Rogue Ales & Spirits - "Morimoto Black Obi" soba ale

Lately, chefs are more and more frequently pairing with breweries to develop finely-tuned companion beers to their signature dishes. Today, we're looking today at one of Rogue's specialty ales, made in collaboration with Japanese chef Masaharu Morimoto, of Iron Chef fame. Morimoto, a trained sushi and sashimi chef, has appeared on a number of cooking shows and owns several restaurants both in the United States and in Japan.

Morimoto with a custom Henckels Damascus-steel chef's knife

And so it's no surprise that the Morimoto collaboration ale has a Japanese flair. It's made from soba - the Japanese word for buckwheat. You may see soba noodles in the store, or at a restaurant.

Soba can be served a variety of ways, either on its own pasta-style (as shown above) or served in a hot broth. Of course, you can also make beer out of it! There are several versions of this ale - the one with the black and red label (this one) and the one with the blue and white label (the original soba ale.) I recall having the original several years back, and not really enjoying it. But I knew in the back of my head there was a black-and-red label version out there, and when I saw it in the newly-minted single beer section at Harris Teeter, I figured I'd give it a go.

The beer pours deep brown, with a tan-colored head that settles down easily. The aroma is malty, with notes of molasses and sugar. Interesting!

It's a root beer brown when candled.

It struck me how very malty this beer is. The taste is clear, and light, with strong malt and dark sugar flavors. The texture is very crisp, which is nice, and ultimately refreshing and sweet. There's virtually no carbonation to speak of.

To tell you the truth, I wasn't blown away. I like the maltiness and the earthiness of it, and the flavors are pleasing, but it really lacks any power. The good news is that this beer will be rather suited for the novice beer drinker. It's smooth and lacks any aggressive hops, has very little carbonation, and is extremely light, weighing in 4.8% ABV. Plus, the price point ($6.99 for a 22oz) is just right for what you get.