I looked twice at this label. I vaguely recalled having a
Voodoo Ranger beer before, and I thought that I might be duplicating my efforts by going back to it. Turns out, in the middle of last year I reviewed a beer from
New Belgium called Voodoo Ranger that was an Imperial
Black IPA. I don't know if Voodoo Ranger is now a sub-brand for New Belgium, but I can tell you it's causing confusion in the marketplace. After all, I'm confused.
I didn't think the rather large bubbles were going to leave much lacing, but I was mistaken. The pattern of lacing looks like a dorm room after the students take down all their posters and clipart from the wall. The beverage underneath is just as hazy as you might expect. The haze is mostly in the form of particularly interesting sized chunks - not a whole lot of huge ones, but they're all large enough that you can make them out. The aroma is not particularly strong, but it is tangy and citrus along with a heavy dose of tropical fruits. It's pretty mouthwatering.
First sip is not great. It seems like it starts off pretty well, but the tanginess subsides a little too quickly. A subsequent wateriness is then filled with a somewhat dank, bitter, and unfulfilling mist of resin and fruit rinds. I took a second sip, because this didn't really make a whole lot of sense, and the second sip was definitely better. I did give it a little bit to warm up, and that might also be helping. The second half is a little sweeter now than it was before, and that balances things out a bit.
Tip-in is very light carbonation tingle with a fairly watery mix of fruit juices with a little dank creeping in. The middle sweeps in with a delicious and balanced grain and fruit mix that goes on for as long as you can sustain that draught. The finish is a bitter axe that cuts into the smooth middle and leaves debris of dank and resin in its wake.
Bottom Line: A little unbalanced and a little unrefined, but I would still not dismiss this out of hand.
2.5/5
