V3 - Buffalo Trace Bourbon Barrel-Aged
Voodoo Brewing Co.

Thanks again to noblepudding for this 12 oz. pink-waxed bottle dated 12/21. I used to have a lot of Voodoo in my life.

Black. Smells just like its brother – booze, chocolate, oak.

Voodoo V3 – Buffalo Trace Barrel is, again, aggressively boozy, & I can feel it percolating right below Heartburn Harbor in my chest. The barrel is harder, harsher than the Blanton’s version, which I normally like, but the base seems unable to support it enough to elevate it. Balanced with sweetness that gives way to bitterness on the finish.

This might the first big stout I’ve had from Voodoo that’s a mindless sipper. Is it good? Sure. Is it remarkable. Nope. Good, solid beer.

Pink wax V3, aged 31 months in Buffalo Trace bourbon barrels.

This one pours a dark and deep black, with a small head, and a little bit of lacing.

This smells primarily of dark chocolate and bourbon, with raisin, tobacco, char, and oak.

I think the Lime Wax Blanton’s version was a bit better than this, but they were ultimately both excellent non adjunct barrel aged stouts, my preference for stouts! It’s got a really smooth but vibrant barrel character – the whole thing presents as chocolatey, caramelly, and oaky, with some coffee, vanilla, dark fruit, and a nice dark charred character. Voodoo really knows how to get the best barrel character into their stouts, and this beer is no exception.

This is medium bodied, not all that boozy, and pretty drinkable for the style, overall.

This isn’t quite up to the lofty summits that Black Magick can reach, but it’s not all that far below.

 

poured from a 12oz (pink waxed) bottle into a snifter. pours a dense, oily black with minimal mocha brown foam that settles into a thin collar around the glass. aromas of bittersweet chocolate, leather, oak, and even a hint of dark fruits. as it warms it becomes much less chocolate and more dark fruit, leather and barrel char. there is no shortage of barrel sting - an excellent presence of whiskey and oak. same goes for the taste where the chocolate starts to diminish as it warms and opens up to more of a dark fruit and leather character. again, plenty of barrel presence on the taste. full mouthfeel with a thickness that cooats the mouth and sits heavy on the tongue all the way through to the swallow. it’s hard not to compare the 2 (if you’ve tried them both) but i think i prefer this one to the green wax Blanton’s barrel-aged version. by itself, it’s a superb no adjunct barrel-aged imperial stout that showcases not only a hefty barrel presence but a really wonderful and tasty base beer as well.

Dark brown oily appearance with a tan head that recedes slowly to a collar, low retention, sparse lacing. Lots of oak and bourbon, mild cocoa and fig notes. Thick body, moderate carbonation.

This pink waxed bottle builds less head than its green sister, and also pours out of the bottle a little quicker, otherwise appearing as used motor oil black. Its less active carbonation dies to an almost still black surface but for some small mocha lily pads.

Smell is rich of cacao liquor, dark wood and a hint of peanut butter, slowly developing espresso over time.

Taste is a little woodier to start, almost hinting at cedar with its mildly peppery oak, before the thick body blankets the cask with nibs and cigar skin.

Viscous but drinkable, its fine carbonation comes to a warming, faintly dry swallow. It truly has an excellently clean finish, with a deep exhale that lasts for days.

---

My last bottle in 2024 gave me smoked maple vibes. Defuckinglicious.