KC Beer Bloggers, Unite! (And Roughtail Brewing Tasting!)

A couple of us beer bloggers in town thought it good to meet up and talk about how we could combine our forces for the fight towards better beer. We all share the common goal of continually making KC a better place to brew, drink, and think about beer, so we thought, why not work together towards this goal. So, I give you, the More Perfect Beer Bloggers Union: Alex with Scouting the Taps, Jim with KC Beer Scouts, Sarah with KC Beer Guide, and (if you hadn't guessed) myself with KC Beer Blog.

We haven't actually figured out exactly how we're going to work together, which is why we're the More Perfect Beer Bloggers Union and not the Most Perfect Beer Bloggers Union, but for now we knew that we just needed to get together and drink some beer. So it was a great coincidence that Roughtail Brewing from OKC was hitting the streets here in KC right when we were first meeting and they sent us bloggers a few samples to try out. We all have our tasting notes on our respective blogs (or will soon), and Jim from KC Beer Scouts also made some fancy flavor waves showing all of our tasting profiles together. Tasting notes below!

Roughtail Pale Ale

The pale is decidedly hop balanced. The aroma is balanced with some bready and cookie like malt aromas and a traditional American hop character with citrus, floral, and earthy aromas. The flavor on the other hand is all hops. The hops bitterness is sharp and lingers. It's kind of like eating a hop cone. I'm not a huge fan of this styling, but if you love sharp, super bitter, lighter-bodied beers, this is for you.

KC Beer Guide Pale Ale Tasting Notes
KC Beer Scouts Pale Ale Tasting Notes

Roughtail IPA

Now this is what I'm talking about! This beer is nearly identical in character to the Pale Ale, but with much more malt flavor, residual sugars, and body to back up the bitterness. Traditional American hop character and bready, cookie, & munich malt character. Lots of bitterness, but a good round body and enough sweetness to balance it out. This is my kind of beer. 

KC Beer Guide IPA Tasting Notes
KC Beer Scouts IPA Tasting Notes

Roughtail Hoptometrist Double IPA

Again, this is very similar to the Pale & IPA, but even bigger. The hop & malt character remain the same but the addition of the extra strength, some light fruity cherry & plum aromas come out to add some complexity. It's very very hoppy but with a good malt sweetness and full body to take the edge off. A solid DIPA that doesn't go too far on the bitterness and stays just sweet enough to balance the hops without becoming cloying. 

KC Beer Guide DIPA Tasting Notes
KC Beer Scouts DIPA Tasting Notes

More than any beers I've ever had before, these three beers were nearly identical only each stronger than the last. Each beer had similar hop and malt profiles in the flavor and aroma, but with the addition of more malt & residual sugars and more alcohol, each beer had a slightly different balance. The beers were all crisp and cleanly fermented and great examples of the respective styles. If nothing else, these beers can serve as a great teaching tool for people trying to figure out the difference between a Pale Ale, IPA, and DIPA. I'll be excited to try their other offerings and hope they come visit us in KC at the festivals and to hold events around town.