Rogue Brewing

PIC: Rogue Farms Hazenut Grove in Winter

Rogue Farms Hazelnut Grove with a small blanket of snow, seen in December, 2016. The grove produces hazelnuts for Rogue Brewing’s Hazelnut Nectar Brown Ale.

Independence, Oregon

Posted in Brewery Closures, Headlines, Rogue Brewing, Rogue Spirits

Rogue Ales Abruptly Closes After 37 Years

Rogue Ales, makers of Dead Guy Ale has shut down suddenly under financial strain.

Absolute shock rocks the beer industry today. Rogue Ales & Spirits abruptly closed all operations Friday morning, marking the end (at least for now) of one of Oregon’s most iconic breweries.

The Newport-based brewery informed Port of Newport officials Friday morning that it would cease operations immediately, shuttering its massive 47,000-square-foot South Beach production facility along with all remaining pubs in Astoria, West Salem, and Southeast Portland.

The closure comes amid surprising financial distress. Rogue owes $545,000 in back rent to the Port of Newport and more than $30,000 in property taxes to Lincoln County.

Rogue was founded in Ashland in 1988 before relocating to Newport in 1989 and is an absolute cornerstone of Oregon’s craft beer scene for 37 years, with beers in all 50 states and so many countries beyond the United States.

Every brewer in America knows John Maier joined Rogue in 1989 that lead Rogue to winning 1,000s of beer awards. Just pick one – Dead Guy Ale, Hazelnut Nectar, Shakespeare Stout. There was even a beer made with yeast extracted for Maier’s beard a few years ago. Aptly named Beard Beer.

Beer Industry in 2025 is complicated.

Rogue’s closure is part of a what feels like a beer industry blood bath. As of late, Oregon has lost nearly 75 breweries, taprooms, or brewpubs since the the pandemic, while the national craft beer market declined by more than 4% in the past 16 months. Rogue has not been immune to that decline.

Paradoxically, Rogue opened a new Salem pub this year, which at the time signaled a positive flux in Oregonian craft beer.

Rogue Brewing has not responded to requests for comment at the time of this article. No word if Rogue is seeking a buyer for the company, beers, or trademarks.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Rogue Spirits, Don't Miss This, Rogue Brewing

Rogue Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey debuts, after two years in stout barrels

Before we delve into Rogue’s newest spirit, you need to understand the labor-intensive process that led up to it. It’s a pretty long process.

The best place to start has to be Rogue Farms, the brewery’s agricultural arm of their operation in Independence, Oregon. It is there the brewery grows the hops and malts used in a plethora of their beers, especially Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout. It only gets more complicated from here.

Before the brewery in Newport, Oregon is busy making an imperial stout, the Rogue distillery had taken some beer mash to distill into white whiskey. That whiskey hasn’t been aging in barrels Rogue simply just ordered from a cooperage. Rogue’s got one of those too. In-house barrel-maker Nate Linquist makes barrels out of Oregon Oak (Quercus garryana) that are then charred before the whiskey is left to age.

Once the whiskey was done, Rolling Thunder was transferred into the wet barrels for barrel-aging for months before bottling. Pretty labor intensive for a barrel-aged imperial stout.

Now, Rogue has gone a step further. Those barrels that once had Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout were filled again with Rogue barrel-aged whiskey to finish in the stout touched barrels for an additional two years.

Farm to brewery. Brewery to distilling. Coopering, charring, aging. Rogue continues to do it all. Now you can get Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey for your spirits collection. According to Rogue, this new whiskey release boasts prominent notes of chocolate and coffee that complement the flavors of whiskey-soaked Oregon Oak.

Rogue Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey is available in 750-milliliter bottles nationally in limited quantities.

Rogue-Rolling-Thunder-Barrels

Rogue Rolling Thunder rests in barrels in Newport, Oregon. PIC: Beer Street Journal

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Rogue Spirits, New Releases, Rogue Brewing

The first 5-year aged spirit from Rogue, Oregon Single Malt Whiskey debuts

Rogue Oregon Single Malt Whiskey has debuted, the first 5-year aged spirit by the brewery/distillery.

Every bit of the Single Malt Whiskey has Rogue’s fingerprint on it. The brewery grew the malt on Rogue Farms. The yeast is Rogue’s Proprietary Pacman Yeast. It was distilled on site in Newport, Oregon, and transferred to barrels Rogue coopered and toasted onsite. Then, of course, bottled by hand.

Oregon Single Malt Whiskey opens with an attractive aroma of floral honey, peach and mango. Medium-to-full bodied, the aromas slowly transition to lush, ripe fruit and brown spice.

 

Rogue Oregon Single Malt Whiskey is available in year-round at select retailers in 750-milliliter bottles.

Style: Single Malt Whiskey
Availability: 750ml Bottles
Debut: February 2018

80 Proof, 40% ABV

Image: Rogue Spirits

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Rogue Brewing, New Beers

Rogue Hot Tub Scholarship

Rogue Hot Tub Scholarship

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Rogue Brewing, Don't Miss This, New Releases

Candy bar in a bottle: Rogue Hazelutely Choctabulous

Thank the local Oregonian fans for this beer. Rogue Hazelutely Choctabulous is headed your way in the near future.

If you’ve never tried blending your own beers at home, or wherever you’re drinking, it can be fun. Or a disaster. Fans drinking at Rogue Brewing basically designed this blend of their own, the brewery took notice. Taking Chocolate Stout and blending it with Hazelnut Brown Nectar, the resulting blended beer is abit like a candy bar. Or a lot.

How did it come out? Dessert beer. A freaking delicious bottle of beer candy. Hazelnut Brown Nectar and Chocolate Stout are great beers on their own, but in this bottle, the result is truly greater than the sum of their parts. The flavors blend perfectly into a real treat of a beer that’s not too sweet, or too heavy. We ‘Hazelutely’ believe there is no reason to share this beer.

For years, our hardest core local fans have been drinking a blend of Chocolate Stout and Hazelnut Brown Nectar, they say it takes like a chocolate candy bar. we have taken these two absolutely fabulous beers and fused them together to create Rogue Hazelutley Choctabulous, dark and decadent with a rich nutty flavor up front followed by a chocolate truffle finish. We’re thrilled to share our little secret with the world.

Rogue Hazelutely Choctabulous is available for the first time in 22 ounce bottle release, hitting shelves nationally.

Style: Stout (w/ Hazelnut, Chocolate.)
Availability: 22oz Bottles, Draft.
Debut: January, 2017.

5.7% ABV

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Rogue Brewing

PIC: Rogue Farms Hazenut Grove in Winter

Rogue Farms Hazelnut Grove with a small blanket of snow, seen in December, 2016. The grove produces hazelnuts for Rogue Brewing’s Hazelnut Nectar Brown Ale.

Independence, Oregon

by Reid Ramsay
Posted in Rogue Brewing

Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Grape Guerrilla Ale up next in doughnut series

Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Grape Guerrilla Ale is the sixth and newest addition Rogue’s Voodoo Doughnut collaboration series. Based on Voodoo Doughnuts’ Grape Ape, Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Grape Guerilla Ale is available nationwide starting this month.

Portland based Voodoo Doughnuts creates the Grape Ape by combining a raised yeast doughnut with vanilla frosting, grape dust and lavender sprinkles. As you would expect, Voodoo Doughnut Grape Guerrilla Ale boasts a bold grape character.

“The beer is fantastic. It’s got a great grape essence and doesn’t taste like cough syrup. It’s grape in a great way,” – Rogue President Brett Joyce.

This newest addition to Rogue’s lineup will be available in the series’ hard to miss pink painted 750 milliliter bottles starting November 2016.

Style:
Availability: 750ml Bottles
Debut: November, 2016

7.2% ABV

by Reid Ramsay