Voodoo Brewing Company

merc7186

New York

4.06/5  rDev -5.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Visited on 11/10/12.

A: The place has a really cool vibe to it, brick on the exterior walls, random doors hanging from the ceiling, nice long bar, couches, and high tables.

Q: The beers are all decent to really good, especially their 4 Seasons IPA and More Cowbell.

S: Bartenders were attentive and friendly even when busy.

S: 10 different beers on tap, 9 different styles that cover a nice array.

V: Beers were all resonably priced, bombers even more reasonably priced, borderline cheap.

Overall, solid beersm solid bar, solid brewery.

11-12-2012 19:39:46 | More by merc7186

tommyguz

Pennsylvania

4.81/5  rDev +11.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 5 | $$

Voodoo is an amazing place. The decor is awesome. Repurposed barn wood and doors fill the area. The signature lime green Voodoo color lines one of the walls. The chalk board wall is filled with their food menu as well as a separate chalk board wall filled with their beer special. They even offer soda for the little ones (or non-drinkers) and local Conneaut Lake Cellars Wine for the wine drinkers.

The menu is always changing, week by week, depending what is fresh and available. The food is ridiculously good. The staff/owners are unbelievably friendly and are always chatting with everyone! They are all great guys!

The new upstairs is a great area to hang out with a bunch of friends, if the downstairs gets too crowded.

They always have their main staples on draft and then pub only options (usually 4-5 of them). They also tap a firkin every Friday at 5 and there are usually not too many repeats (unless demanded by the fans!)

Overall the service is top notch, the food it top notch and beer is...get this...top notch. You can't go wrong checking out Voodoo.

05-11-2013 01:07:22 | More by tommyguz

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.09/5  rDev -4.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 2.25 | $$

I visited Voodoo for their Barrel Room release, so this isn't a "typical" everyday review, but I'll try to keep it as unbiased as possible. I have to highly praise the staff for doing a great job at this event, and for how chaotic we made it with our shenanigans, they really catered to the mob better than I've ever seen.

The pub is pretty basic, nice layout, with sort of a organic vibe. The bar is large and well-suited for a big crowd, with lots of room for tables and standing. A large chalkboard along the wall informs you of what's on tap, and there are no TVs to offend the eye or draw in the annoying sports fans.

The quality of Voodoo's beer is very good to excellent, even their regular offerings that I get everyday in SEPA. They had a great selection on, the day before the event, and even more spectacular the day of the event, with tons of heavy-hitting one-offs.

Service was great. Apart from the excellent handling of the Barrel Room event, the staff was always attentive during my time at the bar, and they were all seemingly knowledgeable about their own beer, and the beer scene in general.

If I have one gripe with the place, it's the food. There were some interesting items on the menu, but it was pretty lacking as far as selection goes. There's very little "service" as far as food goes: you order, then they call out your number over a loud speaker and you go pick it up at the window. I'm not really complaining about it, it just seems a bit weird to do it that way. As for the food itself, despite local praise, I was pretty unimpressed with what I got. I ordered a soup (can't remember what kind) and the pierogi, and I didn't care for either one. The soup was ice cold, and the pierogi were simply tasteless, and not very good at all, though to be fair I am a bit of a pierogi perfectionist.

Prices were fair all over.

Food aside, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Voodoo. It's unlikely that I'll ever return, considering it's about a six hour drive for me, but I wouldn't completely rule it out. I wouldn't mind going back for the next Barrel Room release, but I might have to hitch a ride.

05-11-2013 00:18:28 | More by Rifugium

stakem

Pennsylvania

4.28/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25 | $$

My first experience at Voodoo was for their barrel room collection release. Relatively calm and enjoyable atmosphere even during mealtime on a Friday night. Staffing was appropriate and prompt. I never went but a couple minutes with an empty glass. The bar has no television sets which I think is pretty awesome, it makes you focus more on the people around you. During my visit, they revealed a newly finished 2nd floor which is pretty much a basic lounge area eith extra tables, chairs and a sofa. The men's room features the most wicked sink/faucet I think I have ever seen. (Go scope it out for yourself.)

Being from PA, we get regular exposure across the state for their main offerings. Nearly all of them were on tap as well as a few brewpub exclusives. One line pours nitro and they also have a beer engine for cask. A chalk board on the back wall provides a detailed listing of what options are available for you if you cant see the taps themselves.

The food menu appears to be concise, experimental and rapidly changing. During this visit I got to sample some goat cheese filled lychees, eggs pickled in hot sauce, hummus, hand made pierogies and perhaps the crown jewel of awesomeness: sausage gravy pizza. My goodness was that tasty despite sounding like a train wreck.

This place was awesome and everything I thought/hoped it would be. Without going into great detail about the release itself...lets just say that Voodoo knows how to treat their people. I was completely taken back by their level of preparedness. If this place was closer than ~5 hours away, I would be there regularly. Already planning a trip back, awesome experience.

04-10-2013 19:39:02 | More by stakem

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev -2.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.25 | $$

My first trip to Voodoo for the bottle release, luckily we got up there early enough to have some dinner and a few beers before it got too crazy.

An interesting little pub in an old building. Lots of wood everywhere, from the tables to the 10 or so old doors hanging from the ceiling. Draft list, as well as the food menu, are written on the wall in chalk. Service was decent once I figured it all out. I didn't have to wait very long for my beers so all in all it was fine with me. Quality seemed to be high. All the beers in the correct glasses and all of the food was made from scratch, including the spent grain pizza crust. I wasn't too hungry but I was able to try a few things our party ordered, my favorite being the sausage gravy breakfast pizza, it was quite good. I also noticed the pita's looked especially tasty, I may get one of those next time I am in town.

Since the release was the next day I was expecting the selection to be solid and it was, to a point. I liked the variety they offered but I wasn't really trying to drink a bunch of higher ABV beers with the looming all night bottle share fast approaching and they only had one beer on that was under 8%, and it was a stout, even the pils was 8+%. I enjoyed the beers I had but 1-2 more lower ABV beers would have been nice. Overall a really nice brewpub. I look forward to stopping here again when I am in the area.

03-24-2013 23:31:14 | More by orangesol

StreamGager

Pennsylvania

4.39/5  rDev +2.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4.75 | food: 3.25 | $$

The brewmaster does not look old enough to drink beer, but he is super talented. I have to go to Meadville for work periodically; I try to be there overnight on Thursdays when they are open. Last Thursday, I enjoyed an Ergot rye ale--super bitter and awesome--and a couple HTP's.

01-13-2013 14:59:40 | More by StreamGager

beergod1

Ohio

4.15/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$$

It's meant to be Very rough, Barn like atmosphere. Old wooden doors hanging from the Ceiling, Original wooden floor. The menu is in chalk on the wall...so every one can see it from a far. Eclectic Menu is small, and strange....Yet very tasty. Nothing like it around. And changes almost weekly. Menu is pricey, but you get what you pay for. I got Potato skins, with bbq pork. Very tasty pork, but so little of it. You can get the regular bottled offerings to go, and on tap, with the tap having the Non Bottled treats rotating till they run out. Make the trip folks....you wont be sorry.

12-26-2012 23:58:43 | More by beergod1

kimbo33

Pennsylvania

4.68/5  rDev +8.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

Possibly one of the best places to get beer in PA. I have been their twice now and wish I lived closer. Great selection of beer, they had two there you cant get in stores.

Very rugged setup, unique with old pews as seats, old school freezer is my favorite addition to the space. VERY long bar, prolly seats 25. Other seating is available but bar is comfy enough.

Staff is great, knowledgable and friendly.

Food is A+, not a huge selection but what is there is great.

Great prices, great beer, and a cool setup. A must stop.

08-14-2012 03:31:35 | More by kimbo33

adamette

Ohio

4.1/5  rDev -4.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $

From the Voodoo Brewing Company facebook page:


Over five years in the making, please help us celebrate the grand opening of our pub this Saturday June 30th. We will be open from 3pm-12am at our brewery located at 215 Arch Street in downtown Meadville, PA.

Grand Opening Tap List:
4 Seasons IPA (Summer 1)
Gran Met
Pilzilla
Voodoo Love Child
White Magick of the Sun
Wynona's Big Brown Ale
Cowbell

The following will be available in VERY limited amounts, once they're gone, they're gone:

7.7.12- Gran Met aged on fresh dragon fruit, mango, papaya, pomegranate, blood oranges, and canary mellon. this beer was made for a very good friend of the brewery who is getting married on, you guessed it, 7.7.12

Grande Negro Voodoo Papi- Big Black Voodoo Daddy brewed with maple syrup and aged on whole vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, and an assortment of hot chili peppers

///

Review from a few notes taken but also my memory of visiting during the Grand Opening June 30th, 2012.

I arrived at around 7 15 pm...the place opened at 3pm...and the atmosphere was great! There was a buzz around the place and it was largely standing room. I made my way to the bar to have a Voodoo 7-7-12 (an exclusive beer on tap, apparently brewed for a friend's wedding coming up on that date) and any of the others that I would like to have.

A VERY long bar on the left side as you enter, great looking old doors hang overhead and on the right wall is a huge chalkboard with the available selections (including the 7-7-12 and Cowbell along with all of the other standards). deep in the back is the kitchen and just to the right of the kitchen is the "cellar" where the barrels are stored.

One of my first impressions about the place was the heat. Unfortunately there is not yet good ventilation and the sun was beating through large open windows behind the bar. Spoke with owner/operator Matt who indicated that he has blinds on order and that would be a huge improvement as also possibly air conditioning would be as well.

John Lee Hooker playing on the Pandora was a nice touch (played through legit speaker system).

Quality is great. Snifters, specific Pilzilla glasses, pint glasses with Voodoo logos served to customers with great beer inside of them. Staff was helpful and talkative with this out-of-towner looking to support the new brew pub.

Selection...This is the Voodoo Brewing Company pub for Pete's sake...the selection is great!

Food: I had the chicken, spinach and tomato pizza and the homemade hummus and they were both very good. If I had any more room in my belly I would have tried the bratwurst and there was also an interesting salad available.

Value: I had 8 beers, the pizza, the hummus and even bought a t-shirt and before tip it was $42. I think that is inexpensive.

Notes: As soon as they get the place feeling a little less hot then my atmosphere score will increase. A great place to have a beer and a great source of great beer!

07-03-2012 03:01:58 | More by adamette