Rogue Dead Guy Ale

This weekend I was buying some wine at the local LCBO when I saw some Rogue Dead Guy Ale (6.6% abv) sitting on the checkout counter.  I asked if they were reserved for someone and was told no, they had just been brought over from the flagship store on Rideau.  I've had a few beers from Rogue brewery and they've all been worthwhile, so I accepted my fate and shelved the beer I'd originally bought this week in favour of a six-pack of Dead Guy.

Rogue has some of the better bottle designs out there, and this one is no exception.  Here's a link to a close-up, since the lens on my camera won't let me get closer than three feet.  The boney fellow is apparently related to the skeletons associated with the Day of the Dead (a festival which also provided the aesthetic for one of my favourite computer games ever).  I don't know why he's wearing a beehive hat; perhaps it gets cold in the afterlife.  At least he's got that pint to keep him warm.

Once poured, the beer is a rich orangey-copper colour, nicely translucent without actually being cloudy.  The taste is quite malty, balanced by a good dose of bitterness from the hops.  I'm not sure what the nose is; the closest thing I can think of is freshly made sugar candy, laid out just before it becomes caramel.  Overall a very good beer.  The one downside is cost: at $16.95 for six bottles it's not something I'd buy every time.  But as an occasional kiss of fate?  I'm willing to pay the price.