Beer at the Rogue Brewery, 844 Olive St., is brewed in-house. House brews start at $4.50 a pint and some specialty brews hit $5.
It may come as a surprise to some students and Eugene residents that Rogue Ales has opened a brewery in co-founder Jack Joyce’s hometown of Eugene. Upon first glance, the Rogue Ales Eugene City Brewery at 844 Olive St. is easily overlooked. Housed in the space most recently filled by The Dive Bar & Grill, the awning still bears the insignia of its former occupant. From the outside, the only obvious indications that The Dive is no longer in operation are the huge stacks of beer cases emblazoned with the Rogue logo displayed through the front windows at street level, and a few posters on the door and windows telling people they are open.
The brewery has been open since Oct. 14, and so far it has garnered more of a dinner crowd than a late-night crowd, despite being open until 2 a.m. on weekends.
A factor that may discourage college students from using the brewery as a regular night spot is the prices. House brews start at $4.50 a pint and some of the specialty brews such as the Chipotle Ale and Chocolate Stout are as much as $5 a pint. While this may be a bit too dear for those purely interested in the chemical effects of fermented grain, discriminating consumers who appreciate quality, hand-crafted ales will find the beer at Rogue more than adequate compensation for their drinking dollar.
The brewery features 34 taps, most of which are Rogue Ales and Lagers brewed on site, but also included are domestics, guest beers and specialty imports. At $3.75 a pint for Pabst Blue Ribbon, an extra dollar is a small price to pay for a much higher quality beverage, but to each his own.
Rogue’s Chocolate Stout is a dark, creamy treat that features a much stronger chocolate flavor than most similar stouts. When blended with Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown Nectar (you can mix and match any of the beers on tap), it’s like drinking the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
A less impressive, but far more affordable ale is the Oyster Cloyster, a stout ale that is washed over a bed of oysters while it is still hot out of the boiling process. Apparently the oysters were delicious, but the stout really didn’t pick up any flavor at all, which might actually be a good thing. Either way, it wasn’t nearly interesting enough to deserve its own tap.
The food at the Rogue Brewery is mostly pub-style foods such as fish and chips, burgers, sandwiches and pizzas. Again, the pricing is not ideal for those interested in saving money, but the product is superb. The money spent on a single Kobe beef cheeseburger at the Rogue Ales Eugene City Brewery could buy about 22 Jack in the Box tacos, but people who do not consider “meat” that comes in a powdered form actual food may want to treat themselves to what some consider to be the finest beef on earth.
Most, if not all, of the menu items incorporate beer in the recipe, one of which is the Brutal Reuben. The sandwich is more or less traditional, made with thousand island dressing, marbled rye, sauerkraut and corned beef. The twist is that Rogue’s cooks simmer the corned beef in their Brutal Bitter Ale and the sauerkraut is soaked in Shakespeare Stout, rounding out the already robust flavors with a hint of hops.
A disappointing menu item was the hazelnut bread, which really wasn’t impressive or plentiful enough to justify the cost of only four pieces, though the clam chowder that came with it was excellent. Bread should always be complimentary with soup anyway.
If money isn’t an issue, the Rogue Ales Eugene City Brewery is a place for high-end food without high-end stuffiness. It is ideal for families with good taste and loud children, but only before 10 p.m. After that, junior better have a pretty convincing fake.