Rogue beer! What's your favorite?

[svudah]

I, too, am a fan of the Dad's Little Helper. I just wish they'd bottle it in some kind of cool 40 oz bottles. Paul's Black Lager, or PBL as we all call it, is one of my new favs, but we blow through kegs of it so fast at our bar we can never keep it consistently on tap. They made a one-off (that's what I've been told) batch of an Imperial Chocolate Stout for the Japanese market that was also delicious, like a bar of hershey's melted in a 10% stout.

Unfortunately, I don't think Rogue will lower prices anytime soon. The demand is just too high.

 

[velotech]

Not a big fan of Rogue. Their beers are just soso in flavor to me. There are so many other much better beers out there IMO.

 

[remilard]

I pay over $6 a bomber for Rogue here on the other side of the country. I think all craft beer costs a bit more far way from home. Maybe not Rogue's fault, but it still discourages us from buying it more often.

That being said, I like Rogue. I even like the oft maligned Dad's Little Helper as a summer seasonal.

I pay $4-$5 in Missouri, exactly what I paid in Portland.

I'm a Rogue apologist for sure but even I will admit their beers don't travel particularly well. I can name some other well loved breweries for which the same is true though.

I don't see their beer as mediocre or uninteresting though and I certainly don't suffer for a lack of exposure to beer. I've had beer at scores of west coast brewpubs, on several continents etc. Rogue has always been a standout, in a good way, to me. I wish the criticisms were a little more specific than "expensive for what it is" because I see people hating on Rogue here day in and day out but I have not read one actual description of what was wrong with any of their beers.

The only brewery I can think of whose hoppy beers travel well is Sierra Nevada. I have always thought this was the most convincing argument George Fix made for the notion that HSA was damaging, that Sierra Nevada's beers do remarkably well in the trade and they are very advanced in terms of HSA. It could be some other part of their process though.

 

[zoebisch01]

I dunno, in spite of some of the negative comments I think the Nutbrown and the Mocha Porter are very very good. Not everything I've tried from them was stellar, but in general they make some solid beer. As for case prices, they are pretty much in the ballpark with equally good or even lower quality beer.

 

[zoebisch01]

When they stop retailing $12/6-pack for mediocre beer, then maybe I'll give Rogue a try. This is the most overpriced brewery I've ever come across, methinks. ****, I can get a 6-pack of most other craft beers for about $8-$9.

We pretty much pay around $10-$11 bucks a six for most beer here including Rogue. Not sure why though.

 

[svudah]

That's one thing about Rogue: I pay the same (and sometimes more) here in Oregon that I was paying in Upstate New York. I guess it's a little different in the middle of the country, though.

 

[brewthunda]

It's a shock seeing a six pack of Dead Guy for $12 . . . but when you do the math, that works out to $3.67 for 22 oz . . so the six packs are a bargain compared to the bombers. Just something to keep in mind when you're out shopping for fancy beers.

 

[PseudoChef]

I will make a trip to the store tonight to do some price comparison so that I get my numbers right. I know the Santa's Private Reserve was $12/6-pack and around $6-7 for a 22oz bomber because they were on the endcap next to the register last time I went to a particular store.

 

[silvervan83]

Gotta have the American Amber Ale..... because this is the freakin UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The greatest nation on God's green earth. ............. And cause its pretty tasty.

 

[tfries]

To me the most interesting beers are the Locker beers. Mogal Madness, Latona, Independence, Brewer, Glen, Blackend Brutal Bitter, Double Dead Guy.

 

[PseudoChef]

So every Rogue bomber sells for $5.99.
The Brutal Bitter and Santa's Private Reserve are $12.99/6 pack
The Dead Guy and Mocha Porter are $11.59/6 pack.

Compare that to DFH 60 min or Chicory Stout at $9.99
Avery 6 packs $8.99
Terrapin at $7.59
Oskar Blues $9.99
Sierra Nevada ESB/SNPA $7.59
Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA $9.99
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot 2009 $11.59.

Here in TN, the store is split up: if a beer is 6% or under it is in the beer store but if over, it needs to be sold in the liquor store. More alcohol, usually means more ingredients, and thus, more initial cost by the producer. I can't see the justification behind 6% Brutal Bitter at $13 but 10% Bigfoot cheaper. Even the Old Chub is $9.99 a six pack and is 8%.

 

[neko]

Rogue is kind of like the Nike of beers, it's all about the image really,

Funny you say that because one of the co-founders of Rogue was Nike's first COO. It's all starting to make sense.

 

[carnevoodoo]

None. Bleh.

 

[gplutt]

Ceramic bottle..over hyped, say what you want. I love Old Crustacean. If only If I could cellar a bottle. I buy it, put it down in the "cellar"...and I think about it being down there all...full of beer.....

...I'll go down there and pick it up and think..hmmm..maybe I'll wait.

And the following weekend I'll go down and I'll see it just sitting there...and I'll open it and drink it.

damn it...

I went to the Rogue Public House a couple weekends ago when I was in Portland. Brutal Bitter on tap was really good. I like Dead Guy Ale, Chocolate Stout, etc.

Expensive, yeah, they are. Overpriced, I don't think so; it seems like they are in line with other craft breweries to me. But hey, I don't live all that far from their home turf.

 

[remilard]

So every Rogue bomber sells for $5.99.
The Brutal Bitter and Santa's Private Reserve are $12.99/6 pack
The Dead Guy and Mocha Porter are $11.59/6 pack.

I pay 8.99 for a six pack of brutal bitter (in Missouri) and 7.99 I think for SNPA. I think the beers are probably comparable in quality (though I prefer BB in this case) so the Sierra Nevada is probably a better deal for me slightly which makes sense as they produce much more beer than Rogue. Seems fair.

Rogue bombers are priced variably here (and I happen to know that the brewery prices them variably) and almost all are between 4.50 and 5.50.

Now, if my liquor store can sell me Rogue cheaper than yours do you think my liquor store is using Rogue as a loss leader or do you think yours is bending you over because they know that you (or someone else) will pay the higher price?

Unless you think my liquor store is throwing money away on Rogue sales, why are you holding Rogue accountable for the retail markup being charged at your store? Based on my stores prices I would guess that the Rogue wholesale prices are only slightly higher than Sierra Nevada wholesale prices which I think is fair given comparable quality and lower production at Rogue.

 

[McGarnigle]

Now, if my liquor store can sell me Rogue cheaper than yours do you think my liquor store is using Rogue as a loss leader or do you think yours is bending you over because they know that you (or someone else) will pay the higher price?

But it's not like it is just one store per city. Rogue is available at several outlets where I live (including the supermarket), and it's never only $4-5 a bomber. There's no way one place could have a big markup for a beer that's available at several locations.

I'd guess that because Sierra Nevada is a bigger operation, they have better distribution channels. Possibly there's one more middleman needed to get Rogue here in the Northeast.

I actually paid less for a bomber of Hebrew Jewbelation 12 (12% ABV!) than for a bomber of anything by Rogue.

 

[remilard]

Now, if my liquor store can sell me Rogue cheaper than yours do you think my liquor store is using Rogue as a loss leader or do you think yours is bending you over because they know that you (or someone else) will pay the higher price?

But it's not like it is just one store per city. Rogue is available at several outlets where I live (including the supermarket), and it's never only $4-5 a bomber. There's no way one place could have a big markup for a beer that's available at several locations.

I'd guess that because Sierra Nevada is a bigger operation, they have better distribution channels. Possibly there's one more middleman needed to get Rogue here in the Northeast.

I actually paid less for a bomber of Hebrew Jewbelation 12 (12% ABV!) than for a bomber of anything by Rogue.

Yeah, I would assume that in reality the Rogue is selling the beer at the same price to everyone and the retail stores are more or less marking up the same. I think the disconnect occurs at the distribution level.

People will always complain about their health insurance not covering birth control or something. The insurance company would be thrilled to sell your employer a plan that covers birth control, your employer chose not to buy that plan. Yet the insurance company always gets blamed.

See what I'm getting at?

 

[PseudoChef]

I don't know who to hold accountable: be it Rogue itself, the distributor, or the retailer. All I know is the price the retailer offers turns me away from buying their products. I hear critical acclaim for the Shakespeare and I've had the Chocolate Stout before and would love to be able to drink them on a regular basis.

 

[McGarnigle]

Yeah, I would assume that in reality the Rogue is selling the beer at the same price to everyone and the retail stores are more or less marking up the same. I think the disconnect occurs at the distribution level.

People will always complain about their health insurance not covering birth control or something. The insurance company would be thrilled to sell your employer a plan that covers birth control, your employer chose not to buy that plan. Yet the insurance company always gets blamed.

See what I'm getting at?

Yeah, I understand. I am not on board with the Rogue backlash, but that being said, I can't buy their beers all that often.

 

[dpower]

St Rogue dry hopped red ale. amazing.

 

[Hikeon3]

St Rogue dry hopped red ale. amazing.

+1 :rockin: