Rogue Brewery, located in Newport, Oregon, is a well-established microbrewery that has been in business for over twenty years. Their best-known brew is Dead Guy Ale, which can be found in package stores and grocery stores everywhere. I lucked up and found one of their harder-to-find recent releases on the menu at a local pizza place known for keeping a good selection of craft and specialty brews on hand.
Rogue Good Chit Pilsner is billed as a Czech-style pilsner and is brewed using malting barley grown on Rogue’s own farm in Oregon’s Tygh Valley. The “chit” in its name actually refers to the rootlets that emerge from the barley kernels during the malting process. Rogue uses an old-world method called floor malting to brew this award-winning pilsner. In the floor malting process, the chitted malt is spread out on the floor to achieve germination prior to roasting. This painstaking process, along with some homegrown grains, pays off in an exceptionally flavorful pilsner.
Good Chit pours a medium golden color with about one finger of froth, which dissipates fairly quickly into patchy but persistent foam on top of the brew. The smell is subtle but pleasant, with a slightly hoppy but somewhat sweet odor that is not overpowering. The initial taste is sweet and malty, with fairly strong carbonation. The mouthfeel is pleasant and smooth, with a light to medium body. The initial malt flavor gives way to a hoppy, slightly citrus flavor that finishes with a good, somewhat bitter aftertaste. This is a beer that is light enough to allow you to drink more than one on a hot summer day but still flavorful enough that you’ll enjoy each and every one.
I usually find pilsners to be lacking in flavor and somewhat dull, but this one is an exception. It manages to achieve a balance between having good flavor but remaining light and not feeling like a meal in itself. With this addition to their Chatoe Rogue line of brews, Rogue has indeed come up with “Good Chit”.
Here’s my rating for Rogue Good Chit Pilsner:
- Appearance – 3.5
- Smell – 3.0
- Taste – 4.0
- Feel – 4.0
- Overall – 3.6
With a medium golden pour and a balance of sweet, malty tastes transitioning to a hoppy, slightly citrus finish, Good Chit defies the common perception of pilsners as flavor-lacking. It’s a testament to Rogue’s commitment to quality and innovation, offering a refreshing yet flavorful beer perfect for summer enjoyment. My experience with Good Chit Pilsner not only exceeded my expectations for a pilsner but also reinforced Rogue Brewery’s reputation for excellence in craft brewing, meriting an overall rating of 3.6.
