Rogue Chipotle Ale

My Father-in-law (Mike) recently purchased a bottle of Rogue Chipotle Ale for us to try. We cracked it open last night and split the 22 oz. bottle. I really like Rogue beers but I have to be honest, this one wasn't really my cup of tea (or beer as it was). My Father-in-law and wife didn't really like it either. I think it was a couple of things, first some information about the brew.

Rogue publishes that this beer is dedicated to a Spanish author named Juan de la Cueva who, in 1575, wrote about an ale made with seedless chipotle peppers. An interesting suggestion on the website (Chipotle Ale) suggests blending it with a Rogue Chocolate Stout for a mole black & tan. Now that's something I would find interesting to try!

Anyway, back to the beer. It pours a dark golden color, which was kind of surprising because they state that the Chipotle Ale recipe is based on their American Amber Ale which is quite a bit darker. It had a nice thick foamy head which retained to the bottom of the glass. The aroma was a little, well, funky. None of us could quite put our fingers on it but I assume it was the burnt, roasty smell from the chiles. The first sip hit me in the front end with a lot of smokey flavor. It tasted almost exactly like Shiner Smokehaus in my opinion. There was no spiciness which is what I expected from this description:

Roasted chipotle peppers produce an eye opening chile flavor in this deep golden ale with a malty, smoky aroma and smooth, crisp flavor.

Both Mike and I detected maybe a tiny tiny hint of spice at the back of our tongue. It was definitely not "eye opening chile flavor" but more of a tickle.

Bottom Line: While this ale wasn't bad in any way, it also wasn't my favorite. If you are looking for a chile pepper beer this isn't one to pick up. If you are a fan of Rauchbiers or any kind of smoked beers I would certainly give this one a try. I give it one chili pepper out of 5.

Stats:
12º PLATO
35 IBU
82 AA
23º Lovibond