Rogue Double Dead Guy
Friends are great things to have until they start suggesting $12 bottles of beer :) I have to take advantage of it though. It hasn't been that long since beers like this one were against the law here in North Carolina. There was a dark time when 6% was the maximum legal limit. Hickory, North Carolina is not the beer cultural center of the world. In fact, it's not the cultural center of much of anything. We are, however, fortunate enough to have Gail's Hops and Grapes, which caters to wine and beer enthusiasts with a rather nice selection of good wine and beer, including some top shelf options for those who are so inspired.
Rogue's Double Dead Guy Ale is my first venture into top-shelf beer. This is a 26oz / 750ml bomber of 9% ABV love. The bottle is beautiful, but I still can't wait to try one of the Rogue XS varieties in the ceramic swing-top bottle. I wish THIS was a swing-top bottle so I could drink half of it today and half of it tomorrow, but I suppose I'm going to be forced to suffer through the entire bottle tonight instead.
It's too cold right out of the fridge in the glass, so I transferred it to my pewter tankard and warmed it up to a good drinking temperature.
Tasting notes from the website:
Deep amber copper color. Buttery peanut brittle, orange blossom tea aromas follow through to a rich chewy and fruity full body with nice notes of caramel drizzled dried apricot and roasted grains and spice. Finishes with a long, tangy grilled grapefruit and chocolate fade...
My senses of taste are not quite that refined, but I can definitely enjoy this beer. Moving it to the pewter tankard significantly improved the aroma and flavor of this beer. At the colder temperature right out of the fridge, the alcohol level was quite evident on the palate, but at 55 degrees, the rich character of this beer came to life. I think I'm gonna end this post here and finish this bomber... It's really good stuff... :)