Ellington

The word rogue brings many images to mind. When considering myself, for instance, I am roguishly handsome and roguishly charming. For beer drinkers, the word rogue brings to mind Rogue brewers, based in Oregon. Rogue exclusively produces ale, which is darker and more full than its lighter, crisper cousin the lager. I sat down, living dangerously without a coaster to sample two of Rogue's brews, Saint Rogue Red Ale and Rogue Dead Guy Ale.

Saint Rogue Red Ale is characterized by its strong bitter finish. This is what beer aficionados refer to as hoppy. It's a very dense, full beer that paired great at dinner with my pepperjack cheeseburger. According to the Rogue brewery, Red Ale is also bolstered by a strong caramel flavor, which I was able to detect after reading the description. This calls to my mind the villagers in the story "The Emperor's New Clothes."

Rogue Dead Guy is the company's flagship beer. Its distinctive dancing skeleton label is an homage to the Mayan day of the dead. It tasted slightly sweeter than the Red Ale, with a milder finish. For the beer drinker accustomed to the High Life, this may be a little too experimental. It is, however, worth a try for those aspiring to live dangerously in accordance with the Rogue lifestyle.
Both Saint Rogue Red Ale and Rogue Dead Guy are available at McDade's Market. They are a little more expensive than some other microbrews, so drink slowly and save it for "special occasions," such as dinner.