Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer

Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale
Rogue Ales
2320 OSU Drive
Newport, OR USA
Est.1988
www.rogue.com
www.rogue.com/beers/voodoo-bacon-maple

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.6 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 25.4

Postmortem Brew Review
Clear amber color with a honey colored tinge.
Distinct smokiness, bacon and maple aromas that become pronounced, then intermingle. Leans toward smoked meat on nose.
Traces of smoked malt and woody undertones.
Near white head color head that fades to a skim coat and rings the glass.
Maple flavor takes more of the lead at first and the finish has smoky malt sweetness.
Modest carbonation tingles the tongue.
Medium bodied.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
It was the Voodoo Man that caught my attention, not the shockingly pink painted bottle. There he was, standing with a mug of suds in hand, holding (dare I say), squeezing the life out of that piglet in his ham-fisted paw. Pink maple leafs checkered the spaces in-between each little piggy. With his sullen black eyes, pork bone necklace and replete in top hat and coat, the Voodoo Man was egging The Reaper to buy the bottle. Then it struck me that I was at Whole Foods Market. Ah hah! Well, surely this little piggy went to market, so now we would both go wheee-wheee-wheee, all the way home!

Rogue gives a tip of the voodoo top hat to Tres & Cat Daddy over at Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland, OR. The ale is loosely translated from the Bacon Maple Bar that can be found in the doughnut shop.  I had the good fortune to visit this past summer and can tell you that their doughnut selection is mind boggling and nothing short of awesome. Visit them at one of their three locations, but expect a line. It's worth the wait! As Voodoo Doughnuts slogan says, "The magic is in the hole!!!" The same can be said of this bottle.

As for the beer, it is a nice tribute to the creative essence that oozes from the Portland scene. Both brewmaster and baker are trend setters and at the forefront of their respective industries. I consider both the beer and the doughnuts to be fun stuff and worth a try.

Go ahead...pig out!

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen
Brauerei Heller-Trum 
Bamberg, Germany
Est. 1405
www.schlenkerla.de 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.1% ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Pours a dark ruby brown color.
First impression is an antiseptic nose, but then gives way to a smoky smell.
Off-white, two finger head. Modest head retention. Little lace.
Tastes like a BBQ pit smells, similar to cured smoked meats; bacon.
Moderate amount of carbonation.
Medium bodied. Intersting smoked flavors. 

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
Bacon! Bacon-bacon-bacon-bacon-bacon! ! ! Silly as it sounds, it tastes a lot like bacon.  It is a trip for the senses. The first whiff revealed none of that. For some reason the smokebeer offed an aroma of a hospital ward. But then I took a less greedy inhale, and the smokiness did reveal itself. The smoke really came through upon drinking. Wow. You have to try for yourself. Not your average Marzen lager from Germany. I bet this pairs lovely with a ham and cheese sandwich!

An old brewery with an equally old looking label on the brown bottle.

Fort Collins Brewery - Z Lager

Dead Soldier

Where to Dig Up More About This Beer
Fort Collins Brewery - Z Lager
Fort Collins Brewery
1900 East Lincoln Avenue
Fort Collins, CO USA
Est. ????
www.fortcollinsbrewery.com 

Brain Damage Quotient = 5.4 % ABV
Fluid Oz. = 12.0 

Postmortem Brew Review
Deep amber color with very slight cloudiness.
Malt and an earthy smokiness present in the nose.
Foamy off-white head leaving decent amount of lacing.
Slight carbonation; enough to make its presence.
Rich full taste, very much like a Märzen style.
It has a malty lead with some sweetness in the finish.
Medium bodied.  Malty, smoky flavor.

Grim Reaper's Eulogy
This beer is amazingly like a Märzen , but with a more earthy feel.  It has an interesting smoky taste; think smoked meats here.  It's an old style of German brewing that 'smokes' barley malts over beechwood to impart the flavor into the beer. Perhaps the fire branding on the attractive labeling?

I love the Märzen style of beer and find this amazingly close with the added curiosity of the complex, but direct smoky flavor.  It's unique and I give it a Grim Reaper 'bony' thumbs up! I had it with some sausage pizza which was chance for my afternoon dining, but discovered it was a great pairing as it complimented the meat and cheese of the dish.

More, more, I want more!