Rogue Brewery Dead Guy Ale
May 14, 2010
Can I tell you a secret? I’ve never tried a beer from Oregon’s Rogue Brewery. That’s right. You are all witness to yet another first here at The Brew Club, and a personal first as well! I’m going to to review the Rogue Brewery Dead Guy Ale, compliments of fellow Brew-Clubber Melissa!
This 6.5% ABV bottle of Rogue Dead Guy has been in my fridge for some time now, the little ‘Dead Guy’ on the label staring at me each time I open the fridge to reach for some swill or gruel. Up until now I’ve been able to ignore him, but today he got the best of me. Let’s find out what the Dead Guy Ale is all about then!
Well, according to the Rogue website (link above), Dead Guy Ale is considered a German Maibock and is made with cool stuff like Rogue’s proprietary ‘Pacman’ yeast and ‘Free Range Coastal Water’. (Is that like free-range chickens, but in liquid form?) Along with no additives or preservatives, Rouge’s beers are not pasteurized either. Sounds good so far…
Well, the pour was typical I suppose, but it did create a very foamy beige-colored head that really took some time to go down. When it did, there was a foamy layer left on the ale’s surface.
The beer itself is a nice amber color, and it is not quite clear in my glass. Looking closely through a light, you can see the fine whispy ’stuff’ that look like clouds might if the sky were amber and made of beer. Kinda cool effect, but a scary alternate reality.
Smelling this beer, well, its sweet smelling and it reminds me very much of honey. I’d be very surprised to find that the Rogue Dead Guy Ale didn’t have honey in there somehow. It’s also rather bready smelling and sweetish malt is noticable to me as well. This Dead Guy Ale smells very, very good to me.
Now for the big moment! With great anticipation, I will now taste my first beer from Rogue Brewery!
Well, following along the same lines as the nice aroma, Dead Guy has a sweet honey-like flavor, but then there is even something of a mellow buttery flavor, and then just a touch of hops. Definitely on the malty side, but there is this rich sweetness, not candy sweet, but like I said, something along the lines of warm honey with buttery flavors.
Very interesting.
The mouthfeel is nice, this ale is pretty slick feeling, and it is nicely drinkable. Its easy going down – no bite and no burn, very nice. Its not too thick, but still the beer does have some body to it. Aftertaste is really not a surprise either, but I found it to be just slightly bitter with a lingering honey taste.
Hmm. So, what did I think of my first Rogue Brewery Dead Guy Ale? I thought it was outstanding! This dead guy beer has really made me a happy guy this afternoon. I can hardly think of anything negative to say about it, except maybe that it costs an arm and a leg to buy here in NJ. (but what doesn’t) So, I am going to bestow upon the Rouge Dead Guy Ale a rating of 4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this beer.
Rating: 
Needless to say, I would get this beer again, and I would recommend it without reservation! I even think that the Rogue Dead Guy might make a good ‘crossover’ beer for beer beginners or people who really only drink mass-produced macros. Its all around a good beer, not not extreme in any degree. I can’t see anyone not enjoying this beer, but then again I only know two people.
I’d also like to thank Melissa for hooking me up with this excellent ale, and I’m looking forward to trying other beers from Rogue in the future!
What do you think of Dead Guy ale?
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Posted in 4 Star Reviews, Ales, American Beers
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May 14th, 2010 at 10:02 am
I like this beer quite a bit too, Scott, but I rarely buy it. It occupies the same flavor space in my brain as Stone Arrogant Bastard, which is more affordable. So when I’m in the mood for this style of beer, I usually reach for Stone. But Dead Guy is delicious, and now I want one. Right now. At work. At 10am.
What the hell, it’s Friday, right?
May 14th, 2010 at 10:02 am
I know I’ve had Dead Guy several times, Probably at the Office bar & Grill. It never left a memorable impression on me. Most of the rogue beers are like that for me, not great, not bad, but hohum.
Peter at Simply Beer´s last blog ..Simply Beer Podcast #32 – Spontaneous Fermentation
May 14th, 2010 at 10:03 am
Also, I have to figure out how to have a string of lovely ladies bring me beer. You’ve got it made, buddy!
Jim´s last blog ..Russell’s Reserve: Wild Turkey Goes Big City!
May 14th, 2010 at 10:21 am
Thanks Jim – I agree that its up there in price. As it happens I have a bottle of Arrogant Bastard on the shelf so perhaps I’ll break that out this weekend to compare. Regarding the lovely ladies hooking me up with beer – yeah, its a good deal but it should really happen more often. I’m thinking weekly. (That’s a hint if you are reading!)
@Peter – I don’t know much about the other Rogue beers, and while I’d agree that it wasn’t necessarily exciting, or even memorable, it just seemed to be a really nice beer without all the bells and whistles. Sometimes, I’m just in the mood for a good ‘regular’ beer and this did the trick. Na mean?
Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Dundee Honey Brown Lager
May 14th, 2010 at 10:23 am
Anything that makes 4 stars gets added to my ‘look out for’ list. It sounds really interesting.
BobtheBrit´s last blog ..Hanging on the Telephone
May 14th, 2010 at 10:43 am
I love this beer. It is just so solid. Rogue holds a specail place for me as it was one of the first craft brewers that I found. When I got to the mix and match six pack store I will sometimes pick up a bottle just to have. And at 1.89 a bottle, the price is just right.
Nate´s last blog ..Beer Review #54 Terrible
May 14th, 2010 at 10:46 am
This was one of the beers that got me started on drinking craft beer, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s nothing amazing, like you said Scott, but it’s just a good drinking beer.
It’s always been funny to be, as Maibock is a lager, that they call this a Maibock. Rogue uses their proprietary PacMan Ale yeast for all their beers, so it’s a Maibock really only in grain bill and flavor profile. Not quite your traditional Maibock.
@ Jim – I will have to disagree with your assessment of this being similar to Stone Arrogant Bastard. Stone AB is SUPER hoppy and aggressive. It’s one of the few craft beers I still don’t enjoy (and I loooooove hops and big beers… it’s just a harsh bitterness and the other flavors all come off as harsh as well… there’s just no other way I can describe the beer but “harsh”). It’s just harshly bitter with an unappealing malt character that is hidden my hops. It’s a real kick-you-in-the-teeth beer while Rogue Dead Guy is fairly mellow and drinkable.
May 14th, 2010 at 11:08 am
Like Jeff, This was one that got me into craft beer and is solid. I don’t think it tastes like a classic Maibock, but that’s ok…it’s still delicious.
Believe it or not, it’s pretty cheap here…cheaper than Arrogant Bastard.
It is still a go to beer. Around here, you can only get craft beer at a few stores that are typically out of the way. Luckily, this beer is stocked alongside the Killians and Corona, so if I’m grabbing a few groceries and don’t have time to go to the beer store, I can grab this.
nate´s last blog ..Is It Legal To Let My Kids Sample My Beer?
May 14th, 2010 at 11:53 am
Great comments! Its interesting to read that this beer was a part of many people’s ‘awakening’ into the craft-beer world. After having it finally, I can see why. Very tasty and not extreme in any sense of the word. Definitely a ‘go-to’ beer for me now, although in these parts its usually $9.99 or more, but as Nate mentioned its easy to find.
@Jeff – thanks for filling in the blanks on this beer!
Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Avery Hog Heaven-Barleywine Style Ale
May 14th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Scott, that $9.99 price tag, is that for a 6 pack? I can buy a sixer of this in Idaho for about $7.00. That said I too like this beer. And I would agree with Jeff, and say my Brother @Jim is an Idiot. This tastes nothing like Stone Arrogant Bastard at all. I too agree with Jeff that Stone AB is Harsh and just an ok IPA. Rogue Deadguy is the best beer Rogue makes in my opinion. Well crafted, and well balanced.
Don´s last blog ..Russell’s Reserve: Wild Turkey Goes Big City!
May 14th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
@Don – thanks for putting Jim in his place! I’m sure he meant well. Yeah, $9.99 is the common price for a 6er in Jersey, sometimes I see it for more, never less. I bet it just costs less to get it to Idaho than Jersey which might explain the cost difference.
Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Dundee Honey Brown Lager
May 14th, 2010 at 7:36 pm
So, my first try of Rogue Dead Guy wasn’t all that great. It was memorable, but I hated it. It tasted like some sort of herbal tea concoction. Yet, this was early on in my education about craft beer. My taste buds weren’t accustomed to a hoppier beer. Well, times have changed and I love it. It’s a great session, go-to beer.
Big Tex´s last blog ..Advocacy
May 14th, 2010 at 7:40 pm
@Big Tex – Isn’t that interesting? I’m often tempted to go back and retry beers that I didn’t really like to see if my tastes have changed @ all. So far, with all the different beers to try, I haven’t really done that! I could see Dead Guy easily being a go-to beer.
Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..St. Peters Old Style Porter
May 15th, 2010 at 11:10 pm
I am a huge fan of Rogue and have been for any years. Dead Guy Ale is a great beer and in my top 10.
May 16th, 2010 at 12:28 am
@StevenMoore – thanks for stopping in! I can tell you have good taste in beer!
Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Lomza Polish Beer – This Week’s Lawnmower Beer
May 31st, 2010 at 6:50 am
I am a huge fan of Rogue and have been for any years. Dead Guy Ale is a great beer and in my top 10.