Try?
Prohibition was
a nasty time. Today, we take it for granted that we can pop on down to the
corner bar for a beer or two, or pick up a six-pack on the way home to enjoy
with the game. We can match the right beer with a gourmet dinner or, if
we’re so inclined, even brew up a batch of our own. None of this could be
done during those dark days of Prohibition. At least not legally, anyway.
The American people survived Prohibition, however and Rogue dedicates its Buckwheat Ale to those “entrepreneurial spirits” who helped us through it. In this spirit, I hereby dedicate this review to everyone, entrepreneurial or not, who played their part in keeping the beer flowing through the roaring twenties.
First and foremost, there were the homebrewers. They brewed their own beer from Blue Ribbon Malt extract, corn sugar, hops and at times things its best not to mention. It was legal to buy the ingredients for beer, where you ran into trouble was when you brewed the stuff up into a batch. A popular rhyme of the day:
Mother’s in the kitchen,
Washing out the jugs:
Sister’s in the pantry
Boiling all the suds:
Father’s in the cellar
Mixing up the hops:
Johnny’s on the front porch
Watching for the cops*
Equally important were the bootleggers. They brewed, distilled, and smuggled to get beer, wine, and spirits to the public. Sadly, this illicit activity was too frequently accompanied by violence, more a testament to fundamental human nature than any evils that can be ascribed to the public’s thirst for beer. To their credit, they did much to demonstrate the folly of prohibition as the unpopular mistake that it was.
Finally, there are the brewers. Most of them quickly switched their attention to producing legal products such as near beer, ice cream, malted milk, soft drinks, and malt extract to survive prohibition, a phenomenon most felt would soon be overturned. Thanks are due to them for being ready to quickly resume the brewing of beer when it once again became legal.
Many of the beers brewed during prohibition, whether by bootleggers or homebrewers, were of questionable quality. It is doubtful that many of them were made with wheat, let alone Buckwheat. Buckwheat is not technically wheat. It is not a grass as most grains are. It is popular in Japan, where it is known more commonly as soba. Here in America, you’ll most likely find it as a flour used to make pancakes.
Rogue brews its Buckwheat Ale with plenty of roasted buckwheat, pale, carastan, and Munich malts; Crystal hops and their distinctive house Pacman yeast. This is not your average wheat beer, but it is a refreshing and delicious brew.
Rogue Buckwheat Ale pours to a golden brown color with a medium head formation, and a spicy butterscotch nose. The palate is crisp and very drinkable, slightly toasty, and spicy with a distinctive grainy shredded-wheat character. There are slight buttery notes. The finish is lightly bitter with a perfumey dryness. In many ways this is a beer reminiscent of a German Roggen, or rye beer, or perhaps a Russian Kvass.
I absolutely love this beer. It’s a delightful departure from the norm and a very special treat. It’s crisp and refreshing, spicy and satisfying all at once. Rogue Buckwheat Ale is a great match with roasted chicken or fish. I especially enjoy it with a chewy chunk of seedy, doughy fresh baked rye bread.
*Thanks to Gregg Smith for printing this in his book, Beer for all to enjoy.
The American people survived Prohibition, however and Rogue dedicates its Buckwheat Ale to those “entrepreneurial spirits” who helped us through it. In this spirit, I hereby dedicate this review to everyone, entrepreneurial or not, who played their part in keeping the beer flowing through the roaring twenties.
First and foremost, there were the homebrewers. They brewed their own beer from Blue Ribbon Malt extract, corn sugar, hops and at times things its best not to mention. It was legal to buy the ingredients for beer, where you ran into trouble was when you brewed the stuff up into a batch. A popular rhyme of the day:
Mother’s in the kitchen,
Washing out the jugs:
Sister’s in the pantry
Boiling all the suds:
Father’s in the cellar
Mixing up the hops:
Johnny’s on the front porch
Watching for the cops*
Equally important were the bootleggers. They brewed, distilled, and smuggled to get beer, wine, and spirits to the public. Sadly, this illicit activity was too frequently accompanied by violence, more a testament to fundamental human nature than any evils that can be ascribed to the public’s thirst for beer. To their credit, they did much to demonstrate the folly of prohibition as the unpopular mistake that it was.
Finally, there are the brewers. Most of them quickly switched their attention to producing legal products such as near beer, ice cream, malted milk, soft drinks, and malt extract to survive prohibition, a phenomenon most felt would soon be overturned. Thanks are due to them for being ready to quickly resume the brewing of beer when it once again became legal.
Many of the beers brewed during prohibition, whether by bootleggers or homebrewers, were of questionable quality. It is doubtful that many of them were made with wheat, let alone Buckwheat. Buckwheat is not technically wheat. It is not a grass as most grains are. It is popular in Japan, where it is known more commonly as soba. Here in America, you’ll most likely find it as a flour used to make pancakes.
Rogue brews its Buckwheat Ale with plenty of roasted buckwheat, pale, carastan, and Munich malts; Crystal hops and their distinctive house Pacman yeast. This is not your average wheat beer, but it is a refreshing and delicious brew.
Rogue Buckwheat Ale pours to a golden brown color with a medium head formation, and a spicy butterscotch nose. The palate is crisp and very drinkable, slightly toasty, and spicy with a distinctive grainy shredded-wheat character. There are slight buttery notes. The finish is lightly bitter with a perfumey dryness. In many ways this is a beer reminiscent of a German Roggen, or rye beer, or perhaps a Russian Kvass.
I absolutely love this beer. It’s a delightful departure from the norm and a very special treat. It’s crisp and refreshing, spicy and satisfying all at once. Rogue Buckwheat Ale is a great match with roasted chicken or fish. I especially enjoy it with a chewy chunk of seedy, doughy fresh baked rye bread.
*Thanks to Gregg Smith for printing this in his book, Beer for all to enjoy.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
