Try?
What’s that you
say? You’ve never heard of cream ale? OK, fair enough. For the most part, it
is a little-known style in the beer world even though it purports to be as
American as apple pie. In fact, the style is often called American Cream
Ale, since it is alleged to have been invented here.
The classic example is, of course, Genesee Cream Ale from Rochester, New York. That beer has been around for more than 4 decades, but still many beer drinkers do not understand how it is different from more conventional ale, or even a lager for that matter. If you live in the heartland of our country, Hudepohl’s Little Kings cream ale might be more familiar to you.
Cream ale is a hybrid style, because to a certain degree it follows the brewing methods of both ale and lager. Cream ale uses a warm fermentation as most ales do (as opposed to cold ferments for lagers). Then the beer is cold lagered, to give it a cleaner, crisper character. In this respect, it is much like a German Kolsch. Of course, you’re not supposed to call a beer a Kolsch unless it is brewed in Koln (Cologne if you prefer). And thus American Cream Ale was born.
Like Kolsch, classic American Cream Ale will be fairly clean, though the above mentioned brands do not usually possess the touch of fruit one might find in a German Kolsch. They are generally delicate, easy to drink beers that do not challenge the palate. My experience with Rogue Ales in the past had me seriously doubting I would be drinking anything remotely resembling a subtle and delicate beer the first time I tried Rogue Honey Cream Ale, and I was right.
Rogue warm ferments their Honey Cream Ale with their house “pacman” yeast strain, as they would with most of their brews. They do not claim to cold condition but I assume they do. Locally produced honey is also added. For the most part, honey completely ferments out of beer, but I find it lends a distinct warmth and richness all its own.
Rogue classifies its Honey Cream Ale as a light, smooth, medium bodied ale, with a creamy head, hints of honey and a crisp light finish. It may be a light brew compared to other Rogue offerings, but I find Rogue Honey Cream Ale to be a medium bodied, wonderfully flavorful brew. It has always been a favorite of mine, one of my very favorite Rogue beers of all.
Rogue Honey Cream Ale is brewed with Klages, Harrington, and Munich malts and is hopped with Crystals. I have purchased it both in 22-ounce bottles and 12-ounce six-packs. It’s a great deal at $6.99 a six. On draft, Rogue Honey Cream Ale is a special treat.
Rogue Honey Cream Ale pours to a murky golden color with a light creamy head formation and a buttery malt nose. The palate is rich and bursting with fresh malt flavor combined with subtle toasty notes and a light honey sweetness. All the same, this is a very drinkable brew. The hops slowly assert themselves giving a peppery character, a bit of floral aroma and finally a lingering bitterness. The bittering level is said to be 29 IBUs, a good amount for a beer of medium body.
This is a wonderful beer that I like with, oddly enough, spicy oriental dishes. It’s a great sipping beer for a warm spring or summer evening too. It's one of my favorite all around sipping brews, something you can sip pint after pint of and never get tired of it.
The classic example is, of course, Genesee Cream Ale from Rochester, New York. That beer has been around for more than 4 decades, but still many beer drinkers do not understand how it is different from more conventional ale, or even a lager for that matter. If you live in the heartland of our country, Hudepohl’s Little Kings cream ale might be more familiar to you.
Cream ale is a hybrid style, because to a certain degree it follows the brewing methods of both ale and lager. Cream ale uses a warm fermentation as most ales do (as opposed to cold ferments for lagers). Then the beer is cold lagered, to give it a cleaner, crisper character. In this respect, it is much like a German Kolsch. Of course, you’re not supposed to call a beer a Kolsch unless it is brewed in Koln (Cologne if you prefer). And thus American Cream Ale was born.
Like Kolsch, classic American Cream Ale will be fairly clean, though the above mentioned brands do not usually possess the touch of fruit one might find in a German Kolsch. They are generally delicate, easy to drink beers that do not challenge the palate. My experience with Rogue Ales in the past had me seriously doubting I would be drinking anything remotely resembling a subtle and delicate beer the first time I tried Rogue Honey Cream Ale, and I was right.
Rogue warm ferments their Honey Cream Ale with their house “pacman” yeast strain, as they would with most of their brews. They do not claim to cold condition but I assume they do. Locally produced honey is also added. For the most part, honey completely ferments out of beer, but I find it lends a distinct warmth and richness all its own.
Rogue classifies its Honey Cream Ale as a light, smooth, medium bodied ale, with a creamy head, hints of honey and a crisp light finish. It may be a light brew compared to other Rogue offerings, but I find Rogue Honey Cream Ale to be a medium bodied, wonderfully flavorful brew. It has always been a favorite of mine, one of my very favorite Rogue beers of all.
Rogue Honey Cream Ale is brewed with Klages, Harrington, and Munich malts and is hopped with Crystals. I have purchased it both in 22-ounce bottles and 12-ounce six-packs. It’s a great deal at $6.99 a six. On draft, Rogue Honey Cream Ale is a special treat.
Rogue Honey Cream Ale pours to a murky golden color with a light creamy head formation and a buttery malt nose. The palate is rich and bursting with fresh malt flavor combined with subtle toasty notes and a light honey sweetness. All the same, this is a very drinkable brew. The hops slowly assert themselves giving a peppery character, a bit of floral aroma and finally a lingering bitterness. The bittering level is said to be 29 IBUs, a good amount for a beer of medium body.
This is a wonderful beer that I like with, oddly enough, spicy oriental dishes. It’s a great sipping beer for a warm spring or summer evening too. It's one of my favorite all around sipping brews, something you can sip pint after pint of and never get tired of it.
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
