Rogue and Voodoo Doughnut collaboration

Breweries have been collaborating in order to create unique, and usually limited, craft beers for some time now, but what seems to be a more and more frequent occurrence are breweries teaming up with different non-beer industries. For example, Dogfish Head is gearing up to release a cider-esque ale that is a collaboration with Deltron 3030, which is one of the few music related collaborations that DFH has created. It is a great way for brewers to gain some outside influence in order to create recipes that may otherwise have never be imagined.

One of the most interesting inter-industry collaborations that I have read about lately is between Rogue and Voodoo Doughnuts who are both out of Portland, Oregon. Voodoo is no stranger to the foody scene, and you probably have seen there (in)famous maple-bacon doughnut on the Food Network or Travel Channel. This unconventional, meat-covered doughnut is the inspiration behind the Rogue/Voodoo collaboration that has been creating quite a stir in the craft beer community.

Voodoo Bacon Maple Ale, which is listed as a brown ale on Rogue's website, pours a very warm amber color that is close to a light brown. A thick and creamy head settled down to about a half inch and was present throughout the entire pint. Immediately after I poured the beer, before even bringing my nose to the glass, strong maple syrup aromas with a prominent smoke profile were noticeable. It really was eerily close to the scent of a pancake breakfast with a side of bacon. There definitely is a salty/meaty element to the aromas as well, which actually blends nicely with the scents of sweet maple syrup and smoked malts.

I really like smoked beers, so the initial sip was really pleasant. Up front there is a lot of maple syrup sweetness and a considerable amount of smoke from the malt, but also probably a bit from the bacon as well. The syrup and smoke is very prominent through out the flavor profile, but a meat quality definitely comes out in the middle and through the finish. The best way I can describe it is literally like eating a piece of chewy bacon covered in syrup. It may sounds pretty off putting from my description, but the flavors the bacon instill really do add another level of complexity to the smokiness.

Voodoo's Maple Bacon doughnut
wikipedia.com

I drank about a pint of the Bacon Maple Ale, and that was about as much as I could do. It was not because I did not enjoy it, because I actually really did, but it seems more like something that would go well with a pork dinner or even a pancake breakfast as opposed to just being enjoyed without food. This beer has gotten very mixed reviews. Some say it is brilliant example of an ale using non-conventional ingredients, while others write it off as some sort of Frankenstein beer experiment gone wrong that makes you feel like you are drinking bacon.

Either way, I would definitely recommend this ale as worth trying, especially for beer enthusiasts who enjoy a good smoked ale. It is definitely something far from the norm of the usual craft brews, and who wouldn't want to try a beer that actually had a doughnut or two thrown in it?