Founders Big Al

Formerly brewed at Founders Restaurant & Brewing Co.
Style: Imperial/Double IPA
Alexandria, Virginia USA

Serve in Snifter, Tulip

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Pours a dark clear amber with an off-white head. Hoppy/floral and malty aroma. Very big grapefruit taste with a ton of pine, tree sap, a ton of cascade/centennial hops and some caramel. Very nicely balanced with the perfect amount of sweetness. Very full, round and creamy with subtle carbonation. Nice lacing. Great stuff.

Straight up hop aroma, less elegant than the APA in my opinion. Hazy amber. This is a simple formula: hops, with a gentle bitterness in the finish, enough malts to produce a rounded, reasonably smooth palate, though it isn’t thick, just a frothy and moderately carbonated body that lets it slide down easily. Some suggestion of fruit, but that wasn’t vivid. (on tap at brewpub)

A big IPA with powerful herbal characteristics. Strong herbal aroma. Very dark orange appearance, with an initial head that was large and lasted several minutes. Good, but I would prefer a fruitier flavor to this herbal aspect. Bitter hops, and a bitter fruit finish.

Poured to a rich reddish brown color which I thought was weird for an IPA. The beer is very hoppy but not typically the type I like. Bitter fruits and pine. Well done, but something seems off.

Cloudy, reddish brown appearance with with very little head and lacing. Aroma was initially hoppy then turned to a sweeter maltiness. Big taste of hops from the start, hitting the roof of the mouth and the back of the tongue.. Nicely carbonated, medium-bodied, with a dry, well hopped finish.

Pours dark amber. Aroma is citrus and piney hops. Flavor of pine and citrus, balanced by smooth maltiness.

Slightly hazy amber body with a thin off-white head. Aroma of pure hops with a good caramel aroma. Medium-bodied; Full hop & toffee taste. A good malt presence is noticeable as well. Pine rounds out the aftertaste showing a good character! Overall, a good flavour, a good beer-even if it is a style I don’t typically like! I sampled this beer on draught at Founder’s in Alexandria, Virginia on 20-November-2004.

Clean copper colour. I just love that massive hop aroma. Pine forest city. Resin and grapefruit too. Big hop presence in the flavour too. More bitter oranges coming through. Lots of bitterness. A big beer, but eminently drinkable too. Nice one. On tap at the Founders, Alexandria (DC gathering).

Draught @ founders (thanks to Bill Madden): Pours copper orange & red with a tan head. Loads of hops in the aroma, wet grass, citrus, definitely smells of fresh hops. Taste has mild pine & citrus, grapefruit, creamy caramel malt to back it up too. As good as any other Imperial IPA out there, and tastes excellent on tap.

Shimmering coppers and ambers, creamy off white head. The nose was outstanding with huge notes of pine, spruce, and bitter white grapefruit, with touches of sweet caramel drizzled throughout. Became well balanced as it warmed with fresh citric and floral hops blending luxuriously with the rich caramel malt. ABV was well hidden. Thick, chewy, full-bodied, but with a pillow soft carbonation and a lasting bitter-sweet finish. Bill Madden does it again.....

Draft at Founders in Alexandria before the DC/MD/VA/WV/PA gathering. Orange tinged copper. Small dense tanned head. Nose is hoppy and strong with citrus being dominant (orange peel). Some light underlying maltiness attempts to creep in. Taste is mild orange, light pine, and some creamy maltiness to balance this out nicely. Very drinkable and very rich at the same time. Body is bitter and slightly oily with some mild sharpness to it. Finishes with more bitter hoppiness along with a light sweetness (maple) and some pine. Good beer!