A relatively new style to South Africa, a braggot is a class of mead that contains malt which is fermented along with honey as opposed to traditional mead which contains no malt. Mead is considered to be the ancestor of all fermented drinks with traces of honey on fermentation vessels dating back to ancient times. What Rogue achieves in their Marionberry Braggot
is a refreshing culmination of style in what would technically be classed according to the BJCP as an Open Category Mead rather than a braggot due to the introduction of the marionberries grown on Rogue Farms. However, I’ll leave the classification to the judges and move onwards to the tasting! This braggot has a dark, purple-brown pour that carries a thin, tan head, leaving strong lacing down the side of the glass. The nose is that of rich, sweet berries and a touch smokiness. The initial taste immediately hits you with sweet, honey and berry flavours carried by strong alcohol (11.4% ABV) and big body. The finish is interesting as it smoothens out towards the roasted malt side with some dry, earthy, dark coffee notes to wrap it up. Overall, another interesting option from Rogue and well worth the experience for the sake of adventures in beer!
Check out the Rogue Marionberry Braggot on RateBeer here.
