Rogue John John Juniper
Always on the look out for something new and interesting, I picked up this bottle of Rogue John John Juniper at Total Wine last month. In making this beer, the brewery take’s their Juniper Pale Ale and ages it in their own Juniper Gin barrels.
Now, I’m not a gin fan by any means (in fact, I hate it), but I’m always open to trying out an interesting brew.
Luckily, I didn’t let my gin bias get too much in the way while drinking this one. It’s not a bad brew, but I’m sure that someone with more of an affection for this particular spirit well be more into it than myself — I’m much more interested in finding the John John Dead Guy.
Appearance
John John Juniper pours a pale golden in color with a towering, white head that expanded quickly while pouring. It faded rather slowly to a thin lacing.
Aroma
Yup. There’s definitely a good bit of gin and juniper in the mix with this beer’s nose. While I don’t pick up a huge barrel aged character to it, the spruce component of the juniper gives it a woody presence. There’s also a nice touch of piny and citrus hops.
Taste
While I definitely pick up the gin and juniper, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I was expecting. It’s actually not that bad. The juniper and spruce components combine nicely while the gin adds a different vibe to it without overwhelming the palate. The fairly dry, peppery finish lingers for a good bit with a light hop bitterness.
Overall
Like I said in the opening, I’m by no means a fan of gin, but I dig what the brewery is doing with this barrel aged Pale Ale. The flavors come together quite nicely during the drinking experience. I don’t believe that I’ll be buying it again, but I still found it enjoyable.
Rating: 3/5