Rogue Santa's Private Reserve:
Hello all and welcome back to our sleigh ride through the winter wonderland of beers.  Today we stop off at the North Pole to visit that jolly ole elf and his compound of toy making.  Now I’ve come to conclusion that with all the free time Santa has in the off season that he is a home brewer and possibly a moonshiner too.  So what kind of beer does Santa brew?  Hell if I know but the good people at Rogue have decided that he brews an American Amber ale, at least for his private stock.  This brew pours a redish hue amber with a cream head that is rocky on the surface while it leaves a decent curtain of lace and a nose of piney hops and roasted malts.  The beer’s taste starts out with a creamy malt taste that very quickly moves to a rough edged hop notes of pine and skunk that dominate the beer through to the back end and leaves the mouth dry.  This beer is one of those that breaks the mold of the dark malty beers that seem to dominate the winter landscape and this, like the New Belgium Redhoptober, uses it’s hoppy nature to give it a memorable taste though it is a flavor that can divide a room of beer drinkers.  I enjoy the piney hop flavors but then again I like a good hoppy beer.