Founders Reds Rye P.A.

4.3/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, bottled 1/3/2012. Pours slightly hazy reddish orange color with a nice 2 finger dense cream colored head with fantastic retention that reduces to a thick cap that lingers. Some nice lacing clings on the glass, with some nice carbonation streaming up. Aromas of big grapefruit, pine, caramel, spicy rye, biscuit, herbal, and floral hops. Fantastic aromas here, with great strength and balance. Taste of big grapefruit, spicy rye, pine, caramel, biscuit, orange, herbal hops, and a bit of toasted malt. Nice amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, rye, biscuit, pine, and herbal on the finish for a while. Medium carbonation and body; with a fairly creamy and slightly silky mouthfeel. Alcohol is well hidden with only a slight warming on the finish. Extremely drinkable and smooth at 6.6%. Overall this is an outstanding beer as I expected; plus it is quite fresh. Nice spiciness from the rye; very hoppy; nicely balanced; and very drinkable.

Another great choice from Founders. I got this really freshly bottled; and it is extremely hoppy and nicely balanced.

Founders Backwoods Bastard

4.6/5

AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20

12 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled 10/07/11. Pours cloudy dark red color with a small dense khaki head with good retention that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Some spotty lacing clings to the glass. Aromas of huge caramel, toffee, vanilla, coconut, toasted malt, oak, bourbon, and molasses. Simply incredible aromas here with fantastic balance. Taste of huge caramel, coconut, vanilla, toasted malt, bourbon, toffee, molasses, and a bit of spiciness. Fairly clean finish; but some lingering notes of caramel, vanilla, coconut, bourbon, and molasses on the finish for a bit. Medium carbonation and quite full bodied; with a very creamy, silky, and incredibly smooth drinking mouthfeel. Alcohol is almost completely hidden; but there is a small bit of booziness and a slight warming after the finish. Incredible balance of flavors in the taste and aromas. Overall this is definitely a world class brew. Incredible flavor balance, with some unique flavor combination thanks to the barrel aging. I am glad I have more of this; I wonder how it is in a year.

Another world class Founders beer as expected. I still have 4 more bottles of this, that I actually had to hunt for to get. I would like to see how it is in a year.

Founders Double Trouble IPA

4.4/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20

12 ounce bottle into tulip, bottled 12/23/11. Pours slightly hazy bright amber color with a huge 3 finger off white head with fantastic retention that reduces to a thick lacing cap that lasts for the remainder of the glass. Some decent lacing on the glass as well. Aromas of big grapefruit, floral, grass, pineapple, lemon, pine, and some herbal spiciness. Damn nice and fruity aromas here with good strength. Taste of strong grapefruit, lemon, pineapple, pine, and floral notes; with a bit of spice as well. Nice amount of bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of pineapple, grapefruit, pine, and spiciness on the finish for a while. Good balance of bitterness and sweetness. Medium carbonation and medium-full bodied; with a bit of a creamy mouthfeel that drinks very smoothly for being over 9%. No alcohol noticed other than a small warming after the finish. Overall this is definitely a fantastic DIPA. Tons of fruity flavor, with great balance, and smooth drinking for the level of alcohol.

Another favorite I will always pick up around this time of year. I had it much fresher this year, so I re-reviewed it.

Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA

4.2/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

12 ounce bottle into snifter, bottled 6/2/2011. Pours slightly hazy brick red color with a small 1 finger dense khaki head with good retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. Some decent lacing clinging to the glass as well. Aromas of big mango, orange, grapefruit, pine resin, floral, caramel, and some toasted malts. Some excellent aromas here with good strength and balance. Taste of big orange, mango, pine, lemon zest, caramel, toasted malt, and spiciness. Big sweetness in the front that leads to a strong brutal bitterness on the finish that lasts. Lingering notes of caramel, citrus, pine, and spiciness on the finish for a while. Medium carbonation and full bodied; with a very creamy and slick mouthfeel that goes down smoothly, but is still a sipper. Alcohol is extremely well hidden for 12%, the warming on the finish is barely noticeable. Great balance of flavor and bitterness. Overall, an excellent and tasty Imperial IPA from Founders.

Another re-review with a fresher batch than last time I reviewed. Excellent stuff.

Founders Centennial IPA

4.3/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20

12 ounce bottle, bottled 08/29/11, so some pretty fresh stuff. Pours hazy golden amber color with 2 fingers of a fairly dense and creamy light khaki head with great retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap that lasts. A good amount of nice lacing clinging to the glass as well. Aromas of big orange, pine, spice, caramel, grapefruit, and a bit of grass. Excellent aromas here as expected. Taste of tons of pine, orange, grapefruit, caramel, and spices. Nice amount of bitterness on the finish, with lingering notes of citrus, pine, and spices. Fantastic balance of bitterness and sweetness. Medium carbonation and body, with a bit of a creamy mouthfeel. No alcohol noticed other than a small warming after the finish. Overall an outstanding IPA that is super smooth and full of well balanced flavor.

Yet another re-rate for me as of recently. Founders still wins with me. And now that I live in MI, I am going to have to make a stroll out to Grand Rapids for a beer weekend of HopCat and Founders plus more. A 2 hour drive that will be worth it. Another note I will add, is I picked up a 2 week old 6 pack of this at the Meijer 2 minutes from my apartment. They have a nice selection of quick 6 packs for when I am in the mood for a local brew that will be fresh.

Founders Cerise

4.2/5

AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20

12 ounce bottle, bottled 5/13/11. Pours slightly hazy light orange amber color with a fairly dense 2 finger white head with very nice retention that reduces to a decent sized lacing cap. Some fairly thick lacing is present on the glass as well. Aromas of tart cherries, peach, breadiness and a bit of funkiness and spiciness. Pretty nice aromas, though a tad weak. Taste of big tart cherries, with breadiness, spices, and big sweetness in the back. Wow, this actually tastes just like cherry pie. Fairly dry finish, but some tart cherries, spiciness, and breadiness does stick around for a bit. Medium carbonation and body. Very drinkable as well, with no alcohol noticed other than a small warming after the finish. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it is Founders, and they pretty much have never let me down. Excellent stuff, I might have to pick up a 4 pack before they are gone for the season.

Great stuff from Founders yet again. They never seem to disappoint me in any brew they offer.

Founders Blushing Monk

4.3/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20

750 ml bottle into wine glass. Pours dark red color with a 1 finger fairly dense magenta colored head with great retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap hat lasts. Some light lacing on the glass as well. Aromas of huge fresh raspberries, and a bit of Belgian yeast. Very strong sweetness in the nose, with good strength as well. Taste of big raspberry sweetness with some Belgian yeast spiciness and a bit of breadiness and tartness as well. Some notes of tart raspberries linger on the finish for a bit with some spiciness from the yeast. Absolutely no alcohol noticed in the taste or finish. Medium carbonation and body. Very smooth an drinkable with a bit of a syrup-like mouthfeel. Overall just an outstanding fruit beer from Founder’s as expected. Extremely drinkable, and loaded with flavor without being too tart.

Overall, more delicious beer from Founders, as expected. I don't even think I have had a fruit beer before this, but it was very impressive stuff.

Founders Nemesis 2009

4.5/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20

Big thanks to jsanford for sending me this one! 12 ounce bottle into snifter. Pours a very hazy orange color with a small off white head with good retention. Minimal glass lacing, but a thin lacing cap does last for the whole glass. Aromas of strong bourbon, oak, vanilla, maple, caramel, and molasses. Huge aromas here, a bit of alcohol in there as well. Taste of huge amounts of caramel, bourbon, and vanilla on the front that transitions to smooth and sweet maple and oak on the finish with some molasses. A bit of alcohol in there as well, but it blends well with the rest of the flavor. No bitterness noticed, but a lot of sweetness present here, and there is a ton of flavor with fantastic balance. Super smooth drinking for 12%, and alcohol is extremely well hidden for the amount. Fairly mild carbonation with a huge full body. Very slick feel as well that is incredible. Overall this is just an incredible beer, I would have it again if possible.

So glad I was able to try this one. As usual Founders never disappoints me with their offerings.

Founders Porter

4.4/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 18/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours very dark brown color with a 2.5 finger dense tan head with incredible retention, with some very nice lacing on the glass. Aromas of chocolate, coffee, roasted malt, caramel, and some light citrus notes. The aromas are quite strong and inviting. Taste of strong coffee and dark chocolate; with roasted flavors, light caramel, and some smoke. There is a quite prominent bitterness that is present on the finish that lingers with chocolate and roasted flavors. The overall balance is fantastic between the sweetness and the bitterness. Incredibly smooth and creamy mouthfeel, medium carbonation and medium-full bodied. No alcohol presence detected at all other than a small warming after the finish. I have been seeking this out for a while, and I finally found it in 6 packs so I had to take the plunge for the whole pack. It is well worth the price for all 6, because this is outstanding, and so delicious.

As if I could get tired of drinking anything from Founders. I really could never find these in singles, so I just went ahead and bought a six pack, because I asked a local store owner to order it a couple months back. Plus I pretty much knew I would love it anyways, even though I had never had it previously. I think I will keep at least one six pack around at all times of a good beer that I really enjoy to session along side my rated beers. When the six pack runs out I will decide which six pack to get after that.

Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS)

4.9/5

AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 20/20

Review 200! 2011 12 ounce bottle into snifter. Pours deep opaque black color with a 2 finger dark tan head with incredible retention that reduces to a thin lacing cap. Some good looking glass lacing. Aromas of vanilla, bourbon, chocolate, espresso, roasted malt, and wood with a little bit of alcohol. Quite possibly the most amazing smelling beer I have ever had. Taste of dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla, bourbon, roasted malts, and wood. There is some slight bitterness on the finish that lingers with huge chocolate and vanilla flavors, even though it is 70 IBU the strength and body of the beer covers up most of that bitterness. Medium carbonation and huge full body. Insanely smooth drink for 11.2% and there is no alcohol noticed other than a warming after the finish. It goes down perfectly and is probably the smoothest drinking high gravity beer I have ever had. Overall, I will agree with the hype. This is incredible

Definitely one of the best beers on the planet. I am glad I was able to find a fresh 4 pack this year thanks to a drive through I frequent that has an outstanding beer selection, and also is fairly unknown by the general population in the area for their selection. I would also like to thank Jacob Sanford from the Alechemy blog for sending me a bottle of 2010, which I will try in the future and do a vertical. From what I have heard the coffee flavor diminishes, but overall the beer is still incredible.

Founders Curmudgeon Old Ale

4.3/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20

12 ounce bottle into snifter. Pours slightly cloudy red-orange color with a dense 1 finger off white head with good retention that reduces to a lacing cap that remains for the duration of the glass. Aromas of dried fruit, molasses, spices, bread, caramel, oak, and some alcohol. Some very interesting aromas here, very unique. Taste of plenty of caramel, dark fruits, molasses, with some spices, oak flavor, and a very small amount of booze. There is a malty finish of caramel and molasses that slowly transitions to a slight citrus bitterness the lingers for a bit after the finish. Some very light alcohol warming after the finish, but overall the alcohol is very well hidden. Medium-full body and medium carbonation, with a creamy and smooth mouthfeel. I actually really enjoyed this one, surprisingly delicious, with lots of complexity and well balanced flavors.

Another winner from Founders. I am really glad I found this one. Seeing as the release is in May, this one was sitting in the store for a while, they sold it to me for $1.79 as well(was not priced), which is probably way cheaper than what it goes for.

Founders Breakfast Stout

4.8/5

AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 10/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 19/20

12 ounce bottle into tulip, bottled 08/05/11. Pours opaque black, with a 2 finger fairly dense tan head with very good retention that reduces to a fairly thick lacing cap that lasts. Decent lacing on the glass as well. Aromas of huge espresso, dark chocolate, caramel, oatmeal, spiciness, and a bit of molasses. Outstanding rich aromas here with great balance. Taste is incredibly rich and amazing with nice balance of dark chocolate and bitter coffee, with caramel, oat, burnt malts, molasses, and a bit of vanilla. Small amount of bitterness present on the finish with lingering notes of dark chocolate, espresso, vanilla, molasses, and caramel. Alcohol is completely hidden, with only a slight bit of warming on the finish. Medium-full velvety, creamy, and lush body, with medium carbonation. Overall a mind blowing coffee stout that has always been a favorite of mine.

This years batch seems to be better than last years surprisingly. Super creamy and fantastic stuff with tons of dark chocolate and espresso.

Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale

4.1/5

AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20

12 ounce bottle. Pours deep brick red color with a two finger thick light tan head with good retention. Aromas of malts, chocolate, and scotch. Taste of scotch and caramel. A decent amount of bitterness. Lots of scotch taste lingers after the finish. A good amount of alcohol feel and warming, but the beer goes down smoothly. Good sized body with medium carbonation. Never had a Scotch Ale before but this is delicious.

Once again, Founders is amazing.