A Rogue Letdown

Before I say anything I will say that I was very excited to visit the Rogue Brewery. In the past few years I have thought what they have done has been very unique. Not always very drinkable beer, but unique nonetheless. This visit to the brewery yesterday was more than disappointing. We learned some things that definitely tainted our experience.

First, the brewery is owned by the former president of Nike. I had no idea that this was owned by a group of corporate folk (this is fine but combined with what is next it's not fine).


Second, all workers at the brewery gets paid minimum wage. This was something the tour guide bragged about. She said that the president spends money on nothing. They pay their employees nothing, they buy no equipment as you will see, and will absolutely spend no money on anything. I'm not sure if this was supposed to impress us, but all it did was pissed me off. The workers we saw appeared to be immigrants from Mexico who were getting paid absolutely nothing and I assume also have no brewery experience. How is this supposed to impress us? I would much rather have a brewery like New Belgium paying their employees well and giving them great benefits (such as an all expense paid trip to Belgium after ten years as well as hiring those with valuable experience to brew my beer.

Third, along with the second problem the tour guide whom also said they spend no money on marketing, employees, or equipment, my question becomes, where in the world does all the money go??? I think the answer is obvious. To the owner who has chosen to treat her employees like garbage and not improve the facilities at all. Other than that I cannot figure out where all of this revenue goes. Anyone have any idea what they could spend their money on if it doesn't go to the owner and no money is spent on employees, marketing, or facilities???




Fourth, the facilities as you can sort of see in the picture looks like trash. It's dirty, there is sticky wort covering the filthy floors, the fermenters which were gotten from old dairy farms in which they got by trading spent grain look like garbage as well. That is not to say that it doesn't work or that the inside isn't in good condition. I'm just saying, maybe they should just buy a few good ones but again, then the president wouldn't be raking in the cash. This made me appreciate Widmer Brewery which pays well and their equipment and facilities are pristine. They keep it incredibly clean, the equipment is state of the art, and they put a ton of money back into the facilities to make the best beer they possibly can.


Fifth, there are honestly about two Rogue beers that I enjoy that I think are actually drinkable. Most of the beers are marketed to college students who just want a high alcohol beer that they can drink and get drunk quick (such as Old Crusty). Or they want a novelty beer that they can take home and show their friends like Chipotle Beer, or Yellow Snow. These are fun and interesting, but they are far from superior tasting or enjoyable to drink. The process they use makes most of their beer taste very similar. This process consists of taking the hops and putting them back on top of the beer after they have been used (i'm not sure exactly what this process is, but the point is, this is the part of the process which gives Rogue it's distinctive flavor which I do not enjoy.

Overall, this was an extremely disappointing experience. I don't think in good conscience I can buy Rogue beer knowing that it is run by a stingy corporate businessman who pays minimum wage and puts nothing back into the brewery. It's such a sham. The whole vision of Rogue is to be this independent, unique brewery but that seems far from the reality as presented by the tour guide.

All of this basically comes straight from the tour yesterday and the information was spoken as if it should impress us, but it basically made me realize what a sham it really is. I am trying to take the info given with a grain of salt because honestly, all I know is what one tour guide said. Maybe that's false information. I hope so!

I'm bummed. It really made me appreciate Widmer Bros. and New Belgium! I think John Maier is a creative and talented brew master and it's unfortunate how the brewery is run and I think that is a big detriment to the brewers and the consumers alike.

Anyway, here are the beers we tasted yesterday:
Old Crusty (extremely strong and malty-couldn't even get through a taster glass of it)
10,000 Brew (strong floral flavor, couldn't drink an entire pint of this)
Brutal Bitter (this is decent, like a mild IPA)
Hazelnut Brown Nectar (this is my favorite Rogue beer, very sweet, drinks like a dessert)
Shakespeare Stout (complex flavor, very strong chocolate/malt richness, I'd rather have a Guiness)
Chipotle Ale (tasted like a regular ale, couldn't taste any spice)
Dead Guy Ale (ah, nothing sticks out on this one)