Re: Favorite Brew Thead.
The Morimoto Soba Ale is part of the new Signature Series of Rogue Ales, launched in the Spring of 2003 with internationally acclaimed Chef Masaharu Morimoto—a James Beard awarded chef and one of the stars of the Food Network series, Iron Chef.
Soba (also known as buckwheat) is not a type of wheat but a member of the rhubarb family and has been a longtime staple of Japanese cuisine because of its nutritional value. Buckwheat is high in potassium, phosphorous, vitamin B (50 percent more than wheat) and protein, and its virtually fat-free. The fruits of the buckwheat plant are like small beechnuts, which are milled to separate the edible groats from the dark brown hulls. The groats are then roasted and used more or less like a grain (a good example is Kasha).
Style: Specialty Grain Food Pairing: Seafood, Poultry
Tasting Notes:
The delicate flavor of our roasted Soba brings a nutty finish to this light and refreshing ale. A perfect accompaniment to lighter cuisine.
8 Ingredients:
Malts: Roasted Soba, Harrington, Metcalf, Munich & C-15.
Hops: Crystal.
Yeast & Water: Rogue’s Pacman Yeast & Free Range Coastal Water.
Specs:
12º PLATO
30 IBU
75 AA
14º Lovibond
2008 World Beer Cup—Gold
2008 New Zealand International Beer Awards—Bronze
2008 Australian International Beer Awards—Bronze
2007 World Beer Championships—Silver
2006 World Beer Championships—Silver
2005 World Beer Championships—Gold, Best of 2005
2005 21st Beverage Dynamics Pkg Awards—2nd Redone Pkg
2004 GABF—Silver
2004 International Beer Comp (London)—Silver
2004 Los Angeles County Fair—Bronze
2003 World Beer Championships—Silver
2003 California Brewer’s Festival—2nd
My personal opinion, it's like an American ale with all the rich and slightly sharp flavors that go along with something more bodied.
I bought a Keg of Rogue Deadguy once, and it was really a choice I never regretted despite the cost. I will definitely be trying to lock down a keg of Morimoto's Soba for the next event I have capable of requiring a keg