Fun fact: Irishmen (and women) love their lagers. It’s not all jet-black stouts on the island, which might be a bit of a shock if you pay too much attention to the marketing around St. Patrick’s Day. My theory is the Irish like lagers for the same reason that Americans like lagers. They’re easy to drink and you can have a lot of them. Call it a “bender beer.”
Rogue has created the perfect bender beer with their Irish Lager, and released it just in time for St. Patrick’s Day when benders are practically mandatory.
It pours straw yellow with a huge head, and pretty much no nose. This is a mellow, malt forward drinker, which is to say it hits the lager style guidelines dead on. There aren’t many surprises here, and Rogue isn’t playing any cute tricks with this beer, but maybe that’s okay for a change. Maybe it’s kind of refreshing that Rogue’s Irish Lager is not an imperial lager brewed with potato peel and aged on a ship that sailed from Ireland.
Drink it if you’re looking for an alternative to the heavy stouts that are out tonight. Skip it if you think lagers are bland.
Brewery: Rogue Ales
City: Newport, Oregon
Style: Lager
Availability: Limited release
ABV: 5%