4 Seasons IPA - Voodoo Brewing Company

sulldaddy

Connecticut

4.06/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I picked up a 12 oz bottle of this brew a few months ago and poured into a pint glass at cellar temperature the other night.
The beer pours a slightly cloudy copper hue with fizzy eggshell white head of about 1.5 cm foaming up and fading slowly to an edge layer.
The aroma is citrusy and earthy with grapefruit rind dominating the beer. There is some caramel candy malt buried in the nose.
First sip reveals a bit of sweet caramel and then rolls to some rind and earthy herbal notes. Lingering flavor is a little bitter but not astringent, does dry the palate a little. No hint of alcohol on the beer and very easy to drink.
Texture is smooth and carbonation is gentle rolling across my palate.
A well made IPA from the home of Allegheny College, my alma mater. WEll done VooDoo!

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 02:26:10 | More by sulldaddy

BEERchitect

Kentucky

3.51/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I have only glowing accolades for the Voodoo Brewery. Now comes the classic American IPA that's deeply rooted it the resiny citrus taste and gripping bitter finish that the style deserves- Let's see...

The aggressive ale pours with a medium amber color and with a touch of rusty highlights. Hazy brown in its shadows the beer develops a creamy ivory foam that yields high retention which fuels a broken lacing pattern that layers all sides of the glass evenly and consistently.

Sharp limey hops start the show, and then the more vegetal part of hops show with the character of wood, stems, and leaf that remind the senses of sassafras and lemon teas. Caramel underpinnings show somwhat of hone before. turning white wine-like heading into taste.

Soon after the short-lived caramel malts digress, the real beer flavor emerges to celebrate the taste of citrus pith, skins, and extracts. In complement, there's an earthy taste of woodish bark, lemongrass, thyme, and fresh cut grass that aids a chlorophyll- rich taste that grips the taste buds and aids in its refreshment. Limey, winey, stemmy, and gripping in the throat with its bitter taste- any caramel underpinnings rely on toast and grain to allow any semblance of support.

Sharp, crisp, and clean early and often, the early offshoot of residual caramel and dry toast textures buffer the palate from the hop onslaught to ensue. Hops dictate both bitterness and astringency thereafter and lead the beer to a slight harshness in grassy bite to close the lingering bitter aftertaste.

Much like Flying Dog's Snake Dog, the beer is harsh, aggressive, and earthy in its raw taste but it does remind me of the early American taste of our own Pale Ales that existed long before the current microbrewery culture. Also like Anchor's Liberty Ale, the beer is unrefined but still gentlemanly in its rawness.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 06:12:40 | More by BEERchitect

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

tap

Pours a slightly hazy amber, white lacing for a head.

Smells of piney grapefruit hops.

Flavor of piney hops with some dry grassy malts as a base.

Medium body with a tingle of carbonation on the roof of the mouth.

A pretty good stronger IPA with good flavor and body, very enjoyable, would definitely have again.

Serving type: on-tap

03-10-2013 13:57:49 | More by Cylinsier

mjmbeer

Illinois

4.33/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Nicely balanced IPA not over the top crammed with uber hops but not some weak little wanna be either. This is a nicely balanced beer good fresh hop taste with a nice malty background. This is a beer I want to drink and will enjoy time and time again. Smooth clean and fresh is a good way to describe this beer. give it a shot. It may not be the hop punch in the mouth some American beers are becoming and that is what makes this little baby stand out.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 19:37:20 | More by mjmbeer

merc7186

New York

4.23/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the brewpub into a pint glass. Batch: Summer IV

A: Hazy Amber Hue, Passes Some Light, White Head Ring, Decent Lacing

S: Resin, Grapefruit Rind

T: Resin, Citrus Rind, Grainy Malts

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium Bodied, Semi Bitter, Mildly Drying

Overall, a pretty solid bitter IPA with great hop character but not over the top burn out.

Serving type: on-tap

11-10-2012 23:47:38 | More by merc7186

gestyr

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22oz bomber into a shaker pint.

A: Pours a very hazy amber/orange with a thin head that goes away at a moderate pace and leaves lacing.

S: Citrus/piney/slightly earthy hops followed by caramel and malt.

T: Hops front to back. Malt and caramel balance it out but it does lean towards the hops. Leaves a very piney hop aftertaste

M: On the light side of medium body. No carbonation sting.

O: A nice American IPA. I would and will buy this again to see how it evolves through the year.

Serving type: bottle

10-17-2012 23:07:12 | More by gestyr

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.58/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a hazy dark golden orange to brown in color with some light amount of glowing when held up to the light and some light amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a three finger tall foamy very light beige head that reduces to several medium sized dense thick patches with a very thick ring at the edges of the glass. Significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: There are some light aromas of caramel malts and biscuit malts. There is also a moderate presence of hops in this beer including (in order of strength) earthy, citrus, and pine/resin.

T: Similar to the smell, the taste of this beer starts out with a combination of biscuit and caramel malts with very light amounts of sweetness. Then the flavors of the hops really come out - starting out with a light pine/resin, followed by a stronger citrus, and finishing with a pleasant earthiness.

M: On the lighter side of medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly creamy with dryness throughout.

O: For a fairly big American IPA, the alcohol in this beer is well hidden making it fairly easy to drink though it does have an unusual mouthfeel. An interesting concept for this beer, evolving the recipe over the four seasons to have a beer that is appropriate for the weather (all the while being an American IPA in style).

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2012 01:17:45 | More by dbrauneis

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.7/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served on firkin in a 10 oz chalice glass

Appearance – Served a very hazy deep copper-almost brown color with almost no head at all.

Smell – The strongest aromas are of citrus hop and biscuit. Mixed with these are lighter aromas of caramel as well as some earthy and piney hop aromas.

Taste – Throughout the taste there is biscuit base with a lightly sweet caramel accompanying it. Hop flavors transition throughout the taste however, with the beginning there being a good dose of a slightly sweeter citrus and more earthy hop flavors. As the taste advances the citrus bitters some, transitioning from a tangerine like flavor to that of grapefruit. The earthy hop flavors intensify and some notes of pine enter the tongue more at the end of the taste. This is coupled with a light presence of alcohol coming in as well. Overall the transitions are quite good and with the alcohol at the end leaves a pleasant warming flavor on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is slightly above average in creaminess and as would be expected for a firkin, the carbonation level is low. The thicker body and lack of carbonation really allow all the hop flavors to soak into the tongue.

Overall – A rather tasty beer. It will be worth comparing to the bottled form to see how the changes in carbonation affect the overall taste profile.

Serving type: cask

07-11-2012 00:21:11 | More by Darkmagus82

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

3.18/5  rDev -14.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

12 oz bottle into my hardywood tulip.

A: very dark for an IPA. a murky dark orange body with a slightly off-white head. retention is respectable with good lacing. not sure how i feel about this amber/brown color though...

S: a citrus lemon twang battles with plenty of caramel notes. dandelions. there is a also a vanilla aroma in there that when combined with the caramel smells kinds of like a cowtail.

T: sweet upfront. caramel combines with a fruity/american hop flavor. a very minor bit of heat/rubbing alcohol flavor. lime tartness bites towards the finish. finish is sweet and lasting.

M: average carbonation on a medium body.

D: hard to believe this is an 8%abv IPA as it drinks more like a 6.5%. besides that, weird to have more malt presence than hop presence in an AIPA and is something i cant get by. pass.

side note: from what i understand from the label is that this bottle will yield four different IPA's throughout the year based on season. I bought this bottle in May, so i assume i am drinking the spring version? almost wish each brew had its own listing...

Serving type: bottle

05-22-2012 01:52:49 | More by Jimmys

yamar68

Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev +3.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

An aggressive pour yields a few fingers of slightly off white head. Body is real murky, like sweet tea. Average lacing.

The nose boasts a few of the great things that hops have to offer - smooth citrus, subtle evergreen bits, and just a touch of herbal earthiness. There are some basic mild malts to keep things in line.

The taste is... balanced. Perhaps overly so. All the expected flavors are there but each one is a bit understated. Balance is hard to accomplish in a big IPA and I commend them for achieving it, but something seems too safe here.

Overall, this is a great beer that I hope to try again someday. Everything is in place, just wish it was a tad more aggressive for what it is.

Serving type: bottle

05-08-2012 06:12:04 | More by yamar68

rudzud

Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Received as an extra in a trade with Sliphorn. Poured into a Duvel tulip.

A - Poured a crystal clear light coppery orange hue with a half a finger off white head that fades to a nice cloud and good thick halo. Minimal side lacing.

S - Aroma is fairly average. Some dank, almost cardboardy citrus hops. Dank oranges. This is followed by heavy malts and sweetness. Definately a higher ABV IPA.

T - Light touch of citrus and pine. There is a fair amount of malt and malt sweetness with this beer. This is a bit too malty for my liking. I can appreciate how the ABV isnt picked up on the pallet, but, just not enough hop for me.

M - Mouthfeel isnt bad, slight creamyness, an dthe alcohol is hidden nicely. Again though, just too malty for my liking.

O - Overall perhaps this is an older bottle, but as it stands this just isnt for me. IPAs are tough. Theres so damn many of them its hard to rise above the pack. For me, this one is just average.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2012 02:38:48 | More by rudzud

philbe311

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - A full two fingers worth of tightly packed slightly off-white colored froth... Solid retention gives way to an uber rich, uber thick, uber creamy lacing... The color is a moderately dark copper / bronze... Slightly sluggish carbonation rises throughout...

S - A rather subdued aroma overall... A slight piney hop presence at the forefront... Light mango notes are next... Fruity jell-o, perhaps peach or lime... Some bread crust notes... A very subtle spiciness...

T - An earthy piney hop presence is fairly mild, but at the forefront... Perhaps just a hint of citrus... A rock solid malt base lies beneath the surface... Lots of bread and crust notes... A touch of caramel and toffee... A very faint spice component...

M - On the lighter side of medium bodied... Brisk carbonation... Slightly creamy... A slight dryness throughout...

D - A solid highly respectable American IPA... Not stellar, but solid... The components make for a rather interesting brew... A slightly odd artificial aroma is a bit of a distraction... A unique mouthfeel...

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 01:19:06 | More by philbe311

pschul4

Illinois

4.43/5  rDev +19.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to Axic10 for this extra!

A- Pours quite dark for an IPA leaving a 1 finger creamy white head

S- Good combination of citrus in pine with the latter taking the lead

T- More of the nose, but the pine takes an even larger lead on the citrus. Very tasty as there is just enough malt to balance everything out

M- Smooth when it hits your palate but tingly as you let it lie there

O- Very impressed with this IPA, wish I could get more!

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2012 03:01:19 | More by pschul4

xnicknj

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

22oz bottle poured into pint

Pours a hazy soft golden color with some bright hues. Nice layering of white head retains well, leaving a coating of ringed, sticky lacing all along the glass.

Nice punch of hops in the nose with biscuity malts and some lighter caramel. Somewhat floral and a bit sweet, very faint alcohol.

Bitter and floral up front with decent hoppiness. Some tropical fruit tones with apricot and pineapple. Biscuit malts with some caramel and a faint notion of honey. Not too sweet or bitter, pretty balanced. Faint warmth from the alcohol.

Medium body, decent carbonation, smooth drinking and a bit sticky on the tongue. Decent IPA, more on the balanced side than anything else...I'd like to try it again on draft.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 03:42:54 | More by xnicknj

UDbeernut

New York

3.95/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap poured into a cheater pint. Orangey amber hue capped by a goo foamy head with good retention, lacing sticks to the side of the glass.

Scent is filled with crockery sweetness, light caramel, flowers, and light citrus.

Taste is pretty well balanced with the same profile as the nose, alcohol is slightly noticeable as it warms.

Mouth is slick with a slight dryingness. Not a sessionable beer.

I found this an interesting high abv take on an IPA. Almost a dipa but it lacks the bitterness to be considered one.

Serving type: on-tap

01-01-2012 17:09:24 | More by UDbeernut

OneDropSoup

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a shaker pint: Lightly orange body with brassy highlights under lathery white head, 2 fingers that drops to 1 & leaves a sticky sheet of lacing.

Smells of tart orange, grapefruit, a little pie crust, a little biscuity, fresh & bright but with a grounding bready background.

Taste has a sharp citrus snap up front, mixed with a very restrained sweetness like sweet tea or even frosting, but just a hint. In comes a punishing bitterness that lasts into the aftertaste. The good's good, but that bitterness is nut at first. Fortunately it subsides a bit.

Medium-bodied but with a refreshing crispness. Again, bitterness is harsh & abrasive at first but mellows.

Not, bad, & definitely not boring, but there's a battle between the pleasant & the challenging here. I'd have it again.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2011 23:22:30 | More by OneDropSoup

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On Tap at Hulmeville.

4 Seasons gets in the glass bright gold with a orange tint that stands out. Some haze within, also with a ecru bright white inch of foam that stays and sticks to the glass leaving scattered spraypaint lace.

Smell is very pungent, it practically leaps out the glass. I've been hesitant to buy a bottle of this in fear of old product, even though Im in PA, this smells like a nice pick. Pine needle laced with slight bubble gum and some citrus appeal.

This is fresh stuff, hops galore driven with a malty backbone that glides with a array of hops as I get pine, citrus and some faint earth. Some scents of perfume linger into the taste which is off putting after a bit. The alcohol at 8% while hidden, is not enirelyy 100% hidden.

Really glad I tried this stuff fresh on tap, but I hear there is much batch variation for this 4 seasoned IPA. Perhaps it comes out 4 times a year with a different twist on the hops. Either way very flavorful, yet I would not grab another pint of it as one was enough.

Serving type: on-tap

12-30-2011 06:23:21 | More by onix1agr

burnstar

Pennsylvania

3.9/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly murky dark gold. Medium sized persistent head with lots of lacing. Smell is citrusy hops. Grapefruit. Sharp hop bitterness at the beginning and throughout. Citrus hop flavor throughout too. Bitter grapefruit. Not much balancing sweetness. Lingering bitter aftertaste. Medium bodied and pretty well carbonated. Overall a pretty solid IPA.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 00:03:17 | More by burnstar

MarcatGSB

Michigan

3.48/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12 oz. bottle into DFH pint glass. No bottled on date or anything like that on the bottle.

Appearance: Pours a real nice hazy orange/copper color with a big creamy two finger head. Awesome looking lacing coats the upper part of the glass. Very, very impressive looking beer.

Nose: The nose exploded as soon as I poured the beer. Huge notes of bread, nice malt backbone, giving way to a big amount of citrus and tropical fruit.

Taste: More pine notes in the taste than in the nose, but it has a certain sticky grapefruit character that appears. Some metallic notes, not unpleasant though. The malt that I picked up in the nose doesn't show so much on the tongue. The taste is kind of a let down after the nose, not as pungent.

Mouth: Mouth feel is nice, but nothing all that exciting. The hop flavor fades quickly, and doesn't leave whole lot, but what is left isnt all that exciting. Some bitterness remains...

Drink and Overall: Started off really well, but faded as the beer went out. Looks great, smells great, drinks ok. I'd like to try some of the other versions...and it's interesting that there is no distinction to which version this vs. the next one, or previous. A good, IPA, nothing outstanding.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2011 20:19:39 | More by MarcatGSB

mdfb79

New York

3.8/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From 12/18/11 notes. Thanks to nmann08 for sharing this one. 12 oz. bottle into my Bell's tulip.

a - Pours a clear bright yellow color with spotty lacing, one inch of white head, and moderate carbonation evident.

s - Smells of sweet fruits, floral hops, fruity malts, and some light citrus hops. Nose is a tiny bit too sweet for me, and not as nice as the taste is.

t - Tastes of floral hops, citrus hops, pine hops, fruity malts, and light sweet fruit and bready. Not as sweet as the nose and more hops than the nose.

m - Medium body and low carbonation. Pretty easy to drink for 8% ABV.

o Overall a decent DIPA from Voodoo. Nose is a bit sweet and malty, but the taste is much better. Would give another shot.

Serving type: bottle

12-20-2011 18:23:37 | More by mdfb79

russwbeck

Virginia

3.7/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Most recent batch of 4 Seasons, an IPA that changes basically every time Matt brews it. Experiences can differ significantly.

A: Hazy orange pour with more than 2 fingers of white head. The lacing down the side of my Founders Brewing Company glass is beautiful and the retention is great.

S: The aroma is extremely fruity, and a bit metallic. Floral overall, the hops hint towards pine. The fruits are very citrusy, more so grapefruit than orange.

T: Like the smell, the taste is completely focused on the grapefruit. A piney hoppiness rests in the background, but is only an afterthought to the big citrus fruitiness. That slight metallic aroma is seemingly present on the backend of the taste. It isn't unpleasant, but I don't particularly like it.

MF/D: Medium body, carbonated well, dry hop finish. This beer drinks really well.

O: I enjoyed it, but it could have been better. I like that it was less about the hop bitterness and more about hop fruitiness. It's an approach you seem to see less and less.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2011 02:56:02 | More by russwbeck

TheMultiYeast

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This IPA is a hazy dark yellow with a small white head leading into lines of lace.

Smell is fruity and sweet with some juicy grapefruit and lemon peel. There's some interesting raspberry candy scents going on.

Taste follows nose into crisp lemon juiciness with an assortment of citrus. Bitterness is brief in mouth but clings to aftertaste.

Sure doesn't come through as an 8% ABV. Prickly carbonation and light body make it dangerously sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 03:55:53 | More by TheMultiYeast

nhindian

Pennsylvania

3.3/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into a tulip.

A - Pours a light amber, fairly cloudy as well but with no sediment. About 2 fingers worth of ivory head forms quickly, composed of small, soapy bubbles. Nice retention as well, finally ending with a thin film of foam acting as lacing.

S - The nose is full of citrus fruits, especially grapefruit. A bit of malt and alcohol, and it actually has a somewhat skunky note in the finish.

T - The taste is similar to that of the nose, where the main focus of this is the grapefruit, but there is a good amount of pine as well. Slightly less malty here and it takes on a more hop-forward phase. Some bitterness in the finish, with a touch of alcohol and skunk? once more.

M - Mouthfeel is moderately heavy-bodied with decent carbonation. Feels good on the palate and moves easily. Definitely get the hop stickiness that weighs on the tongue which is nice.

D/O - Drinkability is moderate. An easy-drinking beer for the most part, but it just seems to come across as a bit one-dimensional. There's grapefruit and a bit of pine, but that's pretty much it. The bitterness and alcohol saps the finish away, so the aftertaste is just bitter citrus. I guess this is the Fall version so there are 3 others left to try...

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2011 03:01:12 | More by nhindian

B967ierhunter177

Pennsylvania

1.65/5  rDev -55.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5

This beer pours a slightly hazy gold with a thin head and lacing that lasts to the end. It's aroma is fruity, flowery with a hint of honey. The flavor is grapefruit. It starts as sour grapefruit but gets smoother as it warms. There's not much here other than grapefruit. The mouthfeel is light-medium. Voodoo 4 Seasons IPA is an acceptable beer, not a hop bomb like most American IPAs, just one dimensional. Not recommended.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2011 02:28:38 | More by B967ierhunter177

ommegangpbr

New York

4/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I got to meet one of the brewers at a tasting at a Buy Rite when sampling this brew. Apparently, the ingredients in this IPA are different with every season, making each batch more seasonal; a seasonal beer each time.
This batch is hoppy and satisfying. Very well balanced with a pleasant lingering, bitter citrus finish. A happy citrus family, really. I look forward to trying out the batch from the next season and intend to pick some more out before the season is out.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2011 05:31:36 | More by ommegangpbr