Rogue Black Brutal

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 6

Schwarz is damn sure correct. It's freaking black. A little bitter. A little hoppy. A little malty. It's a little everything, but is nothing really well. Good - not great.

Aroma: 10 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 10 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 10

Comes out of the tap a rich, opaque chocolaty brown, almost black, with a thick and fine-bubbled dark tan head. Aroma is quite strong, like roast coffee with a strong chocolate undertone. Mouth-filling flavor has strong coffee and chocolate components along with nutty and smoky hints and a molasses undertone. Texture is thick and smooth. A must for all dark beer fanatics!

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Sampled on Tap at 1702, Tucson AZ
This beer arrives with a brown tinged, tan colored, creamy textured, one-finger thick head. The beer is a very dark brown color and quite clear. The aroma smells of chocolate / cocoa and toasted malt up front and once you start to dig around, some notes of pine and citrus. As the beer warms up a bit the hop character becomes much more noticeable in the nose and actually ends up on equal footing with the malt in the aroma.

The flavor is so much more hop focused than I expected (based on the aroma at least); there is a ton of bitterness, lots of pine flavors and notes of candied citrus peel. This is definitely a bit green in its hop intensity, a bit astringent, but still nicely balanced for a very hoppy beer (e.g. it doesn’t get too harsh). This is really an super hoppy IPA that was brewed with dark malts. There is a touch of roasted, toasty grain and maybe a touch of chocolate that struggles to be noticed through all of the hop character. This is quite quaffable with a light-medium fullness that is just enough to carry the hops.

Quite a tasty beer, enjoyable if you have a hop-hankering and the dark malt adds a light, other-dimensioned note to what is otherwise a hoppy IPA.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Labelled as Rogue Skullsplitter. Draught at Oliver Twist, Stockholm. Hazy dark brown colour topped with a big beige foam. Malty aroma of roasted grains, cracker, toffee, caramel and smoke with a hoppy grapefruity note. Full and intense flavour of grapefruit, roasted grains, licorice with a light vinous undertone. Clean mouthfeel. Long bitter finish of grapefruit.

Aroma: 5 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 4 | Overall: 4

I tried it at Rogue Public House Portland [see my review of establishment]. Poured light black, if there is such a thing, and short, airy head. The aroma was lightly roasty and that's about it. Flavor seemed like a diluted version of the style, no off flavors, just bland as can be, making the strength of the beer as almost unbelievable. Disappointingly thinnish and a little undercarbonated IMHO.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 7 | Overall: 7

Rogue Black Brutal Bitter poured a dark brown body with a solid tan head that left great lacing. It had a bitter taste(duh), but it wasn't completely overbearing. It was balanced nicely with a hoppy crisp flavor. Not the best of Rogue's but solid.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

. Nice dark, dark brown beer with an attractive large creamy/rocky tan head. The aroma is dominated by the hopping ,but you can also discern the roasty malts in the background. Very intresting flavour profile to this beer it is at first taste very hoppy almost as hoppy as the original Brutal Bitter, but on the 2nd sip the roasted , dark coffee taste of the malts shows through more, long lingering bitter liquorice after taste. Quite complex palate to this, smooth at first then rather rough and ready in the end. Very unusual beer but i found it very drinkable..is the alcohol really9% i find this hard to believe.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 7 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Black Brutal, 2005... Poured a dark brown / red color with a tan creamy head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of citrusy hops, roast and chocolate. Taste of roast, sweet chocolate, and grapefruit hops, with a lengthy roasted finish.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Dark black color. Medium head. Aroma is roasted malts, toffee and a touch of citrus. An ìimperialî schwarzbier. Malts are very roasted and really fruity. Hops are a very spicy and very bitter. Nicely balanced. Touch of an alcohol bite. Roasted malts with hints of chocolate. Nice beer. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is dry. Aftertaste is slightly bitter, with a touch of alcohol.

Aroma: 6 | Appearance: 6 | Mouthfeel: 6 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 8

Thanks to Dr. Bill for sharing this unique beer. A big malty/roasty nose gives way to a very bitter flavor. Not for the feint at heart.