Rogue Ales

Voodoo Doughnut Maple Bacon Ale – Rogue Ales

This beer is like that random deep-fried carnie food truck at the fair: you have to try even though you know it’s going to be gross. I was lucky enough to have  Funky Buddha’s Maple Bacon Coffee Porter at Hunahphu Day this year, and given that Funky Buddha’s was rated a 98, and Voodoo Doughnut is rated 76, I knew I was in a world of hurt. I didn’t want an entire bottle to myself and graciously Jon was willing to split the bottle he picked up from Hoosick Street Beverage.

We cracked open the bottle and immediately gave it a whiff. You know how imitation liquid smoke smells like? Well think imitation liquid bacon. It simply overpowered any other aromas going on in the bottle. A quick pour into a Duvel tulip yielded the same scent. The beer was a bit cold so I decided to let it warm up for a few. This did not improve the aroma. Maybe some maple trying to sneak it’s way out but I could have just been looking too hard for it.

The white head consisted of small bubbles that dissipated quickly leaving a small white ring around the edge of the glass. Clear to slightly hazy in appearance.

I had the same reaction at first sip and the aftertaste: imitation bacon bomb. Any kind of maple or bready (read:doughnut) flavors trying to make it’s way out were immediately crushed by imitation bacon.  Medium bodied mouthfeel with medium-to-high carbonation.

Overall, this beer sucked and I wouldn’t drink it again. We had a pretty tough time finishing the bomber between just the two of us. If you’re going to try this yourself, split it with four friends. Preferably with a bacon and a doughnut to undo the aftertaste that is going to stick around in the back of your throat for a while. Or you can wash it down with Utopias like I did. Whichever.

At most, Voodoo Doughnut is a gimmick like all of the other products on the market right now riding on the bacon craze like baconaise, bacon perfume, and bacon scented candles. And good for Rogue, I’m sure they sold a shit ton of these beers. Now that this puppy has been crossed off the bucket list I can move on with my life.

Manhattan, NY: Harpoon Leftovers at Rattle N Hum [Post-Grad Boozin’]

Let me apologize for the pictures I’ll post today from my last trip to NYC since it seems most bars there have their mood-lighting set to “Rape”. Rattle N Hum was the worst offender of the places we went to that day. Cave-like appearance at like 4 in the afternoon, lit mostly by tealight candles. Kinda a shame considering how beautiful of a day it was, but the dark is great for boozin’, not so great for taking pics. Also, being hammered by this point in the day didn’t help the photography, either. I digress.

After JD’s graduation and receiving his Masters Degree from Columbia, celebration was in order. We had several rounds of drinks and eats at a couple of bars of his parents choosing, but after that is was time to get to the real drinking. Rattle N Hum was our first stop, and we took advantage of the previous night’s Harpoon Tap Takeover while we were there.

First two beers were the Harpoon Leviathan Barleywine 2010 and 2011 versions. Both were “just OK” and didn’t really stand out for the style for me. We realized at this point that if we wanted to try the number of beers we planned on having there and still make it to any of our other destinations that day we were going to have to switch to flights. No biggie. We ordered two:

  • Brewery Ommegang – Zuur
  • Founders Brewing Company – Double Trouble
  • Harpoon Brewery – Leviathan Imperial IPA
  • Harpoon Brewery – Leviathan Quad
  • Harpoon Brewery – Rodney’s Solera
  • Rogue Ales – Chipotle Ale
  • Rogue Ales – John John Dead Guy Ale
  • Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. – Kellerweis Hefeweizen

Honestly, other than the Double Trouble which I’ve had before, none of these beers knocked it out of the park for me. Most were good or better, some were terrible (Zuur, Chipotle). Next time I go to Rattle N Hum will be for a tap-takeover I am really looking forward to (like the Cigar City one a couple of weeks ago, or their upcoming Founders night).

As for Rattle N Hum itself, it didn’t completely blow me away either. It’s one of those bars that are too small for waiter-service but they have it anyway, and you really just want to go to the bar to grab drinks but you get hounded by waitresses instead. Maybe things are different on a event night. I’ll let you know when and if I make it to one.