For tonight’s review, it was back to the Binny box for the 3rd of 5 purchases I made not too long ago. If you recall, the first was Robert the Bruce Scottish Ale by 3Floyds and the second was last week’s excruciating and punishing Founders Centennial IPA. I was waffling over 2 of the remaining 3 Binny choices for this week and, after talking to a couple of guys at work, I chose to try a sixpack of Dead Guy Ale brewed by Rogue Ales out of Newport, Oregon based on their opinions. I referenced the original store receipt which I have safely tucked away and I was shocked twice. First, at how expensive this beer was, and second, at what a fish I was for buying it in the first place. The sales slip noted the price of this beer at $11.99. Ouch! We have officially crested the 2-bucks-a-beer threshold with this purchase. Man, I sure hope this beer tastes good!

I had the sixer chilling in the beer fridge since making my decision on Wednesday. At one time I pulled out a bottle in order to read any special descriptions or comments on the label. Nuthin’. Just the usual Surgeon General’s warning and the bar code with recycle info. I checked out their website. Here’s their description of it:

Dead Guy is created from Northwest Harrington, Klages, Maier Munich and Carastan malts, along with Perle and Saaz Hops.
In the early 1990s Dead Guy Ale was created as a private tap sticker to celebrate the Mayan Day of the Dead (November 1st, All Souls Day) for Casa U Betcha in Portland, Oregon. The Dead Guy design proved popular and was incorporated into a bottled product a few years later with MaierBock as the elixir.

I checked out the keywords in their description and they’re all legit. “PacMan” yeast is their own special strain which they developed, Carastan, Perle and Saaz are all names of different hops. Casa U Betcha is an actual upscale Mexican restaurant in Oregon. Let’s get this review rolling.

I decided to use the pub pint for this beer if at all, just because I like it. I popped the first bottlecap with the Diggnation popper and poured. The liquid had a copper appearance sort of like weak tea and the head came up creamy on top with largish bubbles within. It sort of reminded me of lemon foam (if there is such a thing as “lemon foam,”) being a tad bit yellowy. The carbonation bubbles were there but not in a very dense population. Large bubbles were present and they lasted through the entire drink.

The first whiff was mild and had a nice darkish malty aroma. (Hmm. Yellowy foam, dark aroma.) No individual ingredient smells made it to my olfactories, just a nice pleasant dark brew aroma. The first sip hit my tongue and it got shotgunned with maltiness and a slight hop taste before the drop down the gullet. It had an interesting twinge in the nose as it left, but not that of a hard alcohol flavor. It was something all its own.

More sips continued and by the time I was halfway through the first glass, everything mellowed out. The malty taste remained at the forefront and left a nice “cack*” in the back of my mouth. This beer tastes darker than it looks in the glass; it’s gotta be those Carastan and other malts they used in combination. Sweetness came forward eventually. Not overly so as in a lawnmower beer, but it definitely has a sweet taste hidden in there. It’s light on the palate and quite European in flavor. The Dead Guy has given me a nice tongue-ride. I recommend you try this beer for a nice change of pace.

If you are a Guinness Draught drinker, I urge you to try this beer. It’ll tone down that familiar malty taste a tad and give you a little shot of sweet. After you try one of these, I guarantee you’ll try a second bottle. If you’re not specifically a Guinness drinker and wish to try something a bit unique, you must try this beer. It has a taste that will remain in your memory banks for some time and make you want to return to the beer store for more new tastes.

*cack – The thickish film that remains in the back of your mouth after swallowing a food. It’s similar to the taste that remains after swallowing a bit of chocolate.

The SixPackTech ratings for Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale are:

Taste: B+ > Like a satin bed sheet.
Smoothness: B > Like a wet whisper right in your ear.
Drinkability: C+ > Not a session beer, but at least have more than one.
Bang for the buck: F > Two bucks a beer. But think of how much a beer costs at the game.
ABV: 6.5% > Be careful. After your third bottle, ask someone how you’re doing.
Wife’s all-encompassing opinion: “Yeasty. I smell yeast. (sip) (sip) (face) It’s a little bitter. A little too yeasty it’s like eating raw bread dough. (sip) It’s not horrible but I’m not nuts about it. Not one of my first choices.” (A nose educated in the kitchen.)