New Belgium Brewery is calling it a dare. The brand has teamed up with Jeppson’s Malört on a six-pack of beer that includes both a popular IPA beer and one made with the legendary Chicago-born liqueur. The Roulette IPA pack is officially out and it includes four Voodoo Ranger IPAs and two cans of the unique Malört-style IPA.
It’s a clever bit of marketing as all six cans look the same. Hence, the roulette name. Consumers won’t know what they’ve cracked until they have a taste. The move is decidedly fun, playing off the adventurous aspect of the ranger character and combining a blind tasting with a challenge of sorts.
The Voodoo Ranger is a popular IPA, hazy in style with juicy fruit notes. Malört is a Swedish-style liqueur made with wormwood that first launched in the 1930s. The lesser-known liqueur has quite the reputation, deemed by some be the most awful liqueur ever crafted.
What’s it like? Tremendously bitter, for starters. It reminds of a bold take on citrus bitters and there’s an herbaceous quality too. Chicagoans are keen to takes shots of the stuff. But in beer, especially a high-octane IPA, it just might work.
New Beglium Brewing is a Colorado-based brewery perhaps most famous for creating Fat Tire Ale. The brand began in 1991 and has grown large enough to have a serious national presence. A longtime player in the craft beer movement, New Belgium brews both in Colorado and North Carolina.
The beer is available from coast to coast via the brand’s broad distribution avenues.
