Founders Porter

Brewed by Founders Brewing Company
Style: Porter
Grand Rapids, Michigan USA

Original review date 1/7/2009... 12 oz. into a Coronado Brewing Company pint glass... Pours with a dark maple, root beer float-colored head - about 2 fingers thick but slims to 1 quickly with decent lacing. Body color is espresso dark with sparse carbonation at bottom. Enticing. Slight bicarb and metallic tinge at first but it goes quickly and reveals a deep dark-roasted nuttiness - hazelnuts and peanuts mostly. Mild hoppiness of grass with a nuttier edge. Roasted malt really shines through. Wow - nice slate-ish BBQ char up along with some mild licorice - bitter French roasted coffee brings about some nice cinnamon/brown sugar sweetness. Finish is very slatish with big chicory bitterness and hop grass. There’s a fair amount of cleanliness to this even though it’s so damn robust. Smooth dark-roasted malt works well with the bitter coffee notes and quiet hop grass as well as the good slate an char. Slight alcohol sweetness - nice finish. Some Porter examples feel too thin and metallic compared to a session stout. Not this one - this one can pee in the tall weeds with the big dogs - it stands well on its own with great flavor and depth, and it sessions up nicely.

Excellent porter! Duh...it’s rated tops in category for a reason. Reminds me the equally formidable Bell’s porter. Can’t ask much more than what Founders is delivering here.

Black with a big brown head. Aroma of malt, chocolate and coffee. Flavor of coffee and some smoke. Finish of strong bitter coffee. Really thick and malty just the way I like this style.

Pours dark black with some red when held up to light. Aroma is chocolate malt. Flavor is chcolate,coffee and malt but all to the extreme! The flavor hits you and stands out, one of the better porters i’ve had.

Bottle. Pours out black with a thin brown head. Aroma is light roasted malts, chocolate and a very slight bitterness. Flavor is very complex, a velvet-like mouthfeel with chocolate, roasted malts, slight coffee, nuts, earth and a slight lingering bitterness. Smooth as silk and very complex, once again Founders doesn’t disappoint.

Wow. Never is a long time, but that’s the last time I had a bad Founders beer. And this has got to be one of the best, if not THE best. Tons of roasty chocolately flavor, full body, great aroma... just perfect.

Bottle. Pours a dark and viscous brown with a small and dense head. Aromas are an interesting collage of chocolate malts, pears, a bit of damp earth and some dark fruits. Flavor is even better... a mix of chocolate, peat, nuts, leather and just a touch of vanilla/cream from time to time. Finish is a bit bitter and a bit burnt... almost an earthy peat end to things.

12 ounce bottle. Black color lets no light through. Medium head. Aroma and taste were roasted malt, coffee and chocolate. Some sweetness up front, but bitter roasted malt after-taste.