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Rogue Santa's Private Reserve Ale

Hey everyone!  I hope everyone's week is going by swiftly and easily.  It may be just me, but this is the slowest week ever!  I can't wait for the holidays, seeing family, resting and relaxing!  Tonight I am drinking Rogue Brewery's Santa's Private Reserve Ale.  It is Rogue's winter seasonal release, and has won several accolades in the World Beer Championship.  Let's see how it is!


Santa's Private Reserve Ale
Rogue Brewery
6% ABV (according to Untappd, sounds about right)
 65 IBUs
Fun Fact:  From Rogue's website, this beer is based on Saint Rogue Red, with more hops, including a hop Rogue calls Rudolph!

Santa's Private Reserve Ale pours copper in color, with a finger and a half's worth of an off-white colored head.  Right out of the fridge, the aroma is all pine tree, but as it warms up, I started to smell caramel and bread.  I'm overwhelmed with pine bitterness with my first sip of this beer, and it follows through with a pine/spruce finish.  As the beer warms a bit, the pine stays up front, but the end turns floral and a slight alcohol burn.  The body and carbonation levels are both average.

Overall:  A decent beer, but it didn't leave me wanting more.  I would drink it if someone gave it to me, but definitely wouldn't search it out.


Have you had Rogue's Santa's Private Reserve Ale?  Let me know what you thought of it in the comments!

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