Las Vegas Weekly

December 8, 2011 · 2:22 PM

Not quite an OREgasmic experience

By Ken Miller

100 percent locally produced. But good, not great.

One of the first things I ask any brewer is whether they produce their beer using local products. I feel it's a big selling point of any beer. That's why my eyes were immediately drawn to Chatoe Rogue's OREgasmic Ale, which is made with 100 percent Oregon-produced ingredients.

Chatoe Rogue, a "American pale ale," according to Rogue's website, is made with the following six Ingredients: micro barley farm first growth Dare and Risk malts (trademark names, apparently); Rogue micro hopyard Willamette and first-growth independent hops; Pacman yeast; and free range coastal water. It's 6 percent ABV.

Not quite sure what's "pale" about this beer. Upon pouring, you can tell you're about to drink one serious brew. There's nothing pale about Chatoe Rogue; it's a thick, murky caramel color, with lots of carbonation and only the slightest of heads. I could already tell this was a beer to sit and savor, not, say, gulp in the heat of summer.

Sure enough, the first taste was intimidating, strong at the front with a malty bitterness that cuts through the alcohol immediately. As for the aftertaste ... well, there isn't one, actually. There's nothing to savor -- the bitterness just melts into nothingness, and what you're left with is an overpowering alcohol feel that leaves you reeling a bit.

I continue to be a huge supporter of locally produced beers, and I know there's a huge market for American pale ales such as Chatoe Rogue, but it's just not for me. Maybe it's that I feel more dedicated to India pale ales, or maybe it's just that I like my beers to linger afterwards. Whatever the reason, I'm moving on. It's not you, Chatoe Rogue -- it's me.

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