Voodoo Doughnut Maple Bacon Ale

Voodoo Doughnut Maple Bacon Ale comes in a lurid, pink, 750mL bottle featuring a voodoo dude in front of a motif pf pigs and maple leafs--it practically jumped off the shelf and into my hands. I just HAD to buy it. It comes from Newport, Oregon's Rogue Ales and it contains a hearty 6.5% alcohol. According to the bottle, it has 30 IBUs, and is brewed with applewood-smoked bacon and pure maple syrup. It's a muddy amber brew--cloudy, with a thick eggshell head.

Voodoo Doughnut has a strong aroma that is quite smokey, but also features some syrup sweetness. Not surprisingly, it has a very unusual flavour.  The first thing that I noticed was the smokiness. There are actually some notes of bacon, which is something new for me in a beer. The maple is muted, and has an almost candied quality, which I found pretty agreeable.

For a flavoured beer, this stuff delivers substantial beer body. It has a smokey, malt foundation, and, underneath the maple sweetness, the finish packs a decent bitter punch. Rogue never seems to disappoint, but I definitely did not expect to like this one. However, they delivered once again with a unique and charmingly flavoured ale. I wouldn't be very inclined to open a second one in a go, though--more of a novelty than a truly satisfying beer.


Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

The Legendary Muskoka Spring Oddity (2012 Vintage)

The Legendary Muskoka Spring Oddity is born in Bracebridge, Ontario.  This curious brew is given life by the Muskoka Brewery.  The 2012 Vintage of the Spring Oddity contains a hearty 8% alcohol and comes in very cool 750mL swingtop bottles adorned with some kind of antlered bird.

The ingredients list on the label boasts of a variety of quirky things like juniper berries, heather tips, and orange peel shavings. Spring Oddity pours a hazy straw gold colour beneath a cap of white head. It has a very unusual aroma that blends gin's juniper charge with some citrus notes and an unexpected sweetness. Very interesting flavours combine to make the Legendary Muskoka Spring Oddity sweet, bitter, fruity, and dry at different points.  This stuff certainly doesn't taste as strong as its 8% alcohol content. In some ways, it tastes almost like a strong witbier--I'd call it a witbier's oddball cousin.

The Legendary Muskoka Spring Oddity is a unique and intriguing brew. It's not something that I'd reach for every other night, but a once in a while, one of a kind product with ample character.  It is just about as daring as any Canadian microbrew I've ever tried, and it scores well for it's risk taking and experimentation.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10.