Voodoo Ranger Mirage #1
New Belgium Brewing Company

taproom exclusive in asheville, sick spot. this is triple dry hopped with el dorado apparently, and while its not amazing, it feels a little more genuine, flavored by hops not by flavorings, than a lot of the other voodoo ranger stuff, so it was a step in the right direction, and neat to have a little something new here, glad to have been able to dip in! the hops are a bit intense in this, there is some lightly vegetal bite, and a sort of overt greenness to it that seems a little too much, but there is all the goodness of el dorado too to my senses, ripe melon, just peeled tangerine, meyer lemon, orange hard candy, maybe some citra or something else in here doubling down on the citrus aspect with the el dorado, and it seems somewhat simple compared to a lot of the juiced up versions of voodoo ranger that have come around. pale orange tinted, honey colored maybe, nice airy white head on it, not super hazy, lacking murk and density, i like where the haze is at, not so heavy. the nose is cool, orangey all day, some lightly weedy character, a touch oversaturated, but i get some pine sap and woodsy notes here too that i dont always get from el dorado, and a subtle yeast thing too, like a new school juice strain, contributes for sure, the grain is a touch sweet to me, but well enough out of the way and supportive of the hop profile. the flavor is similar, a little more well rounded, but still on the more intense side dosage wise, juniper, cut flowers, orange and orange popsicle, light coconut, super punchy with a tight flavor climax and slightly odd linger, i like the ferment a little less in the flavor and as it warms up than i did at first and in the nose, seems somewhat disjointed overall, but fresh and really pushing hard on the el dorado. medium bodied, bubbly, approaching dry at the end, slight white wine, mimosa, and papaya to me. neat to try something new from these guys, had an amazing time at this place, world class location and setting for sure! curious to see if this one ever sees the light of day, a little more beery than the series has gotten, im all for it, but i also think they can find a higher quality gear than this, i know they can...