Rogue Somer Orange Honey Ale: Crisp, Refreshing, and Good
Written: Oct 20 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Complexity; Easy- drinking refreshment
Cons: Could use a little more hop character
The Bottom Line: This is a good summer brew, but it doesnt rank among Rogue's finest.
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| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Rogue Ales Somer Orange Honey Ale |
Summertime beer is usually light, crisp, and refreshing and it is common to find various additives in these beer products to add to their flavor profile. One summer ale that offers many different additives is Rogue Somer Orange Honey Ale, an American Summer Wheat Ale
Basic Beer Facts:
Rogue Somer Orange Honey Ale pours to a mostly clear (at first- the final pour will be cloudy), straw- colored body with a nose that combines light citrus, wheat, and light clove. The head of foam on this beer is slight and doesn't last very long, even with an aggressive pour.
Rogue Somer Orange Honey Ale offers a light, refreshing taste that is marked by its combination of wheat, yeast, honey, and light citrus taste. The taste of grains and the seltzer- like body make for a good, agreeable taste. Hops are almost non- existent in the flavor of this beer, and it starts and finishes on the sweet side. The aftertaste is somewhat fruity and quite pleasant.
Rogue Somer Orange Honey Ale is brewed using two row and wheat malts, oats, wildflower honey, orange peel, coriander, and chamomile, along with crystal and willamette hops and two types of ale yeast. The final analysis of this product shows an alcohol level of 5.2 percent by volume and a bitterness rating of 10 IBU.
Food Compatibility:
Rogue Somer Orange Honey Ale would match up nicely with certain cheeses, such as colby, and it makes a good choice of brew to drink with appetizers like mozzerella cheese sticks and mild chicken wings. It would also match up well with poultry dishes and lightly spiced fare.
Final Thoughts:
Rogue is a brewery synonymous with fine ales and it ranks among my all- time favorite brewing operations. Rogue has produced just about every style of beer imaginable, including all of the standard types of ale along with some more creative undertakings. Rogue Somer Orange Honey Ale ranks as one of the newer products from Rogue and it makes for a nice change of pace from the heavier brew to which I am most accustomed.
Rogue Somer Orange Honey Ale is brewed the way one would expect a summer ale to be brewed: Light and easy- drinking with some added fruit flavor for refreshment. This Rogue product actually combines eleven different ingredients into a single product, and this makes for some good complexity, even if it is on the lighter side.
Observing its appearance, this summer ale is generally clear and see- through from the beginning, but the body becomes cloudier as you continue to consume. The product is sold in the trademark 22 oz. Rogue glass bottle and there is a small amount of yeast at the bottom of the container. This creates a cloudier, yeastier final drink once the yeast sediment has been released from the bottle into your glass. The flavor of the ale is yeasty from the start, but this characteristic becomes more evident when you approach the end of the bottle.
Rogue Somer Orange Honey Ale does offer some nice refreshment, but I don't necessarily rate this among my favorite Rogue products. The reason is probably because there are so many fuller, richer, more memorable products that Rogue produces. They make this product seem rather lame in comparison. I try my best not to compare any beer with other products made by the same brewery, but this is often easier said than done. Even when I try to rate this beer solely on its own merits, it still doesn't rate much better than average. I like the crisp, refreshing taste and the complexity is good, too. But I don't like the absence of hop character and even though this is a summer beer product, it could still use a little more body.
Overall, Rogue Somer Orange Honey Ale is a good product, but not one of the better beers in the Rogue lineup. It certainly has some nice qualities to offer and I wouldn't turn a bottle away if it was passed in my direction. But it doesn't necessarily live up to my expectations and thus I consider it only an average beer product overall.
Recommended:
Yes
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