Day 22 of the 6th Annual Advent-ure Calendar
Day 22: Rogue Yellow Snow Pilsner
Rogue Ales has been around for just over 30 years. Based in Oregon, they not only brew beer, but also distill their own spirits. On top of that, they farm their own ingredients and even cooper their own barrels. What?! They basically have a hand in every single part of the process…except for maybe making the cans and bottles themselves? From Rogue: Yellow Snow Pilsner is a “Winter-inspired pilsner brewed with Alaskan spruce tips which add sweetness and slight piney, citrusy nuances.”
Reflections
Ben: We’ve had this before, but I don’t remember it being this good. Cause this is real good. It has this subtle sweet character to it that I’ve never tasted in a Pilsner, but it’s offset by a nice crisp finish. One of the descriptors is actually “bubblegum,” which is something normally reserved for hefeweizens and Belgians, but I do pick up that subtle note here. Who knew spruce tips added so much to a beer? Rogue generally does pretty solid beverages, but they can also do some weird shit that misses the mark. Luckily, this one falls into the former camp. If I see this still hanging out on the shelves I’m definitely grabbing more.
Julia: This is the year I started to like pilsners. I’ve always been indifferent towards them but now I actually enjoy some. I was a little nervous to try this one because Rogue beers are always super bold in flavor. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes it’s bad. This time, it’s very good. This an easy to drink, light beer. It has an interesting flavor, almost slightly sweet which I learned is from the Alaskan spruce tips. I thought it would be really piney, but I barely get the piney flavor. Because it’s so light and easy to drink, I wouldn’t classify it as a Christmas or winter ale but I am happy to switch things up on the calendar.
Adam: Okay I hereby motion to have more pilsners be pine forward. This is fresh as hell and I enjoy the citrus and spruce notes a lot. This would be a great beer all year round and It makes me want to remind myself that good pilsners can be awesome.
Alex: Rogue’s Yellow Snow is quite refreshing. It’s light and crisp and pretty much the opposite of your typical holiday beer. I can taste the spruce tips and what I think is a citrusy flavor. I would 100% drink this again, and it earns extra credit points for a fun can with a cute pup on it.
Scott: So kudos to this amazing name and label. The Rogue Yellow Snow is a completely refreshing spin on holiday themed beers and I would love to drink many more of these. To my tastes, it has a hint of lemon and is a great change of pace from the heavier Christmas beers we’ve had the last few days. And the dog. This dog smelling either his pee, or another dog’s pee, is just adorable. Bonus points for the dog.
Christa: I am not sure if it’s me, but this fully tastes like licorice to me or an unpleasant gummy candy. I don’t like those kinds of things so this isn’t a stand out but it might be for someone who does appreciate those flavors. But for me? I’ll avoid like I do the yellow snow.
Tony: They’re having fun with the name and can art which I definitely appreciate and I have to say they nailed the color. Its got a yellow hue to it. Thats kind of where the fun stops for me though. I’m not a huge pilsner fan to begin with so take this with a grain of salt. It just tastes like a slightly elevated miller lite (gasp!) yeah I said it! but thats just the vibe i get. Its a pilsner with a hint of spruce. Pilsners are tough for holiday beers in my opinion because i think whether you’re talking spruce tips or holiday spices, or malts they all work better with a darker beer base. I think thats why you mostly see holiday beers as amber or brown ales or stouts and porters like we had recently on the calendar. I get there are several other types of beer but my point is for holiday beer elements like spices or spruce tips I think they work better with darker beer types. I have had other great beers from Rogue but I think its just the pilsner aspect of this one that I can’t get past.
Megan: We’ve seen some creative beers so far, but I have to give bonus points to this one. Yellow snow is a fun holiday spin on a pilsner. I’m not an expert at picking beer or wine. I typically will look for a fun can, something that draws me in and this name and can design definitely accomplish that. As the name indicates, it also pours light and yellow. I’ve never tried yellow snow to compare, but this is not bad. In a month full of spices, syrups and caramel, it’s a nice break to have something lighter. I’m getting some spruce tips so it keeps in line with the holiday theme but it is light and not super flavorful. All in all, it’s an easy drink and I would try this again.
Brad: A very drinkable Pilsner. That’s it, that’s my review. Just kidding. The beer tastes good, it’s easy drinking and i enjoy the balanced sweetness. I am not on board with the name though. Sure, it’s funny in a way, but it doesn’t make me want to buy a 6 pack of this. Any beverage named “yellow snow” is not appealing to me and I am a big snob about the aesthetics of my beer art.
Heather: I love going Rogue. They’re true to their name with bold flavor choices and fun names. I was super excited to try this one, and yay! It delivered! Yellow snow (🙊😆) had a hint of something I needed to look up — a sweet, surprising taste that I hadn’t experienced in a beer before. Sure enough, their website says it’s BUBBLE GUM. Who knew? And it works! I suppose I taste the spruce they mention, but really, I’ve never licked a spruce tree so I’ll have to take their word for it. Either way, I love it, despite the fact it’s the exact color of pee.