Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week": Rogue Dead Guy Ale

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Nov 2, 2006 5:00PM

Yesterday was the Day of the Dead, and with today being All Souls' Day, we end our "BotW" Halloween theme with an old standby.

Rogue Dead Guy Ale was originally created as a one-off tap for a Portland club called Casa U Betcha, to celebrate the Day of the Dead. Between the label's artwork and the craftsmanship of the beer, Rogue decided to brew Dead Guy for mass consumption. Today Dead Guy is one of Rogue's most popular selections; those of you still in the throes of Bell's withdrawal might want to consider this as an alternative.

Dead Guy is a German-style maibock. Maibocks, as with all bocks, are strong lagers that get their color from dark-colored malts, and have more flavor and heft than traditional pilsners/lagers. Maibocks tend to fall on the paler side of the color spectrum. Brewed with Rogue's proprietary "PacMan" yeast; Northwest Harrington, Klages, Maier Munich and Carastan malts; and Perle and Saaz hops, Dead Guy Ale has a copper color reminiscent of Bell's Two-Hearted IPA. Dead Guy has a slight citrus flavor from the yeast, moderate hoppiness with some honey on the palate, and subtle roasted malt on the nose. Dead Guy is a thoroughly enjoyable beer.

Rogue is one of those ever-dependable breweries that keeps making consistently high-quality brews for a widening audience of ber drinkers. Dead Guy serves as both a gateway to the Rogue Brewery and a wonderful starting point into the world of craft brewing. That, and the name, is why Rogue's Dead Guy Ale is Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week."