Rogness Yogi Spiced Amber

First released in mid-2012, Yogi Spiced Amber ¹ is a 5.2 percent ABV amber ale that is brewed with Saigon cinnamon, clove, ginger, cardamom, and black pepper. The beer is meant to remind drinkers of chai, and was created by co-owner Diane Rogness², who owns the Pflugerville, Texas-based brewery with her husband, Forrest. Rogness Brewing Co. opened in March 2012, and now distributes to Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Waco.

The Yogi Spiced Amber label has this to say:

More than a beer, this is a state of mind. Yogi has a rich copper color and fragrant aromas of chai. Saigon cinnamon, clove, ginger, cardamom, and black pepper create an exotic flavor profile. Caramel notes are offset by rich tannins. Ideally served at 50 – 55°F.

The Yogi Spiced Amber pours a muddy copper color, with a respectable one finger head that dissipates fairly quickly, leaving a thick, tan lacing behind. There is plenty of carbonation evident with a visual inspection, and aroma from the glass is a combination of ginger, cloves, lemons, cinnamon, oak and sweet oranges.

After the aroma coming from the glass, I knew the Rogness Yogi was going to be an interesting beer, and from the first sip, the flavors explode on my palate. A distinct clove note is dominant, followed closely by slightly less ginger, pine, pumpkins, cinnamon, and tea leaves, with a bit of sweetness every once in a while. There is a significant black pepper note that is present on the palate as well, but is quite a bit stronger on the finish, where it lingers long after you take a sip. The carbonation level is quite high—almost too high—which just adds to the dryness on the finish.

As it warms, the pepper on both the palate and the finish becomes more evident and any sweetness has disappears completely. Cinnamon has also overtaken cloves as the dominant flavor, although the latter note is still very much a part of the profile, followed by ginger, yeast, cardamom and slight oak.