Are you the type of person who enjoys an occasional frappuccino or other specialty coffee beverage mixed with chocolate? If you can answer yes to that question, then you might enjoy several of the different malt beverages manufactured by Rogue, Oregon’s premiere craft brewery. Several of Rogue’s products combine the tastes of coffee and chocolate to produce a beer that tastes like a combination of a morning beverage and a rich dessert. And one of the products that emphasizes these two taste sensations is Rogue Mocha Porter, an ale intended to satisfy the coffee and chocolate lover in all of us.
Basic Characteristics of This Beer:
Mocha Porter is a dark- brown, robust porter that produces a nice, sturdy head of foam and has an aroma that stresses the floral smell of hops and a little bit of roasted malt. The foam eventually falls apart, leaving lace along the sides of your glass.
The tastes that are present in this beer should come as no surprise. Mocha Porter is chocolaty and coffeeish, with a dominant taste of roasted barley and a finish that is creamy and smooth, without being overly bitter. The hops add a good amount of balance to this beer and they contrast nicely to the heavily roasted taste of the malt. The aftertaste, though, is more bitter and also coffeeish, making it taste like a glass of iced java.
Mocha Porter is brewed using Klages, Northwest Harrington, black patent, Munich, Beeston Chocolate, Carastan, and Crystal malts; Centennial and Perle hops, and top- fermenting Pacman yeast. The bitterness level of this beer is 54 IBU and the alcohol level by volume is 5.5 percent.
Food Compatibility:
This beer would make a nice match with blackened Cajun chicken, pot roast, steak, beef stew, and other heavy foods. It would also go nicely with many rich dessert foods, particularly those with dark chocolate as a main ingredient. I think it also makes a good nightcap, to sip and savor all by itself, just to enjoy that great, complex taste.
Final Thoughts:
Rogue Mocha Porter was first brewed in 1994 and it originally took on the name “New Porter”, in honor of the city of Newport Oregon, where Rogue brews its prize- winning ales. The name was later changed to the present- day “Mocha Porter” in order to better exemplify the beer’s style.
Chocolate is probably the main taste sensation in this delicious beer, but its complexity yields more pleasantries than just those of a Hershey bar. The roasted barley flavor reminds one of meat or other food prepared on an open flame. The coffee taste is also obvious. And there is a distinct taste and aroma of hops that help to make this beer aromatic, balanced, and delicious.
Considering the emphasis on the chocolate and coffee character of the taste, I was expecting the nose of this beer to be more sweet and malty. In actuality, the aroma is more hop- like and the nose is flowery, with a smell that perks you up and entices the senses. I love my porter, and I love the taste of sweet malt. But I also appreciate a porter that remembers the importance of hops in the brewing process. And Mocha Porter is definitely a beer that stresses the importance of hops, with Perle and Centennial hops to impart a floral and aromatic character to this delicious brew.
Rogue sells this product in 12 oz. and 22 oz. bottles. I have not seen the 12 oz. bottles myself. The only ones I have been able to track down are the 22 oz. bottles, which cost about $3.49 each. This makes for a nice sample size, with enough beer to stimulate all of the senses and produce an adequate enough impression to rate the beer with accuracy.
Rogue Mocha Porter ranks as yet another classic from this great Northwestern Brewery. This beer won a Gold Medal in the World Beer Championships in 1995 and it often wins regional competitions in the robust porter category. It is a very well- balanced porter that places just as much emphasis on the hops as it does the roasted malt and chocolate taste, making Rogue Mocha Porter a champ among beers of this style.
Style: Porter Food Pairing: Beef, Desserts Tasting Notes: Ruddy brown in color, a bittersweet balance of malt and hops with a light cream finis...More at Liquor Outlet Wine Cellars
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