head which does fall over the course of the whole 22 oz. serving.

Nose:

At first, the aroma reminds one vaguely of smoked oysters, but a second sniff identifies the unmistakable citric aroma of Cascade hops. The bottle label lists only Cascade hops, and a hefty bitterness of 69 IBU's. Any time so many Cascades are used in such a beer, a very easily recognizable citric character results. The smoked oysters note is undoubtedly not from smoked malt, but presumably a result of the intermingling of Cascades and roast barley.

Flavor:

WIR tastes about as hoppy as it smells. The roasty bitterness and citric hop flavor combine well to provide a unique oatmeal stout: one which enjoys the smoothness from oats, yet bitterness and in-your-face hoppiness. I find the roasty notes to dominate the start of its flavor, and the hop flavor lingers in the finish.

Final Analysis:

Rogue's 1998 Wild Irish Rogue stout is perhaps the best example of northwest stout I've encountered. As a regular Irish or oatmeal stout, Wild Irish is a bit too hoppy. I suspect this beer might cause trouble if it were served fresh in a small, Guinness-loyal Irish pub. As a northwest stout however, this beer wins big. I'm having trouble imagining how I'd improve on brewmaster John Maier's interpretation.

Rating: ****1/2

(5-star scale) ***-1/2 (as "oatmeal stout")

Copyright 1998 by Nick Bruels, all rights reserved.
 Comments? Fire off some email: dbrock@u.washington.edu

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