Cherry Ecstasy

Chatoe Rogue Creek Ale
Sampled: Dec. 2, 2010

Rogue packs two plays on words into this homegrown ale’s name, along with innumerable brewing surprises.

What an amazing nose, with the cherry subtle and fresh but powerful enough to beat back any malt or hop presence. It’s rich, warm and slightly sour. All the ingredients are local – with the malt and hops grown by Rogue itself, hence the chateau designation (Pun #1) Only the cherries from Montmorency come from outside. Rogue’s Creek Ale does not merely clone a Belgian kriek (Pun #2). Its light, frothy red-hued lace and a burgundy body tantalize the palate.

Then, they deliver in spades. The cherry flavor rises near the finish, kicking the salivary glands into action. Like a good Burgundy, its dry textures aren’t stifling, but present an appropriate level of sourness. Despite temptations to compare it to Casteel Rouge, few similarities apply aside from cherries.

Pacific Northwest cherries pack a punch all their own, and Creek Ale has session ale strength (Casteel Rouge pushes 8 percent).

Creek Ale presents a study in contrasts. Medium-bodied, the Dare and Risk malts threaten to turn this into an English red ale. Veins of cherry prevent that, penetrating deeply before their later resurgence. Do the Hopyard Revolution hops provide a little pushback on those lush cherries before the finish? I couldn’t tell you, and once immersed in that brilliance, there’s no point pondering hops.

Creek Ale is easily the prize from Rogue’s Grow Your Own series, and among the best domestic cherry ale I have tasted. Rogue’s local ingredients provide the trump card, and I own a soft spot for PNW cherries.

For local cherries of a different stripe ....

Founders Cerise
Sampled: Jan. 9, 2011

Normally I don’t beat the drum for Founders, having tied of Dirty Bastard and some of their over-the-top efforts. But this seasonal fruit beer forever altered my perception.

Founders stays local, going with Michigan cherries. Aside from the mouth-watering finish, it shares very little with Chatoe Rogue Creek Ale. At 6.5 percent, it runs a little stronger, but never resorts to a cherry cough syrup/cough drop flavors present with inferior cherry brews. Everything about this cherry ale feels authentic and carries the impish mark of Founders.

The cherry flavors are more distant than a kriek lambic, but more complex. Instead of feeling as if Founders merely piled fruit into its fermenters, Cerise takes a nuanced approached. Founders addition of cherries at several points during fermentation. The creamy nose sparkles with cherries, never feeling too rich. The body bears a pale crimson hue, never fully giving away the integral role cherries play here.

Flavorwise, Cerise projects rounded fruit, undoubtedly the result of five additions of cherries into the fermentation process. I don’t know how much Founders includes in each stage, but a measured approach leads to a more balanced ale.

Cerise has only a moment of sweetness, never letting that tone dominate. The ale perks up into a defining tart finish, and it’s one for the ages.

I parsed out this four-pack for nearly a month, revisiting Cerise whenever my palate needed a boost. Only a delicate aftertaste sticks around, and it’s just enough to leave me craving more. Founders has hit the mark for a perfect after-dinner beer, a winter warmer that pulls the taste buds back to harvest’s bounty.