POG beers! I’ve had a few of them recently. The one I’m here to tell you about today is Rogue Paradise Pucker Sour Ale, a kettle soured POG beer I enjoyed on tap at Taco Mac. What is a POG? No, it’s not the little circular cardboard tchotchkes from the 90s, at least not here. POG stands for Pineapple Orange Guava, and this is a very popular juice drink in Hawaii. Shortly after enjoying Rogue Paradise Pucker Sour Ale, I traveled to Hawaii and enjoyed a cup of the sweet, exotic POG juice at a luau.
At one point, apparently, Rogue Paradise Pucker Sour Ale was only sold in Hawaii, or perhaps it was brewed especially for that market. Now, it is obviously sold in other states.
From the website:
Paradise Pucker is inspired by the classic Hawaiian juice, infused with passion fruit, orange peels, and guava to create a delightful and refreshing sour ale.
11 INGREDIENTS: Passion Fruit, Orange Peel, & Pink Guava; Rogue Farms McKercher Wheat; Pilsner and Acidulated Malts; Rogue Farms Liberty Hops; Amarillo Hops; Yogurt; Kolsch Yeast and Free Range Coastal Water.
Rogue Paradise Pucker Sour Ale has an alcohol content of 6% by volume with 5 IBUs. It was pricey, $8.25 for a 20-ounce mug at Taco Mac. It runs about the same in the bottle, $7.99 for a 22-ounce bomber.
My glass of Rogue Paradise Pucker Sour Ale arrived a beautiful bright orange color with a light fluffy head and soft hints of orange citrus in the nose. Taking a sip, the beer has a light body with tart wheat, subtle passion fruit and guava with orange jello emerging in the tart, puckering sour finish.
This is excellent, I really enjoyed the juicy POG fruit flavors juxtaposed against the in your face sourness. I thought of it again while drinking my POG juice at the luau, and looks like I need to find a bottle to enjoy at home. Rogue suggests it with spicy pork, and I can see that. It would have paired splendidly with the Kahlua pork I enjoyed at my luau…..
Update 7/26/2018: Rogue Paradise Pucker is a featured beer of the month for July of 2018. I paid $9.30 for my 23-ounce Chancellor mug (same as last time) and got a free glass to boot. It's still juicy, delicious, and sour at the last. Wonderful!
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