Michael: Through the panes of snow-peppered glass and by the fading light of day, I can still just see the eighteen predicted inches of snow accumulating outside my parent’s Minnesota home. The landscape has twisted itself from a sloppy, grey mess to a bleached blanket in just the course of a few hours. The snow makes me think of snowmen, Bing Crosby and skiing. Fitting for just such an evening, my brother-in-law-to-be has generously provided us with a 22oz bottle of Rogue’s Mogul Madness to split three ways, perfect for a nice little taste.

This winter wonderbeer pours a brown, edged with deep amber and capped by a sliver of a head. Its perfumed with lemony hops stirred into an earthy, fruity mix. Hints of strawberry are faint, but present beneath a slightly medicinal, effervescent smell. The taste goes down, very unlike me on the slopes: smooth. There are raisins and chewy, darkberries. While the taste lacks a bit of the complexity found in the nose, the smoothness makes all well. The citrus, less rubustly distinct than the lemon in the smell, is definitely still floating, followed by coffee. The mouth feel is, again, smooth and has a hoppy finish much like the tumbles I take on the moguls: long lasting. This was definitely a nice winter warmer treat and made even better shared with family. Grade: B

Nate: Rogue brewery holds a special place in my heart for introducing me to quality ales and lagers. The first craft beer I truly remember loving was Rogue Dead Guy Ale. I have been a fan of this brewery ever since. In fact, the kitchen in my house has two shelves showcasing the unique art of Rogue’s serographed 22 ounce bottles.

In my quest for good ales over the past few years I have never come across Mogul Madness Ale until now. This past week I spent a few days in the eastern Sierras at Mammoth Lakes, California home to Mammoth Mountain Resort. Very fittingly, the local general store was selling this particular rarity.

I was surprised to learn that Rogue has been brewing this beer since 1991. As I’ve said, I’ve never come across it before, even in my visits to Oregon. Rogue describes this beer as a “lively seasonal ale, assertively hopped, dark in color, and festive in taste…” I wish I had written that for this review as it sums it up perfectly.

I suppose the general category that this beer falls into would be an amber ale. And let me say, it is a deep amber. Using an array of malts: 2 row, munich, c-120, c-150, kilncoffee, and carofa’s special 2 malts this beer truly brings a malt profile consistent with the thickest and burliest of winters. In true Rogue style the hops are loud. At 68 IBU’s this beer is definitely bitter. It has presence. The malt and hop profiles are upfront and almost in your face, but not quite, which makes it something nice and tolerable to sip on when it is a bit chilly outside. Even if my San Diego chilly is 48 degrees. Grade: B+

ABV: ?

Final Grade: B