As I sit here sipping this very beer pictured watching the Blazers try to stay in the series with the Suns I can’t help but feel joy all over every taste bud of my tongue! Being that this is my first beer blog centered on a single beer I had to go with my all time favorite beer. Dead Guy Ale by Rogue Brewery is nothing short of what truly delicious beer should taste like. Even if the blazers lose at least they will be close to this treat from the heavens.
We took a trip to Newport last week to check out the Oregon coast and also try some different beers at the Rogue Brewery. Although, I tried a few of their other hops I am still drawn to the Dead Guy as my favorite. Also, the label is kind of creepy and perfect for the Grateful Dead Oregon hippy in me!
So each time I review a beer I will try to list some details including the style, Ingredients,specs, and the history of the beer. Also if available I will try to provide some links to further reading. Next, I will give my review of the beer and briefly wrap it up with a drinkability comment I will call “Last Sip”!
So here’s the scoop:
Style: German Maibock / Helles Bock
Ingredients:
Malts: Northwest Harrington, Klages, Maier Munich and Carastan.
Hops: Perle and Saaz.
Yeast & Water: Rogue’s Pacman Yeast & Free Range Coastal Water.
Specs:
- 6.50% ABV
- 16º PLATO
- 40 IBU
- 78 AA
- 16º Lovibond
HISTORY
At my first glimpse of this beer I thought it must have a history connected to The Grateful Dead. Apparently, in the early 1990s Dead Guy Ale was created as a private tap sticker to celebrate the Mayan Day of the Dead (November 1st, All Souls Day) for Casa U Betcha located in Portland, Oregon. This fact is kind of strange since Rogue classifies the beer as a Maibock, which does fit the taste nicely. The Dead Guy design proved so popular with customers and especially Grateful Dead fans, that it was made for the label of Rogue’s Maierbock ale. Too bad the association with the Grateful Dead band is pure coincidence.
Related Facts:
- 2007 World Beer Championships—Silver
- 2006 World Beer Championships—Silver
- 2005 World Beer Championships—Silver
Further Reading
http://www.rogue.com/beers/dead-guy-ale.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bock
http://www.braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Maibock
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This beer was good, but I also had it out the bottle in a bar setting…so appearance and smell didn’t come into account for me. At first I didn’t like the bitter after taste because I am a bud light drinker and I wasn’t expecting the bitter after taste. After a few more sips I enjoyed it more, but it was filling for me and heavy. I would definitely try it again though.
Janelle,
Getting used to that “filling” feeling from craft beers takes a little time. Just know that for every Rogue you drink you are getting more than twice the amount of alcohol than in a Bud Lite. 🙂
I’m not sure what changed, but I liked this beer much better where it was originally brewed in Ashland, OR. (Now the Caldera Brewpub).
I imagine, due to becoming more mainstream after moving to Newport, some of the orignal authenticity has been lost as it is now mass produced.
Overpriced these days, but still one of my all time favorite beers.
This beer is amazing. The image on the bottle caught my eye so I decided to give it a shot. And might I add it the taste is unique yet amazing. It has now become one of my favorite beers. This was a great experience.