What have I not said about Founders? They are heavy into the great section of my ratings, but they certainly have the ability to produce outliers. The impressive failure that was the revisit of the fantastic KBS is still (even a year and a half later) fresh in my mind. My hope is that we didn't start any kind of trend with that beer.
First sip is a whole lot more malt heavy than I expected from an IPA, and the hops hit late with pine to make the whole beer seem unbalanced and uneven (no, I don’t think those two are synonyms, and I will thank you for not starting an argument about it). The aftertaste is dry and bitter, and it isn’t a great taste to leave in the mouth, but sipping doesn’t usually bring out the best in a good beer, does it?
Tip-in is bitter and somewhat tart with carbonation sizzle and a caramel malt. The middle brings a bitter pall with a rise of pine to meet the malt while carbonation intermingles and heightens the bitterness. The finish is dry and bitter with a bitterness and dryness.
Bottom Line: Founders usually hits solid. Not this time.
1.25/5
