This is late to post, but I just received the sample beers yesterday: Colorado’s New Belgium Brewing is asking consumers to help choose the next Voodoo Ranger Rotational IPA by voting on a number of aspects of the new beers in what the company is calling the Thirsty Games. September is the month to vote, and today’s the final day of the month (how did that happen?!), so let’s get right to it.

New Belgium sent me samples of each of the two beers, Agent 77 IPA and Captain Dynamite IPA. I’ll be opening these up today (I just got them yesterday) and will have some last minute notes to help any straggling voters, but in the meantime here’s the press release that gives details on each:

New Belgium Brewing’s Voodoo Ranger IPA is giving control to its fans this month by allowing them to choose the brand’s first IPA rotator of 2021. As the 2020 election season approaches, Voodoo Ranger IPA is sparking voter enthusiasm with an action-packed election of its own, Vote Voodoo: The Thirsty Games. It’s an election that features a month-long online activation series designed to engage consumers in various polls as they help build the Voodoo Ranger IPA action movie star of their dreams. Agent 77 IPA and Captain Dynamite IPA are squaring off, and consumers decide who will prevail.

Agent 77 IPA is neither shaken, nor stirred, and brewed with international Nelson Sauvin and Galaxy hops to create a fruity and floral IPA that’s as charismatic as it is citrusy. Captain Dynamite IPA is locked, stocked and fully hopped, and he’s here to drink beer and kick ass, and he’s all out of beer. This hazy IPA is juiced with Mosaic, Simcoe, and Cascade hops and exploding with tropical flavors and aromas. Throughout the month of September, consumers will have the opportunity to vote on various qualities the prevailing Voodoo Ranger IPA will embody such as the character, his personality traits, the beer itself, and more. The prevailing hero will have to win a series of challenges testing his wit, ingenuity and skill.

“Voodoo Ranger IPA fans consistently display interest in wanting to engage with the brand,” said Dave Knospe, Brand Manager for New Belgium Brewing. “With this campaign, we’re able to connect with Voodoo Ranger IPA fans on a higher level by allowing them to ultimately decide on our next brand launch.”

Voodoo Ranger IPA released its first Rotating IPA in January 2019, and the rotator is now New Belgium’s 5th bestselling brand. A new rotating IPA is released three times per year and with each launch, fans wait in anticipation to see what Voodoo Ranger IPA character will appear next. Vote Voodoo is the latest in a long line of unique activations the brand has launched to engage with fans. Also notable is the brand’s recent launch of the Vootique, an online boutique where fans can now purchase Voodoo Ranger IPA gear.

At a time when politics could use some fun, Vote Voodoo: The Thirsty Games brings amusement to this year’s election season. Vote Voodoo election results will be announced on October 1st, 2020 and the winning beer will be available January 2021. Cast your vote now at votevoodoo.com and follow @voodooranger on Instagram for additional polling opportunities all month long.

I’ll post my thoughts on the beers later today. In the meantime, go vote on something fun; we’ll be voting on deadly serious things soon enough.