Firstly - let me apologize for not posting recently. Work and other obligations had me completely busy the last few weeks, so I haven't had too much time to post. But - Congress is in recess next week, so I get to take a break. And part of taking a break means trying a new beer I'd never seen before.
It's Rogue's Juniper Pale Ale, a 5.3% ABV winter ale. There was only one of these, dusty, sitting there on the shelf at Whole Foods on P Street, undoubtedly left over from the winter season. I can't say I've ever had juniper in great quantities; and while I know it's in gin, I've probably only had gin a dozen times in my life. So I was particularly interested in checking out the Juniper Pale, and thought it looked good enough to spend the $7.
The eye was not what I was expecting - it had an orange color and was bright yellow when candled. It had a thin white head that was tough to produce.
Interesting. The nose was thin, not at all like the overwhelming herbal nose I was hoping/expecting. There was a faint smell of floral hops, but nothing to write home about.
The taste was somewhat a different story. I was expecting a strong, heady, bitter herbal ale that was slightly bitter. What I got was much like many of the pale ales I've had lately - bright and strong with an underlying level of hops. There was no real, strong, recognizable juniper taste in there, at least none that I could discern, but the beer did have a solid hoppy flavor with just a hint of herbs. The aftertaste was lingering and pleasant.
So, yeah, I was surprised by this beer but not necessarily in a bad way. I was expecting something super herbal and medicinal, but ended up getting a solid beer that I wouldn't mind having again. The tastes are inoffensive, and therefore good for you risk-averse beer drinkers out there, and perhaps someone else can discern the juniper in there where I cannot. Not a bad investment for $7, I enjoyed drinking it.
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