Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager: A lager for the dark ale lover.
Written: Sep 11 '01 (Updated Sep 11 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Flavorful (but not overpowering) dark lager.
Cons: Maybe a touch too sweet.
The Bottom Line: A decent dark lager.
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| roymeo's Full Review: Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager |
Because even the easy-rating trustwhôres would have a hard time rating those bars to the right even a Somewhat Helpful, my translation:
Weight: 2 - Thin Body
Flavor: 4 - Sweet
Complexity: 3 - Average
Well, the only story I have about New Orleans involves Pookie, a pornography convention, one of the creators of the Vampire: the Masquerade, and Anne Rice. But that doesn't have a whole lot to do with New Orleans or beer, just gratuitous name dropping. I've never really cared much for the New Orleans I've heard about...something about a place where guys walk down the street screaming "Hey, Show us your TITS!" just never really appealed to me. I've never been there, Mardi Gras or not, but I've been to the Buckhead area of Atlanta, so I know what frat boys look like when they grow up.
And so, does this beer change all that? Will I now gleefully trek to New Orleans for some Blackened Voodoo?
Head
Pouring this lager (with an extra amount of vigor) produced a very fluffy, beige head which slowly sank away and didn't destroy itself. Sufficiently, but not overly, carbonated.
Color
Dark reddish brown with red hints and reflections. Clear. A murderous dark ruby garnet color when held up to a light.
Aroma
A dark, deep roasted malt and chocolate nose with a hint of hops aroma. Sweet.
Flavor, Body, Finish
The first thing that I noticed is how light the body really is. It's a lager, so one would expect a lighter body, but it's so dark that it's hard to remember how light it will be, even between tastes. Sweet maltiness starting with caramel or toffee, to almost coffee on the drink. The swallow pops up with a big sweet maltiness, and a hoppiness that's balanced between flavor and bittering, so it contributes to the end of the drink and seems for a bit like a sour sensation. That sweet and almost-but-not-quite-sour makes the smooth transition into the finish: malty sweet and mildly bitter...sorta like a double mocha latte.
Aftertaste
The sweetened coffee aftertaste stays with you for quite a while. Bitterness on par with that as well, so this isn't a beer that only a hop-head could like.
Warm
As this beer worms up, it gains more of a toasted nose, a hint more chocolate to the sweet flavor, and the bitterness increases just a bit. The body (already appropriately light) doesn't suffer as it warms, so I'd recommend this one not be served ice cold.
Propaganda
Silver Medal Winner, Dark Lager Category, 1995 Great American Beer Festival
The Dixie Brewing Company was founded in 1907 and is the oldest family-owned brewing company in the South (if not in the US). It's located in the New Orleans area of Louisiana (the address is New Orleans, but the brewery is located ).
Dixie Brewing Company has great labels, too. The Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager label is a deep, dark, luscious blue image of a swampy area with "Blackened Voodoo" in barely purplish red, and silver trim. The Crimson Voodoo Ale labels are almost pure magenta. You can almost always spot the Dixie area of the beer display, due to these unique, high-chroma graphics.
They don't currently have a website.
Conclusion
This is one of the best dark lagers that I've ever had. Roasty and flavorful enough for a battle-hardened domestic ale drinker to enjoy over a hot, humid, sultry dinner on the rooftop, light enough that a lager drinker can enjoy the subtleties without being overpowered. I find after drinking one that it is perhaps a touch on the sweet side, but with the appropriate food to either complement or contrast the sweetness, this is a great beer.
Of course this beer isn't going to drag me to New Orleans. I'd be whimsically inconsistent if a mere beer changed my mind about a place, and not just overly judgmental. But it is a good beer.
Quick Stats
Original Gravity: -?-
Final Gravity: -?-
Alcohol by Volume: -?-
Color in Lovibond: -?-
Bittering Units: -?-
Malts: -?-
Bittering Hops: -?-
Flavor Hops: -?-
Aroma Hops: -?-
Bottles: Crown capped.
Expiration date: No
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
roymeo
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Location: SF, CA
Reviews written: 79
Trusted by: 105 members
About Me:
pseudo-intellectual altie-poser taken to self-deprecation
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