Try?
Bacon. Maple. Ale. No, my friends, I kid you not, this is a real beer from the Rogue Ales brewery of Newport, Oregon. Specifically, Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale. And while the beer really is made with bacon and maple syrup, no doughnuts were harmed in its production (much to the chagrin, I am sure, of bob and Doug McKenzie). Rather, the beer is named for the Voodoo Doughnuts restaurants, a chain of three located in Portland and Eugene, Oregon.
One of the more interesting creations at Voodoo Doughnuts is the Bacon Maple Bar, which is slathered with maple frosting and topped with real bacon strips. Yum. Rogue Ales tribute to that imaginative culinary creation is made with the following ingredients, from the Rogue website:
Malts: Briess Cherrywood Smoked Malt, Weyermann Beechwood Smoked Malt, House-smoked Hickory Malt, Great Western 2 Row, Munich, C15, C75 Malts
Speciality: Applewood-Smoked Bacon, Pure Maple Flavoring
Hops: Perle, Sterling
Yeast & Water: Pacman Yeast, Free Range Coastal Water
The base beer here is a soft malty brown ale, and in style I would call this a rauchbier more than anything else. That’s because the smoke is such a central portion of the beer, as with any good strip of bacon. Alcohol content is 5.6% by volume, so you can drink the bomber bottle (and you’ll want to) without too much effect.
Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale pours to a light brown color with a moderate creamy head formation that fades soon after the pour. As I prepared to take a sniff, my olfactory senses reached nirvana halfway to the glass: the potent aromas of hickory-smoked bacon and sweet maple syrup wafted to them post haste.
I couldn’t resist a sip. The smokiness hits you right away on this one, and that’s a good thing. How many times have I tasted smoked beers without enough smoke flavor? Too many. Not here, though. The hickory smokiness is most prominent and you can distinguish the beech smoke flavor too. The smoked malts definitely bring forth images of bacon in the palate.
The chewy nutty malt reminds me of pancakes more than doughnuts, and the bold maple syrup flavors complete the illusion of a breakfast of pancakes smothered in maple syrup with a hearty side of bacon. Then too, I can get a maple frosted donut with bacon as well if I think about it. The finish is pungent with smoke and just balanced enough with a hint of grassy hops.
What a beautiful beer. The smoked malt is the star here, but the sweet maple syrup is never overwhelmed. If you have never tried a smoked beer before, be forewarned that this will be a different experience for you. But think of it as a bottle of bacon and your mind may be more open to this wonderful beer. It is a bit pricey at $9.99 for a 25.6 ounce bottle, but I think it’s worth every penny to try something so unique. I would certainly buy it again.
In his Beer Hunter television series, Michael Jackson once touted the merits of a smoked Bavarian beer with a smoked Bavarian ham. With Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale , I think Rogue has sold the merits of hickory smoked bacon with a hickory smoked beer just as highly; it’s just here you can do it all in the same glass. Try a bottle, and see if you don’t agree.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
