On a recent trip, we found ourselves in Astoria, Oregon, and chanced upon the Rogue Ales Public House there. Being a fan of Dead Guy Ale, I thought I'd give it a try.
To be clear, unlike my usual reviews here, this is not a working brewery, the brewing is all done off-site, so this is just a taproom and pub…
The pub sits on a pier which is called Pier 39, (although I suspect that's affectation, as there do not appear to be 38 other piers?), along with a quirky collection of other businesses, as well as a tiny fresh seafood shop. There is a very small parking lot out on the pier, but I had to park at the nearby Hampton Inn and hoof it across the railroad tracks and out the pier to get there. Not an unpleasant walk, mind you, and gorgeous views of the Columbia delta and the southern shore of the Olympic peninsula.
The external architecture is functional, the internal is that quasi-industrial chic look, with exposed beams, lighting that uses piping, corrugated metal ceiling dividers, painted wood trims. It's cute, not an unfamiliar look, but a pleasant one. Nice views from the window-adjacent tables, too.
The barkeep and wait staff were friendly and attentive, and enthusiastic, providing me with a paper template, beer list, and pen to select what I wanted for a 4-piece flight, as well as a menu for food. As with any pub, and brewpubs especially, the food menu is limited, but had a decent selection. I had been starved for decent gourmet burgers on this trip, so I knew I wanted a burger. They had two burgers (both smash burgers, as is trendy nowadays): a normal one, and an onion one, the latter featuring grilled onions and Gorgonzola cheese. I opted for the onion smashburger, and was proferred the choice of fries or tater tots, which latter I chose, as who can resist the comfort of some tots? I also ordered a bowl of "mom's chili".
For a flight, the choices were a bit overwhelming, but given that it was rainy and cold outside, I had a hankering for a stout, so I selected two stouts (figuring at least one would hit my stout spot). I have always liked Dead Guy Ale, and it wouldn't feel right visiting Rogue without getting one, so I did. For the remainding one, I picked a wild card, their Batsquatch IPA (which I only realized after ordering that it was a NEIPA, normally not my thing).
Here are my thoughts, but keep in mind that I was in a bit of a hurry, so my notes are not as detailed as I normally do:
-
Dead Guy Ale - always have loved this one, sweet, light, refreshing, just the right amount of hops
-
Batsquatch NEIPA - slightly sweet, well-hopped, but a bit fruity
-
Shakespeare Stout Nitro - toasty! Mildly hopped, nicely bitter, mild mouthfeel (I was expecting more from a nitro), no noticeable aroma. Good stout
-
Santa's Private Reserve 2024 Mocha Stout - chocolate and coffee, toffee and caramel, lactose. Yum!
The burger arrived first, and I had to ask for my chili, which they had forgotten. The onion smashburger was very good, although it could have used the usual accoutrements: lettuce, tomato, pickles; without them, it ate kind of bare. Tater tots are as expected, a comfort food treat. Mom's chili was good, if a bit uninspired.
Their beer selection is quite deep, and I would have liked to stay and order another flight (or two?) to sample some more, but alas, I had not time to tarry. I ordered a 4-pack of cans (no crowlers there, only growlers, which is too much for our wee fridge in the RV) of the yummy Santa's reserve stout, to enjoy later.
We drove off to a gorgeous sunset along the road to the peninsula.
Definitely an enjoyable experience!
#BeerReview #Travel
The external architecture is functional, the internal is that quasi-industrial chic look, with exposed beams, lighting that uses piping, corrugated metal ceiling dividers, painted wood trims. It's cute, not an unfamiliar look, but a pleasant one. Nice views from the window-adjacent tables, too.
The barkeep and wait staff were friendly and attentive, and enthusiastic, providing me with a paper template, beer list, and pen to select what I wanted for a 4-piece flight, as well as a menu for food. As with any pub, and brewpubs especially, the food menu is limited, but had a decent selection. I had been starved for decent gourmet burgers on this trip, so I knew I wanted a burger. They had two burgers (both smash burgers, as is trendy nowadays): a normal one, and an onion one, the latter featuring grilled onions and Gorgonzola cheese. I opted for the onion smashburger, and was proferred the choice of fries or tater tots, which latter I chose, as who can resist the comfort of some tots? I also ordered a bowl of "mom's chili".
For a flight, the choices were a bit overwhelming, but given that it was rainy and cold outside, I had a hankering for a stout, so I selected two stouts (figuring at least one would hit my stout spot). I have always liked Dead Guy Ale, and it wouldn't feel right visiting Rogue without getting one, so I did. For the remainding one, I picked a wild card, their Batsquatch IPA (which I only realized after ordering that it was a NEIPA, normally not my thing).
Here are my thoughts, but keep in mind that I was in a bit of a hurry, so my notes are not as detailed as I normally do:
Their beer selection is quite deep, and I would have liked to stay and order another flight (or two?) to sample some more, but alas, I had not time to tarry. I ordered a 4-pack of cans (no crowlers there, only growlers, which is too much for our wee fridge in the RV) of the yummy Santa's reserve stout, to enjoy later.
We drove off to a gorgeous sunset along the road to the peninsula.
Definitely an enjoyable experience!
#BeerReview #Travel