Voodoo IPA review – Hungarian Hops

March 19, 2023 Cameron Mackenzie

The craft beer industry is getting even bigger in Budapest with new microbreweries opening up all over the city on a regular basis.

One such brewery is FIRST craft beer. Founded in 2016 by brothers Gary and Daniel Kurucz,FIRST craft beer has established itself as a major player on the Hungary beer scene.

Gary and Daniel worked in the entertainment and music industry before deciding to turn an old paper factory in downtown Budapest into the first Taproom, and the first brewery-owned craft beer bar. Since 2016, the duo have collected nearly 30 awards and recognitions for their products both in Europe and the US.

FIRST craft beer produce a range of pilsner, witbier, fruit beers, and IPA’s.

Voodoo IPA is a newer addition to the range. Ingredients wise it contains the standard combination of malt to lay the foundation of the beers taste, water to maintain the flavour, hopsfor aroma and flavour, and yeast for the fermenting.

The smell is earthy, with hints of pine and grass.

Appearance wise, Voodoo IPA comes packaged in a brown glass bottle with beautifully illustrated branding on the label. When poured it has a hazy, medium gold colour with a nice amount of white foam.

Packed with citrus, pine and grassy hops, Voodoo IPA is extremely flavourful. It has a slightly sweet malt taste, with notes of citrus and caramelised sugar. It’s an easy drink, with very little bitterness and it has a medium body with a good level of carbonation and a decent amount of creaminess.

The Kurucz brothers state on the FIRST craft beer website that they are “on a mission to brewexceptional, vibrant, flavourful beers with attention to detail without compromise.”

Based on this tasting, Voodoo IPA is a well-made beer that fits their ethos. It’s a standout amongst an exciting and steadily growing craft beer scene in Budapest.

In summary, Voodoo IPA is an American-style IPA, that’s easy to drink, with a solid flavour profile that allows it to stand proudly among the bigger IPA’s on the market. It’s got a good balance between sweet and bitter, making it a great beer to have with an afternoon meal, or on a session.

To quote the Kurucz brothers one more time, they state on the FIRST craft brewery website “We want Hungarians to forget about low quality, no taste lagers.” It’s an admirable mission statement, and Voodoo IPA is definitely a step towards achieving that goal.

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