As mentioned previously, I picked up Rogue’s Brutal Bitter at the beer store recently. Being one of the beers on my Christmas List, I figured this would be a good one to complete my year’s assignment for beer reviews. The Brutal Bitter pours a hazy gold color with a thin white head. The head settles quickly to leave a thin collar with good lacing sticking to the side of my pint glass. This beer appears to be fairly lightly carbonated with small bubbles streaming to the top of the glass.
The nose of this ESB is dominated by citrus scents. Grapefruit seems to be the most prevalent. I don’t really smell any malts in here at all. This one definitely seems to be all hops. The first sip confirms that this really is a hop bomb. Rogue states that the only hop in here is an Oregon variety called Crystal hops. It has a big citrus flavor, but leaves a nice clean aftertaste. The bitterness of the hops is very refreshing but won’t make you pucker. There is no metallic finish like an IPA. The mouthfeel is quite light and this beer is very drinkable. It’s a bit pricey for a six pack (about $9.00), but it’s worth every penny.
My Rating:
