Don might be the one spending the week in New Orleans (I hope he takes lots of pictures, ’cause I don’t think he’ll remember much), but that doesn’t mean I can’t get a little taste of black magic up here in New Jersey. In this case I’m talking about the Voodoo Brewing Company’s bodacious oak aged imperial stout, the Big Black Voodoo Daddy.
Of course a little of the mystique is lost once you realize this beer is brewed in a small town in Pennsylvania, but at least they make up for it with the world’s worst website.
So they have a silly name for a brewery in the Quaker state and they have a website from 1994, which might lead you to ask what exactly are they good at? Luckily for us big beer lovers, they saved all their talent for where it counts – making delicious big-character beer! 
The pour of the Big Black Voodoo Daddy is a mysteriously murky deep chocolate brown, with a tan head so thick you’ll want to scrape it off and bake it in the oven. The nose boasts a rich cocoa aroma, warmed up with a sweet maltiness and set off by some peppery hop notes. This is one of those beers who lets you know it’s going to work its magic on you long before you take the first sip.
And work its magic it does. The first sip drenches your palate in flavor, with cacophony of bitter cocoa, playful hops, hints of oak and sweet malty and chocolaty goodness all dancing around like enchanted maniacs in your mouth. It’s a powerful and satisfying blend of flavors, and at 12.5%, it packs enough of a punch to let you know its juju is working indeed.
My wife’s favorite beer is Victory Storm King, another in-your-face stout, and the Big Black Voodoo Daddy reminds us both of the King, except it’s a bit sweeter and a little less rough around the edges, probably due to spending some time soaking in oak. At any rate, this is one we’ll defiantly be buying again, and I’m curious to see what other concoctions these witchdoctors can brew up.
I have to thank my beer guy Kevin for recommending this one to me. I tend to stay away from stuff with cheesy brewery and beer names (no offense to the folks a Voodoo), and I don’t think I would have given this one a chance without his gentle nudging. Speaking of trying to overcome my bias against schmaltzy beer marketing, I have two brews from Schmaltz (including Lenny’s R.I.P.A) to try out in the garage. If they’re good, maybe that’ll break the spell and I can open up to beers with silly names.
Who knew all it would take was a little Voodoo to get me to come around?
Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
Jim, I recently tried the Voodoo Love Child and thought it was an great take on the Belgian Style. The review is on the shelf until we get though our English Ale obsession, but I too was ‘impressed’ with their website. At least we know they are focusing on brewing good beer!
Indeed, Scott, they are focused on what’s important. I kinda feel like a jerk calling them out about their so-bad-it’s-charming website, because after I posted the piece, I scrolled down their homepage and saw where they admit that the site sucks, they are brewers not programmers and please don’t be snarky about their site. Oops. Too late!
I know how much you loved the old website… but we had to get a new one. Check it out!
Dark Arts Indeed, Jim! Sounds like a great brew. They could use some of this voodoo down here. I’m headed to a micro brewery for dinner tonight. Perhaps it will be a good one. Of course I’ll let everyone know.
I hope you find something. For a city so into booze, you’d think they’d do better with beer. Abita is definitely a taste of New Orleans, but there more like a heritage brewer versus a true craft brewer. Perfect for the city, but there’s gotta be something more happening down in the Big Easy.