Brewery: Rogue Ales, Newport, Oregon
Brewery Description: Gratefully dedicated to the Rogue in each of us. In the early 1990s Dead Guy Ale was created as a private tap sticker to celebrate the Mayan Day of the Dead (November 1st, All Souls Day) for Casa U Betcha in Portland, Oregon. The Dead Guy design proved popular and was incorporated into a bottled product a few years later with Maierbock as the elixir. Strangely, the association with the Grateful Dead is pure coincidence. Dead Guy is a German-style Maibock made with Rogue’s proprietary “PacMan” ale yeast. It is deep honey in color with a malty aroma, rich hearty flavor and a well balanced finish. Dead Guy is created from Northwest Harrington, Klages, Maier Munich and Carastan malts, along with Perle and Saaz Hops.
Brew Style: German Maibock, 6.6% ABV
Recommended Glassware: Shaker, English pint
The Ugly Truth: Rogue Dead Guy Ale. I’m surprised it took me this long to actually review this beer. I used to drink it like it was water back when it originally came out. It was my “grab a quick six pack” of choice usually. Since then I’ve expanded my beer horizons a lot and I guess it kind of fell by the wayside, so it was good when my friend Motta came down to see me in NC he brought a six pack along with some others for drinking purposes. Rogue Dead Guy pours a nice amber color with a solid head on it. The aroma is good, with what I’ve always felt was more the aroma of hops than anything else. The body leans towards medium and has a nice long lasting flavor to it. There’s a hint of bitterness at the end that lingers for a bit but other than that I’ve never found anything remarkable about the taste. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking Dead Guy. I think it is a very, very solid beer but just not one that stands out to me as one of the greatest beers I’ve ever had. Like I said, it was always a “grab a sixer” kind of beer for me. I could and have on countless occassion sat and polished off a six pack by myself because I do enjoy drinking it. So while it is a good beer, and if you’ve never had it you should try it, I’ve never found it to stand apart hugely from the rest of the field. Still a good drink though.
Verdict: “He’s dead Jim!”…”Can’t you do anything Bones? What about 7 out of 10 bottlecaps worth of maibock?”…”Damn it Jim! I’m a doctor, not a brewmaster!”
I have a question, a very important question.
When and why does beer go bad?
More specifically, how long can you keep beer at room temp before it’s bad? How about in the fridge?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Let’s see if I can answer this.
As for when beer goes bad, it depends on the beer. There are some beers that get better as they age, there are some (typically cheap beers like Bud) that go skunky after some time.
In my experience, the biggest determining factor in having a beer go bad has been temperature. Extended storage at room temp can make beer go bad. A lot of beers have recommended storage temperatures on the bottles. I know that repeated warming and cooling of beer is a death sentence.
Here’s a pretty good couple or articles to get started with:
http://www.beer-connoisseur.com/Beer_Storing_Tips.html
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/101/store.php
http://beeradvocate.com/news/stories_read/327/
http://realbeer.com/library/beerbreak/archives/beerbreak20010208.php
Another article:
http://www.drinkingbeer.net/BeerArticles/Top_10_Beer_Myths.php5
Note that the myth of changing temps is not debunked so much as clarified.
Yeah, I was going for that when I said “repeated”, but good to have backup.
I like the one about green bottles.
I have some green bottles as backups, but I’ll be the first to say, if you have some homebrew go bad in a green or clear bottle… ugh. Nasty.
Thanks for the bad beer info!
Hey I have to say that I love Rogue Dead Guy. So funny that one of the posted comments was: … When is my dead guy s dead guy…?
Skunkt beer is one of those strange things it is only when you are sober that it matters it is is skunked or not. But, since you are in the Boston Area I thought that you may enjoy the below.
I always love when an innovative idea to save time is implemented into my life. Im-ing your food order is one of those innovations that will now make my life easier as a Boston College student. I was watching the news last night, and they flashed a quick expose on IMdining on NBC. Apparently, this company has developed a program that links IM-er’s to Boston area restaurants. I tried it today. You IM the restaurant and in a matter of minutes you order is accurately placed, you are never put on hold. I wish I new about IMdining before exams it could have saved me at least a half hour on my late night food runs. If you are interested in adding them to your buddy list visit IM Dining. add them to your buddy list and you are set up to order. I cannot wait until this company can implement its product into my hometown’s restaurants and local lunch hot spots.
Had I not been like 80 different beers into this thing, I definitely would have given it higher than a 7. I love Dead Guy as well but I think there are better beers out there. Its just a matter of opinion.
Hello…I Googled for oregon storage, but found your page about Dead Guy Ale (#78) at BostonGeek…and have to say thanks. nice read.