Rogue Ales - Voodoo Doughnut Chocolate, Peanut Butter, and Banana Ale

For the Fifth Beer of Christmas, we went rogue with a beer that's all over the flavor map.

Rogue Ales
Voodoo Doughnut Chocolate,
Peanut Butter, and Banana Ale

Rogue has made fantastic craft beer since well before I began shying away from the Coors, Budweisers, and Millers of the world. Dead Guy Ale, a classic in my book, was an early addition to my personal favorites list, clocking in just shortly after Samuel Adams Boston Lager. Their labels have always been interesting, but the bright pink bottle with a character like the Witch Doctor from the James Bond movie "Live and Let Die" stand apart in it's eye-catching ability.

An opaque black brew with red-brown highlights around the edges, the Voodoo Doughnut froths up quickly with a thick head of foam that threatened to overflow the glass with beige barrage of big bubbles (that's a lot of B's).  They tapered off during the first few drinks leaving a thick lacing along the glass and a cap of small bubbles.

The peanut butter and banana come through fairly strongly in the aroma along with cloves and a bit of chocolate, although the banana and chocolate seem odd. Maybe like the imitation scents that you'd find in a chocolate or banana lip balm that you might have bought back when you were a teenager.

Chocolate, banana, and peanut butter all come through in the flavor just as they did in the aroma. The peanut butter is light and in the background. The chocolate and banana are at the forefront but, as with the scent, have a fakeness to them (even though Rogue does not use artificial flavors). There are also bits of toast and deeply roasted, bitter malt.

This is a beer that you'd try just to say you'd tried it, but it's not likely that you're ever going to want to buy a second bottle. Of course, I say that and this is actually my third bottle. The first was because I had to try it for myself. The second was to drink with a friend. And this one was for the blog since it fit into this year's theme. While I doubt I will buy this particular brew again, I might be game to try the other two Rogue/Voodoo Doughnut collaborations: Maple Bacon Ale and Pretzel, Raspberry, and Chocolate Ale.

If you do buy one, share it with friends so you can get a taste but don't have to finish it all by yourself.

Stats
Brewer: Rogue Ales
Location: Newport, Oregon
Website: http://www.Rogue.com
Style: Fruit Beer
Alcohol Content: 5.3% ABV
Interesting Note: Rogue lists 49 beers (and one root beer) on their website. Although their name is Rogue Ales, their list includes several lagers and even a mead (which was very tasty, I tried it just a few months ago). Many of their ingredients, including the honey for their mead, comes from Rogue's very own farm, aptly named Rogue Farms (visit the farm website). Along with their own ingredients, they have also been known to team up with others, like Voodoo Doughnuts (an Oregon doughnut store), for some interesting brews.