Rogue Dead Guy

Today I asked myself, “Self. Where in Columbus can I access wireless internet for research as well as sample beer [for research]?”

Hmmm. Well there is always home … or even work. But, neither can provide me a great draft. And then it dawned on me -Cafe Apropos!

While they provide an excellent selection of bottled beers, I opted for the happy hour special — which is $2 pints. The five beers on tap were Stella Artois, Sam Adam’s Winter Lager, Blue Moon, Guinness, and Rogue Dead Guy. I will give you one guess on which one I chose. (Come one now, anyone who passes up a pint of Rogue Dead Guy for $2 is on drugs).

The beer was served a little colder than my preference, so I let it sit for a bit before drinking. I actually ended up sipping on it for an hour — and by the end of the glass, the temperature was perfect for allowing its true flavor to come out.

Let us begin by raving about how much I love this beer, and how much more I love it at $2. It poured a very cloudy, deep copper color with a rather hefty white head. The aroma was more malt than hops, with a subtle nutty sweetness. The taste was definitely heavy on the hops, leaving a very long bitter finish. My cheeks were still puckering from the bitterness for at least 20 minutes after the last sip. Tonight, I noticed for the first time how carbonated this particular beer is. After swirling it around – through the teeth and over the tongue, my mouth became full of foam. It was an interesting sensation, further increasing the bitter intensity of the hops. I also detected a high level of alcohol in the finish (9.9% ABV).

Overall, Rogue Dead Guy Ale is a bold, heavy, bitter ale with a long finish and high ABV. In my book, it’s a keeper. Next time I promise I will try something new, since I’m obviously biased towards this beer.

My suggestion? Hit up Cafe Apropos on a weekday night between 4 and 8 for a $2 draft of Dead Guy. You will not be disappointed!

About Dead Guy Ale:

Gratefully dedicated to the Rogue in each of us. In the early 1990s Dead Guy Ale was created as a private tap sticker to celebrate the Mayan Day of the Dead (November 1st, All Souls Day) for Casa U Betcha in Portland, Oregon. The Dead Guy design proved popular and was incorporated into a bottled product a few years later with Maierbock as the elixir. Strangely, the association with the Grateful Dead is pure coincidence.

Dead Guy is a German-style Maibock made with Rogues 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.

Measurements: 16 degrees Plato, IBU 40, Apparent Attenuation 78, Lovibond 16
No Chemicals, Additives, or Preservatives

Rogue Ales was founded in 1988 by Jack Joyce, Rob Strasser and Bob Woodell, three corporate types who wanted to go into the food/beverage industry. Rogue’s first brewpub was located in Ashland, Oregon and was a 10bbl brewsystem. Rogue opened a second brewpub, 15bbl brewsystem, in May 1989 located in Newport, Oregon. Rogue closed its Ashland operation in 1997, after the great flood destroyed the place. In 1991, the 15bbl system, named Howard after John Maier’s former boss, from the Newport brewpub was transferred across the bay to the current brewery and upgraded to a 30bbl system. In 1998 Rogue bought a 50bbl brewsystem, named Kobe. Kobe is the only brewsystem in use