Personally, beer distribution is as confusing as complex algorythms.  Case in point:  Voodoovator by Atwater brewery.  The Atwater brewery is located in Detroit, Michigan, however the beer is not available just 50 miles south in Toledo beer shops.  So when I happened to be up in Michigan this past weekend, I made it a point to pick some up.

Atwater itself was established in 1997 and may be considered a “local” beer.  In fact, I don’t believe they distribute west of the Mississipi, but do hit up a few states clustered around the rust belt.  I picked up Voodoovator because I was in the mood for a doppelboch, although as far as beer names go, Voodoovator seems a bit corny.  Subjectivity is not limitied to beer flavor, after all!  Nonetheless, I was excited to try this beer merely for the fact that it is a more obscure and lesser tried beer and due to it being a “local beer”.  I suppose I’m one of those nerds that is drawn to all things recondite.

The Pour:

The beer pours out of the bottle a tad thinner than I had expected and leaves an attractive stable head whose color is the same as coca-cola fizz.  Held up the the light, this darn walnut colored beer reveals violet colors.

The Aroma:

Not bad, but not very intricate either.  There is quite a bit of caramel and toffee going on here, as well as dates and dried dark plum.  There is a pretty discernible vanilla aroma.  Behind the sweet malt flavor, traces of alcohol (9.5% ABV) reach the nose.  As far as doppelbocks go, this forbodes of a weak body.

The Taste:

Now this is a little strange.  Up front, there is a sweet (but not as sweet as anticipated) caramel malt presence and a bit of roasted grain flavor.  But even while these sweet flavors tingle on the tongue, there is a pervasive sour flavor that is quite unusual.  I don’t use the term “unusual” to imply a negative characteristic, as the sour flavor reminded me of sour cherries, a flavor I personally find teriffic.  Nonetheless, it was unusual and did add character to the beer.

Overall:

Voodoovator is not a bad Doppelbock, but certainly not the best I’ve had.  I would buy it again, however I would trade a little alcohol content for a bit more malt backing.

Nate’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★½☆ 

Among other Doppelbocks: ★★★☆☆