I got a little time to sit in front of the iPad camera and talk about a beer that has been sent to me by the brewer’s reps for my comment.
Rogue Ales’ Rolling Thunder is an Imperial Stout, with a slightly different recipe for each vintage. The 2018 release is a big ol’ thing at 14.4% abv, and with added brown sugar, raspberries, vanilla, and Rogue Farms’ Liberty and Freedom hops. Additionally, the beer was aged 9 months in barrels of Rogue’s Dead Guy Whiskey, made at Rogue’s own barrel cooperage. Each bottle is hand numbered, as in “Barrel 13 of 17, Bottle 23 of 413,” like mine was.
My first whiff under the cap is a sensation of “fresh water” that I often get from a Rogue beer. Either a function of their house “Pacman” yeast or maybe a special mineral content in the water. Then there’s the strong whiskey nose; It’s not as heady as other BBA stouts, but then the raspberries come up to match it. I had to re-read the ingredient list that Rogue conveniently put on each bottle to make sure there wasn’t maple syrup involved.
The beer’s color is a solid brownish black under a brown fizzy head. Alcohol legs cling to the side of the glass as I drink it.
The taste is big on raspberries and vanilla, which makes it different again from any other BBA Stout I’ve had. All right, it’s kind of sweet for a strong stout, but not overly sugary. I suspect the fruit taste will wear down over the years, so I’m glad I’m sticking to trying one bottle now and saving on (Bottle 20 from the same barrel) to try out later.
A beer that’s a course in itself. Or it could be matched with chocolate or spicy food.
