Another
New Belgium. Another
Voodoo Ranger. I'm now completely convinced that this is just a sub-brand that includes at least three beers. I guess the stodgy can design of those early cans was enough for someone to decide that they had to go very far another direction to improve morale around the brewery and salvage whatever sales they could.
Very hazy and orange - that's how I'd describe the beer with the sticky mixture of medium and small bubbles on top. The lacing is significant and wonderful when it boils down to a splotchy canvas of mixed bubbles floating in a solid mass that completely covers the top of the beer. The aroma is delightfully sedate with a mix of crackers and fruits just a quarter of an inch away from the top of the beer.
First sip is fantastic. The orange, grapefruit, and apricot are dancing around while the cracker malt is a bit grainy, but it serves up a good bed. The resulting beer is ineluctably sweet, and I would normally scold it for having absolutely no bitterness, but it is very well mixed for a sweet, hoppy beer. I'm going in again.
Tip-in is significant carbonation burn with grains, oranges, tangerines, and grapefruit presenting moderate bitterness right off the bat. The middle swells with grains below citrus and tropical fruits, and the bitterness and a lingering tartness try to assert. The finish is a sweetness meeting the bitter and trailing off with a fruit peel mist.
Bottom Line: It's a keeper.
4.0/5
