Rogue: Chocolate Stout

My last experience with Rogue was so good that I couldn't wait very long before coming back for more. And I have to say, the second time was as good as the first. Watch out everybody, I might be on the verge of picking a new favorite brewery.

Rogue's chocolate stout is not the darkest of stouts; significantly less dense than a Guinness. It also has a fairly minimal head, giving the initial worry that the beer might be a little lacking in flavor or body. Fortunately, these worries are quickly dispelled. The stout is a well balanced mix of malts and hops, leading with a pronounced chocolate flavor and finishing with a pleasant mild hoppiness and a hint of alcohol. The taste is quite bold, though not at all overpowering, and the thickness is medium-bodied. And that's the great achievement of this beer: somehow it packs in a maximal amount of taste and remains quite drinkable. I only bought one. If it wasn't a Wednesday I would already be on my way back out to grab a lot more.

All in all this is a beer you have to try, assuming that you like stouts of course. If Rogue offers many more beers as good as the two I've had so far, I may just have to see if they've got an upstairs room above their SF pub that I can live in over the summer.