Founders is kind of all over the place, but I have had quite a few of them, haven't I? By my count, this will be my 25th beer from this brewery. At least, this is the 25th since the time I started recording my experiences 10 years ago. The reason I started to record things on this blog was just so I wouldn't have to remember what I thought of particular beers, and that means that I genuinely can't remember if I had a Founders beer before I started this blog. Let's assume I haven't, and this is the 25th different kind of beer that I've had at my house. What's in front of me, however, is one I have not had.
First sip has flowers, and I think it has a sweet malt, but pine and bitterness seem to have encroached quite a bit onto an otherwise intriguing beverage. I'm not generally a fan of a lot of pine in my beers, so these pine trees are generally unwelcome. That said, the dryness at the end seems to take away from the bitterness bite and allows the flowers to stay long a little longer. I don't know if I'm a fan of this or not.
Tip-in is flowers, a sudden sting from the carbonation, and rinds from oranges and grapefruit. The carbonation somehow manages to kick it up a notch for the middle as the rest of the beer slides easily and smoothly down the throat with a sweetness given to it by the malt. The finish is dryness that follows where the carbonation lets up and a bitterness that brings pine and seems to be holding its own against the flowers for the trail off.
Bottom Line: Maybe these aren't my favorite hops.
2.0/5
