Voodoo Doughnut Lemon Chiffon Crueller Ale
Rogue Ales

I am still running through my Rogue backlog & frankly, looking at some of the price tags on these, I am surprised that I pulled the trigger in the first place. These enameled bombers mean that I am unable to see what it happening inside, which never makes me happy. OTOH, many of them have mellowed nicely during their wait for me to get to them. Let's see how this one fares!

From the Bottle: "Dedicated to Tres & Cat Daddy, the Rogues of Voodoo Donut"; "[Pairs with:] Donuts, Cheesecake";"Brewed Using 13 Ingredients: 2-Row, Munich & Rogue Farms Dare (tm) and Risk (tm) Malts; Perle & Sterling Hops; Lemon Juice, Lemon Extract, Vanilla Beans, Vanilla Extract, Marshmallows; Free Range Coastal Water & Pacman Yeast."; "No Chemicals, Additives or Preservatives"; "Oregon Brewed[,] Established 1988[,] Oxygen Fixing Caps"; "16° Plato*20 IBU*78 AA*7° L"; "100% Pure Rogue".

I began by Pop!ping off the oxygen fixing cap & starting an extremely slow, gentle C-Line pour since I could not see what I was doing & I did not want to muck this up. The initial pour went well, forming just under two fingers of dense, foamy, rocky, tawny head with moderate retention. Color was a slightly-hazy solid Amber (SRM = > 7, < 9). Nose was very lemony, but rather than being tart, it had a pronounced sweetness. I remember a share when this was first released & I thought that it was way too sweet at that point. I am hopeful that time has mellowed this somewhat. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste was less Lemon Crueller than Lemon-filled with powdered sugar in terms of its relation to donuts. I liked that the vanilla extract & marshmallows had faded by this point, making it MUCH more palatable (to me, at least). It was lemony, but less natural tasting than akin to pie filling, if that makes sense. There was still a lot of residual sweetness present where real lemon would have had a greater tartness. Did I experience lemon? Yes. Is lemon a fruit? Yes. In that case, it falls into the F&F Beer style nicely. As to its donut origins, I was craving a cup of coffee as accompaniment throughout! 8=O Again, I think that it was the unrelenting sweetness that made me feel this way. Finish remained sweet, not cloying like it struck me originally, but still sweeter than I would prefer to drink 22-fl oz of from a bomber. YMMV.

 

 

I'm honestly not sure what to make of this beer. Purchased with a friend along with several other unique beers to sample. Poured this into a frosty pint glass for drinking. Initially, the nose was not good, however after a few drinks, I found myself thoroughly surprised to be enjoying this beer. Having read the reviews on this concoction, I really expected to dislike it but ultimately enjoyed it. Some of the review complaints are valid here (sweet and candy like) but ultimately the mouthful is excellent on this beer and the taste has a subtle lemon cream ale flavor. It may not be suitable for all beer drinkers but if willing to think outside the box and try a different beer style without judgment and comparison to the standard highly regarded beers, this beer provides a unique and refreshing option.

Reviewed from (long-standing) notes. Poured from 25.4 oz. bottle into a Peg's snifter glass.

A: Darkish gold, somewhat hazy. Low visible carbonation leads to a thin off-white head with average retention.

S: Lemon Pledge, bready malts, and medicinal overtones.

T: This tastes like if you mixed lemon meringue mixed pie filling with Pledge, and then snorted a nostril-full of Country Time lemonade powder. All with a medicinal or cleaner aftertaste. Acidic finish. A minimal bready sweetness tries to show up but is quickly tamped back down by the ghost of shitty lemons. It finishes with lingering lemons and acid.

M: Relatively light body, moderate alcohol flavor. The carbonation sensation seems biting when mixed with the acidity.

O: Rogue got me again. This was really not good. Drainpour.

This is a nice beer. The lemon flavor works well and isn't too strange to fit like some other beers that try to use that flavor. The scent isn't much to identify and it feels juuust a bit bitter, but it's a fun beer overall.

 

Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Lemon Chiffon Crueller Ale is a mouthful to say, yet it looks like something that could be easily gulped; pale and golden, its clear and animatedly bubbled complexion is the stuff that appeals to most anybody. Factor in the pink bottle and strange label... you've got a beer for the masses (even if it has no head).

While the brewery claims to use "a baker's dozen ingredients" the actual government tested ingredients list shows only 'lemon juice, lemon extract, vanilla beans, vanilla extract and marshmallows'. By my count that's not even a half dozen. And it's curious not see to see "artificial" (or even "natural") flavours listed on there either...

Because despite this Rogue beer being trademark 'free of chemicals, additives or preservatives' it sure tastes like scientists had a part in making it; flavours of lemon custard, banana cream and powdered-sugar confection are far too striking to *not* be artificially induced. Clearly something else is at play here...

Who knows what. That's between Rogue and Voodoo Doughnuts. Either way, what's tasted in the glass is a sweet, citrus-spiked, Limoncello-infused, creamy and sugary concoction that's intended for dessert (either to be added in or had alongside). Biscuit malt makes a natural accompaniment and compliments the lemon cookie notes nicely.

Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Lemon Chiffon Crueller Ale is yet another beer that distracts from the truly great things this brewery offers. This is a beer only for those who wouldn't buy beer otherwise. Do me a favor and pick up Old Crustreacean, Dead Guy, Imperial Stout, Hazelnut Brown, Weizen, Brutal IPA, Pumpkin Ale, Oatmeal Stout or Red Ale before this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look: Orangeish yellow, white head formed an inch thick then disappeared quickly. no lacing. Translucent, but a little cloudy.

Smell: smells just like lemon meringue pie. sweet.

Taste: Lots of lemon, which is delicious, but its kind of punctuated with a strange spice flavor (not pepper spice). very smooth finish

Mouthfeel: Pretty thin body. very smooth mouthfeel. not much else to report.

Overall: pretty tasty beer. I love the lemon meringue flavor and the smooth mouthfeel and finish. well done off-the-wall flavored beer.

Mostly clear dull orange with fine, flecky, suspended haze. Even, foamy, beige head of mediocre retention. Smells like concentrated lemon juice. And maybe a little boozy. Oh my, this one actually tastes like a lemon-frosted doughnut or cookie. Cloyingly vanilla-sweet and lemony-tart but still balanced with bready backdrop and bitter, rindy suggestions, evidently from lemon extract, even if aided by hops. Was expecting it to taste more like a hard-lemonade so this is a pleasant surprise. Palate quickly overwhelmed, saving the rest for later. So much better than the Maple Bacon one. A treat, but not really an easy drinker. Hoping the Raspberry one is as good or better. Medium-bodied, tingly then almost creamy with fine suds.

 

**
07/05/2015
Aroma is lemony, cakey...touch of yeast. Appearance: Hazy yellow orange. Small white head. Taste: yeah...kind of like a doughnut. Feel...a little creamy. Not bad. True to the name. A little overly sweet but what do you expect for beer based on a doughnut."
**

22oz bottle. Poured out a clear, amber color with a small, off-white head of bubbly foam. It left minimal lacing. It smelled sweet with caramel and toffee. Some tart lemon notes. Sweet toffee taste with toasted caramel, tart lemon and other fruity flavors.