Rogue: Dead Guy Ale

Rogue originally created this ale to celebrate day of the dead. But what began as an obscure seasonal celebration ale quickly became Rogue's flagship brew. The skeleton-man label gives this brew a unique look, which is appropriate, since Dead Guy has an equally unique taste.

To the naked eye, Dead Guy is rather unassuming. It has a clear golden color and a quickly-dissipating head. But the taste is subtle and complex. It starts off with a dry toasted malt taste, but an earthy hop flavor follows quickly. The hop bitterness is accented by an almost peppery spiciness. At some point in there I think I can taste a faint citrus-sweetness, though it is hard to identify amidst the persistent hoppiness. It is very light bodied and moderately carbonated, which leaves you with a crisp but noticeably bitter aftertaste.

Dead Guy combines a number of elements that makes it drinkable in juts about any situation. It has the crispness and light-body that you want in a summer brew, but it also boasts a bold combination of malts and hops that is more suggestive of a cold-weather ale. It is complex enough to be a sipping ale, but also light-bodied enough to be a session beer (though the bold flavor might eventually bowl you over).

Sudwerk Resturant and Brewery: Maibock

Great lunch before watching The Final Four. A couple of quality brews to drink, anticipation building from the pre-game show on the flat screens, fellow sports fans chugging drinks, and some good food to top it all off. Sudwerk is really a great Davis spot to throw back a couple. Here goes the in between game review:

I went with the Maibock. It's spring time so I figured I'd start with a seasonal that's not around much in local Davis markets before I'd switch to Sudwerk's tasty classics. Overall a couple features to brag about but at the same time nothing much to say.

By far the most redeeming quality is this bock's drinkability. Even more so than TJ's bock which I reviewed last month. Following Maibock tradition we have a lighter hued brew instead of some darker and heartier bocks. For topping out at 7.5% alcohol this beer is surprisingly drinkable and smooth. Easy to sip down and wash away the pork and fries I was munching on. On the disappointing side, this beer doesn't have very many powerful flavors that attack the palate. A kinda bland bock. I was hoping for more, since I love Sudwerk brews (Xtra Pale, Dragonfly, and Marzen especially) and I had gotten some recommendations to try the Maibock when it finally came out. But overall not a bad start to the day. Cheers.