While at the Oregon Brewers Festival for my Brewmaster Cuisinternship, I was told about the Rogue Ales hospitality suite in the hotel across the street from the festival. They mentioned that if we wanted to get out of the heat, we could stop by there for a break. After a fun few hours at the festival, I headed over to check it out. Aside from all the Rogue swag (see the Rogue condoms, tattoos, etc. behind my cup), they had all sorts of their beers to try. Since I was hot and needed something light, they suggested the Morimoto Soba Ale.
I found out that “Morimoto” is Chef Masaharu Morimoto from the Iron Chef who assisted with its development. I also found out that “Soba” is just another name for buckwheat, which is used in brewing this beer.
It was a hay-yellow color and it had a thin creamy head on it. Despite being an ale, the aroma reminded me a bit of a lager with some very light bready and fruity notes, with some lemony aromas as well.
It had a medium to medium light body and a very creamy mouthfeel. The flavors were light, but with the body being thicker than I expected, it was a bit like a light tasting honey with very light floral, bready, fruity, and citrusy flavors.
I think it would probably pair well with some lighter Asian foods – rice, sweet and sour chicken, etc. Overall, I thought it was a good tasting beer, but didn’t find it to be very drinkable. The body was a little too big for the light flavors the beer carried.
My Rating: 
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