Rogue Brewery was founded in 1988 complete with a brewpub in Ashland, Oregon.  They started with two beers—American Amber Ale and Oregon Golden Ale.  This however was not a large enough facility for the company, so the founder went in search of a new place where they met a woman named Mo, who had an ideal place in Newport, Oregon. She had two stipulations if they were to use the property:  

1. They must always take care of the local community, mainly a fishing village.


2. They must display a picture of her in the bathtub above every brewpub they open. They still abide by both stipulations. 

The main focus of Rogue is to do things right—they aren’t worried about what you think of them; they are focused on making good quality products. They don’t take short cuts, they take long cuts. For example, the brewery is located virtually in the middle of nowhere, making something as simple as shipping out the products a real task.

If you want to see a business founded on the right fundamentals, read through their company guidelines. I particularly like statement 6 of their fundamental agreement, which states, “And most important, cut out all the B.S.” They believe in doing business the right way by taking care of their employees, who in turn will take care of the business. 

In a recent visit with Rogue we learned about how they are now producing their own produce on the Rogue Farms. They grow everything from hops to barley and a variety of fruits and vegetables. This allows them to be nearly self-sufficient and to have control over the quality of almost everything that goes into their products.

Rogue was voted distillery of the year in 2013 at the 23^rd Annual World Beverage Competition. A newer venture for them, they are a pioneer in the American handcrafted spirits category, making everything from single malt whisky to a malt vodka. So next time you are out shopping for beer, look for anything with the Rogue name and I can guarantee you will be getting a high-quality product made the right way.

Mike Love, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits beer consultant – Ocoee

Follow me on Twitter @abcbeermikel