Rogue Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 10 | Overall: 8

This may well be the last review of 2011 !!! A truly unique brew, made with buckwheat toasted to a delicious chocolate brown. Nice coffee like flavors that will tickle your tommy and if you have enough make your head swim! A bit expensive, but a great experience to be had, Happy New Year as we enter 2012

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

I like Chef Morimoto so I hoped I'd like this beer: Nice ruby black pour with a steady cream head leaving some delicate lacing. Nutty aroma with earthy hops, lightly spiced, some molasses and roasted malts, almonds. Mouthfeel is just a tick thin. Again a nutty flavor with light earthy hops, toasted malts, light molasses, very lightly spiced. Pleasant beer that is not dramatic but easy. Very cool label. "Secret Ingredient: Beer!"

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

Purchased at Trader Joe's in Nashville (and did not even realize it was a Rogue beer - as I am used to their portraits-label bomber). This one had the beautiful Japanese feel. Pours a dark colour with red highlights. Its head is foamy, beige, has great retention and awesome lace. At first pour, average hop scent sticks out. After breathing, the roasted malt shows up. Smooth and creamy mouthfeel with just a little stick. The taste is clean, with no overpowering flavours. Just a mild roasted malt with a nice coffee aftertaste. Goes down easy, with a not-too-thick mouthfeel, and not too heavy, but with the refreshing hop and little burnt malt balancing everything. A nice experience.

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

Bottled@White Horse, Parsons Green, London. Rubyish brown, quite close to black colour with mediumsized beigeish brown head. Aroma is toasted malts, some dark dry fruits, wood and ild spicy and leathery notes as well. Flavour is quite much roasted malts, dark dry fruits and some wooden notes as well. Also some leathery notes as it warms up a bit. Pleasantly balanced.

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 10 | Mouthfeel: 7 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

Out of the bottle it has a fantastic aroma, immediately obvious hops, slightly nutty, touch of winter spices perhaps (Cinnamon, Nutmeg?). The head is ample and a nice dark colour. As the head fades, so apparently does the flavour, by the last sip the slightly spritzy feel has faded, along with the coffee, chocolate, bitterness, hops and spice. Starts strong, drinks quick, overall quite nice, perhaps drinking it faster will correct the fading.....

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 8 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 9 | Overall: 8

Pours a semi-transparent mahogany with a fairly thick, fluffy, light dirty tan head that hangs around for a bit. Aroma is strong and malty with smoky and nutty hints. Flavor is malty with hints of hops, roast nuts and caramel and even a bit of oak. Texture is lively and tingly, sometimes just a wee bit wan but still good. It leaves a mysterious aftertaste a little like smoked wood.

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

I was expecting a little more out of this beer. Was better than average, just after trying many other Rogue beers, I thought this would be somewhat better since it's sold in 22 oz. bottles. I also watch Iron Chef and like Morimoto's cooking style, so was curious to try this. Maybe this beer is more about the label, or is what he likes to drink? Don't think I'll be paying that price again. Would buy in a Japanese restaurant though if they served it. Might be better with Sushi.

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

Pours out a large and thick tan head that leaves ample lacing with decent retention. The aroma is quite interesting due to an interesting mix of chocolate and cooked vegetables, dull toffee, undistinguishable nuts and light hops which have my nose very interested in a brand new combo of scents. The taste is also interesting and I like it more than I hate it but there is a bit of hate with its dull herbal / vegetable thingy, mainly at the front and back. Hops are found everywhere, nothing citrus though but the bitterness is melded with the coffee bitterness. It is fasinating how this beer is turning on me with its weird aroma and weirder flavours. Some dark chocolate is found in the taste now as it warms, which contradicts the milk chocolate I thought I smelt early on. Robust toasty roasty malts and Premium Plus crackers. Nice carbonation, bitter coffee middle without the coffee middle if that makes any sense. More than medium bodied closing in on full bodied for me. Bitter finish with other things that I cannot quite put my finger on, maybe a milky / burnt chocolate / watered down coffee grinds finish. I will say that I really enjoyed this and easily drank the entire thing fairly quick. It's way better than the blue bottled version, not "black" version. Solid aroma and flavours pretty much stay the same all the way through. I find most porters boring and usually money not well spent. If this is indeed a porter then it gets the green light from me. I liked it and if you didn't, send me a beermail (cough cough Stout cough cough). I might even get another at the absolutely retarded prices I have to pay for Rogue beers up here in this frozen wasteland.

Aroma: 8 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 8 | Flavor: 8 | Overall: 8

cleavage rules -blues ... . yes it does, this beer kinda does too ... light light burnt caramel and old beerhall smell .. . goes down smooth , leaves a nice roasty aftertaste .. . wonderful flavours, sweet and differently roasted .. who is Harry Krishnah?

Aroma: 7 | Appearance: 5 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Flavor: 6 | Overall: 6

Dark brown body that turns red when held up to light the fluffy tall cap floating on top leaves behind some very sticky lacing. Aroma is very light and dull just some toffee and mild coffee and that’s it. YAWN!!! Taste is also very light and nutty, mostly dominated by roast malts no real spice ever comes through. Mouth feel is fairly smooth but I’d have like to have seen a little thicker. There seems to be a very mild coffee bitterness in the finish but this never develops fully and on occasional sips I taste some metallic’s. Drinkable beer but boring very much a disappointment. Update !!! on my very last sip I tasted cinnamon harts.