Review: Rogue XS Imperial Stout

File this one under:

Beer!

I picked this one up at Marcello's a few weeks back along with most of the others I've reviewed lately.  I poured it from a ceramic (okay, probably just frosted glass) 750ml bottle into an imperial pint glass.  (Remember, proper glassware isn't something to be overlooked!)  The color is a dark impenetrable brown, with a huge, creamy bubbly tan head. It didn't want to go anywhere either, hanging on to well over an inch for many minutes.  Like the St. Sebastiaan Dark Ale a few reviews ago, this one has a pop-top and a plunger seal.  At 750 ml, I think the plunger seal might come in useful on this one!

The aroma is what you've come to expect from an imperial stout. Roasted coffee and chocolate, but there is a bit of hops if you get a good whiff.  Very nice.  The taste is more of the same, but a bit rough around the edges. A good bit more bitter than I expected, it's tough to drink and a bit rough on the palate.

It's kinda thin for such a bitter taste... rough on the tongue. I'm just not impressed with this one much at all. Very disappointed.  And with a $15 price tag, I think this will be my last one of these guys on my tab.  Hey, good news though!  Because of that plunger-top, I still have about half left if any of you want to give this one a try!  For the style, I'll absolutely stick with the Raven's Eye I had last week.

Taste: B-

Value: D

Three fun facts/thoughts: So I nailed the Yankees in 6 (not all that hard) but I whiffed on the MVP and I called Hairston as the surprise hero and he was productive in a very limited role,  but there really was no surprise hero in this one.  Now we can see how much the Astros are going to screw up this off-season!  Wooohooo!  And in the meantime, I bet the rich get richer as the normal contenders load up on the free agents to be.  I know, another bold prediction, right?