Voodoo Ranger Fruit Force Fruit Punch IPA
 

Review Date 7/2/2023 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Imperial IPA   Brewery: New Belgium   Country: USA   State: Colorado   $ Per OZ: $.17  (B)   ABV: 9.5%

OK now, New Belgium Brewing Company. Just what exactly is this Voodoo Ranger Fruit Force Fruit Punch IPA? Your website doesn’t tell me much about it, other than Fruit Force is an American-style Hazy Imperial IPA with a fruit punch twist. OK, so a hazy New England IPA, I get it, but where does the fruit punch come from?

There are some specs on the website, I’ll grant you that.

ABV: 9.5

IBU: 33

YEAST: London Ale III

HOPS: Pahto, Amarillo, Centennial, Galaxy, Sabro, Lotus, and Strata

MALT: Pale, Malted Oats, and White Wheat

Looking at the hops used here, I don’t see much of a fruity connection from the Pahto, Amarillos, Centennials, or Galaxy. Sabro, though, can add notes of stone fruit, and Lotus and Strata can add berry flavor and aroma. Still, if New Belgium pulled this off with the hops alone, I am impressed.

I say this because, immediately upon pouring into my glass and taking a whiff of the beer, my first reaction was:

How’s about a nice Hawaiian Punch?

The beer really smells like a tall cool glass of Hawaiian Punch. How did they do that? On the can, the beer is described as IMPERIAL INDIA PALE ALE WITH NATURAL FLAVORS, so I am thinking they didn’t get all this punchy flavor just from the hops. I’m not sure this is a beer I could drink all the time, but I will say it is interesting all the same.

Voodoo Ranger Fruit Force Fruit Punch IPA has an alcohol content of 9.5% by volume and I paid $3.49 for a 19.2-ounc e can from Half Time Beverage. Total Wine sells it for $11.99 a six-pack here in Georgia. My can is stamped 27 AUG 2023 on the bottom, so I drank it well before the suggested best by date.

Voodoo Ranger Fruit Force Fruit Punch IPA pours to a hazy yellow color with a thick fluffy head and a nose of, well, juicy fruit punch. Taking a sip, the beer again delivers on the fruit punch theme. It’s full of red berry juiciness, here in the palate attenuated a bit by some earthy bitter hops. At the last, the hops emerge a bit more, and a bit of alcohol warmth pokes through, but all in all this is a lot more like a glass of alcoholic fruit punch than it is an imperial IPA. If you ask me.

It was enjoyable all the same and I think I would drink it again.

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??