Brewed By: Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; 2013
Style/ABV: Wheatwine, 12.6%
Reported IBUs: ?
Purchased: 750ml bottle bought at Woodman's in Kenosha, WI; 2013
Style/ABV: Wheatwine, 12.6%
Reported IBUs: ?
After thoroughly enjoying the Founders Bolt Cutter, I was very excited to give today's beer a shot. The Sweet Repute is another Barleywine-type beer. This is a "Wheat Wine ale aged in bourbon barrels and bourbon maple syrup barrels." Yum. About Founders:
The beer pours into a semi-hazy orange body, kicking up a finger or two of creamy, off-white head. The head has some orange and gold tones. There are tiny streams of carbonation visible in the body, along with some floating yeast sediment. Some white head is hanging around for the duration...and there are some glossy alcohol legs and lacing. It looks the part, but the magic starts to show up in the aroma.
On the aroma: big oak, bourbon, barrel, maple syrup, huge coconut, toasted coconut, nutty aromas, whiskey, coconut milk, almonds, pineapple, peaches, and tropical fruits. The aroma has huge oak and toasted coconut, with underlying fruitiness. There's some wheat malts on the aroma as well.
Yup...the taste reminds me of a few beers. Namely the Allagash Curieux and the De Proefbrouwerij / Cigar City Tropical Tripel. I'm getting huge oak, toasted coconut, nutty notes, whiskey/bourbon and booze, big pineapple, peach, and tropical citrus and fruits. There's a toffee/caramel thickness to this beer, and the beer flirts with rye and cane sugar. It's exceptionally heavy and boozy...as it should at the quoted 12.6%.
This is surprisingly dense, with lots of bourbon, coconut cake, and wheat density. It's a big beer at 12.6%, and it's meant to be sipped on. The mouthfeel is full-bodied, and palate depth is good. Complexity is okay, and maybe not as good as the Curieux or Tropical Tripel? I dunno. It's hard to say without doing a proper comparison. I do love this style though. It's aggressive and not very drinkable, but it is what it is. Up front is bourbon, booze, maple, coconut cake, toasted coconut, and barrel; the middle rolls into coconut, pineapple, tropical fruits, some wheat malts and grain, mild bitterness and hops; the back end is lingering coconut and grain, whiskey, bourbon...fade to sticky and dry.
The Sweet Repute (Founders Backstage Series #8: Sweet Repute) is part of the Backstage Series of beers. This Wheat Wine features a wheat and roasted malt base, with fragrant hops. The beer is then barrel aged in maple syrup bourbon barels and bourbon barrels over the course of sixteen months.
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| Founders Sweet Repute |
The beer pours into a semi-hazy orange body, kicking up a finger or two of creamy, off-white head. The head has some orange and gold tones. There are tiny streams of carbonation visible in the body, along with some floating yeast sediment. Some white head is hanging around for the duration...and there are some glossy alcohol legs and lacing. It looks the part, but the magic starts to show up in the aroma.
On the aroma: big oak, bourbon, barrel, maple syrup, huge coconut, toasted coconut, nutty aromas, whiskey, coconut milk, almonds, pineapple, peaches, and tropical fruits. The aroma has huge oak and toasted coconut, with underlying fruitiness. There's some wheat malts on the aroma as well.
Yup...the taste reminds me of a few beers. Namely the Allagash Curieux and the De Proefbrouwerij / Cigar City Tropical Tripel. I'm getting huge oak, toasted coconut, nutty notes, whiskey/bourbon and booze, big pineapple, peach, and tropical citrus and fruits. There's a toffee/caramel thickness to this beer, and the beer flirts with rye and cane sugar. It's exceptionally heavy and boozy...as it should at the quoted 12.6%.
This is surprisingly dense, with lots of bourbon, coconut cake, and wheat density. It's a big beer at 12.6%, and it's meant to be sipped on. The mouthfeel is full-bodied, and palate depth is good. Complexity is okay, and maybe not as good as the Curieux or Tropical Tripel? I dunno. It's hard to say without doing a proper comparison. I do love this style though. It's aggressive and not very drinkable, but it is what it is. Up front is bourbon, booze, maple, coconut cake, toasted coconut, and barrel; the middle rolls into coconut, pineapple, tropical fruits, some wheat malts and grain, mild bitterness and hops; the back end is lingering coconut and grain, whiskey, bourbon...fade to sticky and dry.
Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)
This is probably a Strong Above-Average for me. It's very enjoyable for what it is, but it is very straightforward in its approach. I like that this beer delivers everything it promises without messing around. You can't complain about that. Food pairings for this would include fish tacos, habanero wings, mango salsa, and other tropical foods. Or just sip on it because it really is a sipping beer.
Random Thought: I love the warm weather, hate the allergies.
This is probably a Strong Above-Average for me. It's very enjoyable for what it is, but it is very straightforward in its approach. I like that this beer delivers everything it promises without messing around. You can't complain about that. Food pairings for this would include fish tacos, habanero wings, mango salsa, and other tropical foods. Or just sip on it because it really is a sipping beer.
Random Thought: I love the warm weather, hate the allergies.
Dude: You cool? Missing my review fix.
ReplyDeleteYeah I've been fighting a bad cold. It makes smelling beer (and other things) and quaffing difficult. I'm gonna try to give it a go tonight!
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