Poured into an Imperial Pint glass, Voodoo Doughnut has a moderately hazy, copper-red color and a large foamy off-white head. The head falls to a cm or so where it sticks around with little bits of lacing stuck on the glass.
The aroma…. sweet lord, the aroma. It smells like a delicious breakfast at the diner after a long night. Smokey well-done bacon, rich sticky maple syrup, and pancakes. Very sweet and smokey malt bill, with virtually no hop aroma.
The taste starts off with a very light crisp hop character before an onslaught of intense smoke flavor coats my tastebuds. Ashy smoke, burnt bacon… really interesting stuff. The finish introduces the sweeter maple syrup doughnut icing flavor that is so prevalent in the aroma, with the lingering aftertaste of sweet pancakes and bacon.
For the rich flavors in this beer, it's kind of surprising how light and carbonated the beer actually is. While it's not as light drinking as a pilsner, it sure is fizzy and easy to drink. This is a tough point on the beer, while I find it sort of watery, I'm enjoying the whole bottle; but if it was a thick full bodied sugar monster of a beer, I think an 8 oz glass would be enough. Personally I think it works great to give such heavy flavors a lighter body.
Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Maple Bacon Ale is probably not going to win the gold medal in any competitions, but I think it is absolutely worth checking out. Rogue shows they can make beers just as unique, if not crazier, than Dogfish Head, and the beer is good too! This is probably the only chance you'll get to try this beer, so just suck it up, pay the high price, and tell your friends you drank a maple bacon doughnut beer.
Personal: 8/10
For the style: Well if this is considered a brown ale: 6/10, but for a smoked beer: 9/10, since this has more flavor than an ashtray being dumped in your mouth.
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