If you’ve ever perused the beer aisles at a grocery, convenience, or liquor store, you’ve probably noticed a skeletal character with gold teeth, a park ranger or aviator hat, and a keen sense of style. His name is Voodoo Ranger, and he’s the face of the eponymous brand that makes some of the country’s most popular IPAs.
Founded and produced by New Belgium Brewing Company at its Fort Collins, Colo., headquarters, Voodoo Ranger is a relative newcomer to the craft beer scene, but its distinctive brand identity has already carved out a significant niche within the saturated segment. With a strong social media presence, brand activations, and a range of IPAs, Voodoo Ranger set out to be a craft brand for the modern era. In doing so, it’s attracted both die-hard craft drinkers and beer newbies.
From its late-aughts debut to becoming a category-defining brand, here are seven things to know about Voodoo Ranger.
Voodoo Ranger is almost 10 years old.
Craft beer’s contemporary heyday sparked around the 1970s, but New Belgium Brewing Company didn’t found Voodoo Ranger until 2017. While New Belgium opened in 1991 with Fat Tire, a popular Belgian-style amber ale, as its flagship beer, Voodoo Ranger is now the most prolific brand under the parent company’s umbrella.
Voodoo Ranger consistently ranks as the top-selling IPA in the U.S.
Since its founding, Voodoo Ranger has experienced quite the boom in the IPA sector. In recent years, the brand’s Imperial IPA has been the best-selling IPA in the country, and in 2023, Voodoo Ranger produced the top two best-selling IPAs in the U.S., with its Juice Force Hazy Imperial IPA in second place. In 2025, Imperial IPA continued to outperform the rest of the category, according to multi-outlet grocery, mass retail, and convenience store scan data through Dec. 28 tracked by market research firm Circana. In Circana data through April 19, 2026, Imperial and Juice Force remain the No. 1 and No. 2 IPAs, respectively, by dollar sales.
Its product line features 10 IPAs …
Voodoo Ranger’s permanent product line includes a range of IPAs. Of course, its flagship beers, Voodoo Ranger IPA and Imperial IPA, are still part of the portfolio. Beyond those, there are three hazy IPAs: Juicy Haze, 1985 Mango, and Blaze Lightning; and two juicy IPAs: G-Force and Sweet Ride. G-Force is the brand’s most recent release, coming to market this past February. Its debut marked the brand’s highest-ABV release yet at a whopping 11 percent.
… and three hard teas.
Voodoo Ranger also produces a line of 7 percent-ABV hard teas. The boozy teas — or, Hardcharged Teas, as the brand refers to them — come in fruity flavors like lemon, peach, and raspberry. Another Hardcharged Tea flavor called “Tiger’s Blood” is a blend of strawberry and watermelon.
Voodoo Ranger’s choices in hops and yeast yield the hallmark juicy flavors.
Voodoo Ranger’s beers are most known for their bright, crushable characteristics. Those flavors come from specific choices in hops and yeast strains. The 1985 Mango and Juicy Haze IPAs both incorporate the London Ale III yeast strain — a variety known for imparting fruity esters with notes of orchard fruit. Both expressions also leverage the hop varieties Citra, Cascade, Centennial, and Simcoe that double down on the juicy profile by adding notes of bright, tropical fruit.
Voodoo Ranger specifically targets the gaming community.
While it doesn’t limit its scope to any specific audience, Voodoo Ranger makes a particular pitch to gamers. The brand’s website even includes a dedicated “Arcade” page. Since 2022, Voodoo Ranger has held an annual activation at San Diego Comic Con featuring a pirate ship on which attendees can crack a cold one. This year, the brand launched a partnership with the video game “Invincible VS” by introducing a collaborative brew and a series of joint activations.
The brand’s Instagram popularity has been propelled by pithy memes.
Beyond gamers, Voodoo Ranger markets itself to a young, craft beer-drinking audience, particularly through its popular Instagram account that has amassed over 127,000 followers. It frequently posts satirical memes that play into the brand’s no-frills, unserious voice. In one post, the skeleton mascot is taking a mirror selfie. In another, he’s wearing a shirt that reads “Professional Tallboy Drinker” beneath a banner that says “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” These relatable and sarcastic memes come from Voodoo Ranger’s partnership with creative agency Fact & Fiction, which has helped formulate the craft beer’s distinctive identity.
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