Rogue Dead Guy

I'd categorize it as an American pale ale. I like the fact that it leads with malt rather than hops. I can see putting it into another style category so that drinkers will not be surprised that it doesn't taste like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, for example. Assuming Dead Guy is top fermented, I think it's wrong to call it a maibock, even if it gives the drinker a closer expectation of its taste.I would rather see it called an American Blonde Ale.

Tom W

Personally, I'd categorize it as boring.

As good a category as any. Maibocks can have a pretty hoppy character.

But I don't really see a need to categorize it. It's way too easy to get carried away with this sort of thing, and the American beer geek's need to do this strikes me as so much trainspotting.

RDG is widely enough known amongst geek circles that it's probably one of those cases that it doesn't really need categorizing, anyway.

-Steve

Tom Wolper wrote: : Justin Wilson wrote: :> How would you categorize this Rogue Dead Guy ale? It's a good beer, although :> I wish it were a bit more hoppy (but maybe that's because I usually drink :> IPA). :> BA puts it in the Maibock category. : : I'd categorize it as an American pale ale. I like the fact that it leads with : malt rather than hops. I can see putting it into another style category so that : drinkers will not be surprised that it doesn't taste like Sierra Nevada Pale : Ale, for example. Assuming Dead Guy is top fermented, I think it's wrong to call : it a maibock, even if it gives the drinker a closer expectation of its taste.I : would rather see it called an American Blonde Ale. : : Tom W

From Rogue's web site:

Dead Guy is a German-style Maibock made with Rogue's proprietary "PacMan" ale yeast. It is deep honey in color with a malty aroma, rich hearty flavor and a well balanced finish. Dead Guy is created from Northwest Harrington, Klages, Maier Munich and Carastan malts, along with Perle and Saaz Hops. Dead Guy Ale is available in 22-ounce bottles,

12-ounce 6-pack, and on draft.

I don't agree with that but it's not going to change anything. At least BA is being consistent with the brewer's description.

Tom W

If California Common can be an ale made with a lager yeast, why can't lagers use ale yeast?

The problem is that, outside of judging, the guidelines don't mean much. On the floor to my left are six empty Dead Guys. They were good, but a Maibock? an American Pale Ale? an American Blonde Ale? No, No, and No.

It's like Stone's Arrogant Bastard Ale. It doesn't matter that it doesn't fit style guidelines as long as it is great beer.

Us IPA guys should not stray - Make mine a Hercules Double IPA.

Dick

"California Common" (gak, can't we just call it "Steam"? This NG is dead-- we won't get sued!) is a lager fermented at ale temperatures, not an ale made with lager yeast. As to "lagers" using ale yeast, well, because the most common definition of "lager" is "beer fermented by lager yeast". You are of course free to use any alternative defintion that floats your boat, but it might be a lonely boat.

I agree completely, but that doesn't really excuse categorizing a unique beer as a well-defined (and very different) style. Call it a unique style, or better still don't try to categorize it at all.

You are correct.

So because we're pretty much on the same page, we'll agree Rouge is free to label Dead Guy as an Ale because it's "made with Rogue's proprietary "PacMan" ale yeast" and claim it's a Maibock becaue it floats their boat. Maybe it's just Gringo interpretation of a European style. ;)

Excellent point.

Now if you ferment malt with a wine yeast at a lager temperature, do you have beer or wine? The first problem I see is that you can't pass it off as wine except to someone with a blood-alcohol l evel above .25. ;)

Off-the-top-of-my-head, 10 lbs of LME femented down to 1.01 (which a wine yeast like Lalvin EC-1118 should be able to do) has be over

9% ABV. Ferment it at a lager temperature to nax out attenuation while minimizing yeast by-products and you'll have a dry, crisp brew. If it's too dry, you can always add splenda. Besides a waste of time and money, what would you call it?

Dick

They are of course free to do that. In turn, I am free to deride their decision as either deceptive or moronic.

You probably have unfermented wort for a few months, until it spoils from the few bacteria and wild yeast that can operate at lager temperatures!

In their promotional brochure, available as a .pdf on the site, Rogue says Dead Guy is brewed in the style of a German maibock. I see in the main description where they call it a maibock, but they don't identify it as such on the label.

Tom W

Since Rougues claims it is a Miabock I think it is apropriate for a very visable site like BA to call it a Miabock though I would agree, American Blonde may fit just as well. Clearly it is a style bender/ breaker and thus this discussion.

Keep in mind they used to call this beer Mai-er bock. The Dead Guy labelling came out when they used it in connection with the Day of the Dead holiday (no idea why...?) So the idea here I guess is that the grain bill is that of a maibock, and the yeast is top fermenting. Does that really mean it can't be called a maibock?

They can call it what they like. However, if you line up a bunch of "real" Maibock beers along with Rogue Dead Guy Ale, could you pick out the one that didn't belong? I don't think I'd any difficulty doing so, same as if you lined up a bunch of German pilsners along with Miller Lite (a "True Pilsner Beer").

A Mexican restaraunt in PDX asked for a "special" batch for Day of the Dead is the story I heard.

Technically, if you care about such things, yes, it does. And I don't find the grain bill all that comparable to most maibocks I'm familiar with.

--------->Denny

-- Life begins at 60...1.060, that is.