Rogue Yellow Snow: Make your own title
Jul 08 '01 (Updated Jul 21 '01)
The Bottom Line Yet another interesting creation from Rogue, worth buying for the bottle if not the beer. Hop lovers should try it, but for me the malt just doesn’t fight back.
Rogue Yellow Snow, Rogue Ales, Newport, Oregon
How to make Yellow Snow
Take Northwest Harrington, Crystal Triumph, C-15 and Maier Munich Malts; Amarillo and Styiran Golding Hops, Free Range Coastal Water, Top Fermenting Pacman Yeast, and whole Juniper Berries.
Instant thoughts of the name yellow snow would be something of a turn off to most beer drinkers, but not this one. Rogue is not only one of the best brewers here on the west coast, it’s also responsible for some of the most inventive creations and its Rogue-ishly independent style. Come to think of it I wouldn’t put it past them to p***, ……, no I won’t even go there. The name of course does say much for the company’s boldness, after all do you think Budweiser would ever have the balls to give their beer a name that could in anyway be linked to urine?
Rogue Yellow Snow Ale
Now the phrase, “this beer tastes like yellow snow”, is more often applied to lagers, and that’s exactly what I expected this beer to be. I later discovered that it’s actually a pale ale and was brewed in anticipation of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah. I read that it is a seasonal offering although I got mine a couple of weeks ago.
The bottle states: “A pale ale, saffron in color with a smooth malt balance, a floral aroma with a spicy dry finish from whole juniper berries” There’s no freshness date, but the edition, “2001” is clearly printed after the beer’s name.
The bottle has an interesting look, a bearded guy with snow goggles and winter clothing, one arm wrapped around his black lab and left fist raised. The caption below reads “Together We Can Do It”. Do what? Are the man and his dog going out on a mission to turn all snow yellow? Or is this just Rogue’s battle cry for the independents? Maybe it’s a mixture of the two, campaigning against clean characterless brews. Make your own assumptions, or leave your answers on my comments page.
I listed the ingredients in my introduction, just a couple more gaps to fill before getting down to the drinking. It’s 13 Plato, which would equate to about 5.2% ABV, and has 34 IBU’s which is pretty much in the middle as a pale ale.
Tasting Notes
It’s a little darker than the yellow, or “saffron” that I had been expecting. In fact it doesn’t look like yellow snow, rather it’s a pale cloudy amber. There doesn’t seem to be much carbonation, although the cloudiness makes it a little hard to judge, while the white head that first appeared was not long lived.
The nose is pretty assertive, a pale cookie-like malt, and a nice hop bouquet that hints at spiciness. It also reveals a little more earthiness as the beer warms.
It’s slight in its carbonation, but sufficiently so. The body is pretty thin however, definitely on the light side for a pale ale.
There’s a light maltiness at first, which you have to hold at the front for a while to appreciate. The hop quickly takes over and asserts itself on the flavor, very tangy, citric all in a good crisp bitter finish, while there’s some spiciness that creeps in. The malt is not really there in sufficient quantities to balance it out in the finish. What remains is the hop with a little spiciness, while there’s also a lingering alcohol almost vodka-like aftertaste.
Verdict
If you’re looking for a good hop-attack and something to quench the palate this pale ale does a good job. Again, as with the Santa’s Reserve I tasted this afternoon, it reminds me of an IPA, except for the fact that it seems pretty light on malt. It’s a good ale and enjoyable, but it may be a little too off-balanced for the average drinker.
One guide I read stated that IPA’s have typically 40-60 IBU’s, so I wouldn’t have expected to be making comparisons when this only has 34. I’d recommend it to a fan of hoppy beers, it’s decent but I don’t think it’s anything outstanding. I’ll probably buy it again in 2002 just to find out if they changed the recipe at all.
Price & Availability
This came from my local specialist importer, Cost Plus World Market, and cost $3.99 for a 22oz bottle. I wouldn’t expect it to be available nationwide and Rogue just suggest that you contact them to find out about distribution in your area.
Ratings
Pour: 3/5 Aroma: 7/10 Palate: 3/5 Taste: 6/10 Overall: 13/20
Score: 3.2
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Member: Andrew Smith
Location: The Desert, So Cal
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