2 Live Gran Cru Greatest Hits - Vol. 7
Voodoo Brewing Co.

poured from a black-waxed 12oz bottle into a perennial snifter. pours thick black with a thin dark brown foam cap. huge bourbon and oak on the nose. there's also chocolate, vanilla, caramel and some light tobacco. taste follows with a dry, oak-forward finish. thick, almost goopy mouthfeel. this was incredible. seemed much more chocolate and vanilla-forward as opposed to ash and cigar leaves and barrel char. there is still plenty of barrel character here. what a great blend.

 

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

This smells like heavily roasted malt, char, licorice, leather, tobacco, milk chocolate, caramel, and vanilla.

I’m not sure exactly which base stouts went into this one, but it’s a very nice blend. It’s the classic Voodoo barrel profile, with black as the abyss flavors coming through – tobacco, dark chocolate, spicy oak, rye, and charred marshmallows. There’s also lots of chocolate here, with light tones of caramel and vanilla.

This is medium bodied, pretty velvety, and not all that boozy. It’s a slow sipper due to the intensity of flavors.

I haven’t had a beer in this series in a while – they’re always a ton of fun.

 

A top 10 and maybe even top 5 voodoo BRC for me. Much reminiscent of double oak b2 and heart & soul though maybe a touch sweeter.

Pouring on draft with absolutely no head, this one's an angry black while still having thin brown hues at the very edges of the void.

Exceptionally woody right up front, but just shy of hickory, the char is out of bounds. It’s both campfire marshmallow and scorched Reisen with qualities of dark fruit but also burnt vanillin as well as espresso reduction. This is a deliciously complex blend.

And I'm super happy to have this on draft while picking up my two bottles. I can’t believe I’m consistently experiencing the old school release style with these new drops.

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Two weeks later, after first having this on draft at the North Shore location, I found myself having a second draft pour, this time on a fresh palate at Meadville's Arch Street location. Though I was a little disappointed that the keg hadn't kicked from the prior release so I could try the new chocolate aphotic on draft, my excitement to revisit this beautiful beer outweighed that.

On this fresh palate, I couldn't help but fawn over just how amazing the charred oak qualities were, wonderfully encouraging characteristics of mocha and even hints of flame licked cinnamon stick throughout this decadently crafted blend. Another quality I didn't notice before, as it warms, was a hint of Scotch that emerges on the nose, which adds some contrasting complexity while remaining mild enough to not overpower.