What’s pink, stands upright, and can be found on the inner shelf of the refrigerator door? Probably not whatever you were thinking, but something pretty unusual none the less.

Rogue Brewery’s Voodoo Doughnut Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Banana Ale is a beer that stands out in more ways than one.

It is not uncommon for two breweries to team up and produce a collaborative beer, but in this case the Rogue Brewery has teamed up with a small doughnut maker known as Voodoo Doughnut, which consists of a chain of three retail stores, all in Oregon USA – which is also where the brewery is located.

The name Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Banana Ale for starters raises all sorts of questions for the would-be taster. The first of many being ‘will such an outlandish combination of flavours work in a beer’? Most people would not think to eat a doughnut, a chocolate, a spoon full of peanut butter or a banana in the same sitting as their favourite ale, let alone having these in their ale…. In all fairness however, there are a number of good beers that incorporate the flavours of chocolate, banana, and specific varieties of nuts – just not all in combination.

If you haven’t seen the artwork for this bottle yet, you would be excused for thinking that the flavours’ description alone would be enough to draw notice to this beer on the bottle shop shelf. Rogue obviously did not want to leave anything to chance here, and have chosen to adorn the bottle in a colour similar to bright pink nail polish (or should that be pink doughnut icing). With the inclusion of a character resembling a voodoo priest with a beer in his hand, adding to the range of personalities that feature across the full range of Rouge bottles.

Rogue Brewery’s Voodoo Doughnut Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Banana Ale is the second release from the Rogue Voodoo collaboration (and as such is referred to as ‘Voodoo2’), the first being the equally unique Bacon Maple Ale. Rumour has it that there will be a third…..

Voodoo 2 pours dark brown nearly black in colour, producing medium head formation. Carbonation is soft, with an aroma approaching creaming soda, with notes of hundreds and thousands and doughnut icing. If this had been a completely blind tasting, perhaps this beer would not have been recognisable as a beer from smell alone – it is recognisable as a beer after tasting however. There is a hint of confectionery banana, though, my palate at least, could not taste peanut butter.

If looking closely, there are fine particles resembling Ovaltine throughout, and trying this beer for the first time was definitely an experience – an enjoyable one at that. While most would probably never eat a doughnut while drinking a beer, the seemingly unusual flavour combinations do work. I don’t think I have tried a beer with these taste characteristics previously.

The Rogue Brewery is big on providing product information on each bottle, including that of food pairing. Their recommendation for this particular brew is with desserts, or more specifically, with a particular type of Doughnut (not available in Australia) known as the Memphis Mafia. My recommendation, at least for the first bottle, is to try this stand-alone to better appreciate the non-standard flavours you will encounter.

The malt bill for this beer includes 2-Row, C-150, C-175, Carafoam Special II and Chocolate, along with Revolution and Independent Hops, flavour extracts, and Pacman Yeast.

Rogue is a USA based brewery that commenced operation in 1988. It has a beer range exceeding 40 varieties, including seasonal releases.

Rogue’s Voodoo Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Banana Ale is almost impossible for any beer enthusiast, let alone beer hunter, to leave on the shelf once spotted. Though I expect tough beer drinking types probably will be too afraid to pick this bottle up to read it, unless of course they are thoroughly comfortable with their ‘beersexuality’.

This is a limited release and currently in stock at Beer Cartel in New South Wales, Craft Red Hill in Queensland, and Slow Beer in Victoria (just to name a few), and can be found in a number of specialty beer bottle shops around the country. It is distributed in Australia by Phoenix Beers, and if you can get a few mates together prepared to share in a carton, most liquor outlets will be able to order this in. Expect to pay around $25 for a 750ml bottle.

Beers like these are best shared, so consider picking up an extra bottle!