Brewed By: Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack bought at Walgreens in Chicago, IL; 2013
Style/ABV: India Pale Ale, 7.6%
Reported IBUs: 70
Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 4-pack bought at Walgreens in Chicago, IL; 2013
Style/ABV: India Pale Ale, 7.6%
Reported IBUs: 70
With all the hoppy, American beers out there, it's nice to see a fresh (literally) gimmick. These harvest ales brewed with wet hops are a tasty treat. Last year I had Sixpoint's Autumnation, tonight we try the offering from Founders. About Founders:
On the pour: a juicy, golden/yellow beer with one or two fingers of fluffy, white head. Bright light confirms the lovely, slightly hazy, golden-yellow body. The head is sustaining quite nicely, and picks up some of the golden tones in bright light. There's some moderate carbonation activity in this beer, and some nice lacing.
Ah, hops, my friend. This beer is like hop's apartment. Dank and resinous, but familiar and inviting. And damn, that strobe light is bright. There's a ton of resinous and floral hop aromas here, bouncing between resinous pineapple, lemon, melon, passion fruit, and grass...and a floral/spicy mint, and other cabinet spices I can't quite place. There's a dash of grain or biscuit in the mix as well.
This is really, really good. The beer is super juicy and fresh, with tons of resinous and sweet pine, grapefruit rind, light tropical notes, mango, melon, and some grass/biscuit. The finish is bitter and woody, but retains just a hint of a sweet edge.
The finish is perfectly dry and clean, with good attenuation and lots of bitterness. For 7.6%, this is medium-to-full-bodied, with great drinkability. The carbonation is spot on. This beer is surprisingly simple. It plays the American IPA pretty straight. And yet, I'm really enjoying this. Complexity is alright, but the palate depth is off the charts. You get a blast of sweet, bread/biscuit malts up front, followed by some passion fruit and grass; then you get the sweet pine, grapefruit rind, some hints of mango and tropical fruit; the bitter, woody, spicy finish kicks in towards the end, and grows as you drink this. What differentiates this beer from the slew of hoppy, resinous brews out there is the fact that this beer is so juicy and so fresh. This has that Green Flash/West Coast vibe, with a slightly more earthy and spicy twist. Really fantastic stuff.
The Harvest Ale is part of Founders' Limited Series of beers. Brewed in October, this beer features fresh, wet hops. There's not much else to add...listed at 7.6% and 70 IBUs, this is a fairly substantial beer.
 |
| Founders Harvest Ale |
On the pour: a juicy, golden/yellow beer with one or two fingers of fluffy, white head. Bright light confirms the lovely, slightly hazy, golden-yellow body. The head is sustaining quite nicely, and picks up some of the golden tones in bright light. There's some moderate carbonation activity in this beer, and some nice lacing.
Ah, hops, my friend. This beer is like hop's apartment. Dank and resinous, but familiar and inviting. And damn, that strobe light is bright. There's a ton of resinous and floral hop aromas here, bouncing between resinous pineapple, lemon, melon, passion fruit, and grass...and a floral/spicy mint, and other cabinet spices I can't quite place. There's a dash of grain or biscuit in the mix as well.
This is really, really good. The beer is super juicy and fresh, with tons of resinous and sweet pine, grapefruit rind, light tropical notes, mango, melon, and some grass/biscuit. The finish is bitter and woody, but retains just a hint of a sweet edge.
The finish is perfectly dry and clean, with good attenuation and lots of bitterness. For 7.6%, this is medium-to-full-bodied, with great drinkability. The carbonation is spot on. This beer is surprisingly simple. It plays the American IPA pretty straight. And yet, I'm really enjoying this. Complexity is alright, but the palate depth is off the charts. You get a blast of sweet, bread/biscuit malts up front, followed by some passion fruit and grass; then you get the sweet pine, grapefruit rind, some hints of mango and tropical fruit; the bitter, woody, spicy finish kicks in towards the end, and grows as you drink this. What differentiates this beer from the slew of hoppy, resinous brews out there is the fact that this beer is so juicy and so fresh. This has that Green Flash/West Coast vibe, with a slightly more earthy and spicy twist. Really fantastic stuff.
Rating: Divine Brew (4.5/5.0 Untappd)
I'm feeling a Light Divine Brew on this. This is a fantastic, juicy IPA. This has all the dank, juicy, resinous goodness of a West Coast IPA...but it has a slightly earthy and gritty edge that seems very #MidWest. Or something, shit, I don't know. I just know that 4-packs of this sell for around 10~12 dollars, and I would buy this again. I'm about to pair this with a quesadilla, but this beer would go well with any aggressively spiced dish.
Random Thought: I hate personal statements. I know I'm awesome, you know I'm awesome, so what's the beef, Arby's?
I'm feeling a Light Divine Brew on this. This is a fantastic, juicy IPA. This has all the dank, juicy, resinous goodness of a West Coast IPA...but it has a slightly earthy and gritty edge that seems very #MidWest. Or something, shit, I don't know. I just know that 4-packs of this sell for around 10~12 dollars, and I would buy this again. I'm about to pair this with a quesadilla, but this beer would go well with any aggressively spiced dish.
Random Thought: I hate personal statements. I know I'm awesome, you know I'm awesome, so what's the beef, Arby's?
No comments:
Post a Comment