Founders Centennial IPA

Brewed by Founders Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Grand Rapids, Michigan USA

Serve in Shaker, Tulip

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Originally reviewed: 1/19/09. Pours a deep orange with a nice 2-finger white head on it. Nice retention and lacing. Looks great. Smells of lemony citrus with some grassy hop notes. Mouthfeel is a little weaker than other IPAs I’ve had recently. Slick and watery feel to this. Some hoppy bitterness, but not as much as expected. Good amount of citrus flavor, with just enough maltiness to balance this pretty well. Good drinkability due to the balance. Recommend.

Pours a dark amber with a large foamy white head. In white it looks golden, unfiltered and with moderate carbonation. Smells of Piny hops and unripe grapefruit. Taste follows, strong pine hops go with the bitter grapefruit flavor, some lemon and a Carmel malt that balances nicely but is overshadowed by the hops. Finishes dry bitter with a touch of sweetness. Good benchmark IPA this lives up to what I expected

On draft poured into a pint glass. Nice amber color, good hoppy aroma, and decent head (I’m assuming the glasses were well cleaned). Tastes delicious! Good hoppy/citrus tones well balanced by hefty malt bill. Definitely a go- brew.

On tap at a local restaurant. Appeared dark amber with prevalent hop aroma. Very strong hop flavor wasn't at all in the background but well balanced by hefty malt bill ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Aroma of citrus and hops. Initial taste of grapefruit that finishes a bit harsh with bitterness. Pretty good nonetheless.

Really nice beer. Pours a light orange, perfectly clear. Small head that lasts with good lacing. Up front is piney and citrusy. Some very light malt in the middle and the finish is a good long bitter. Lovely beer.

A fine IPA. Aroma is very pronounced, grapefruit, pine, sweet. Appearance seemed like it was going to be more opaque, but once it settled it was a little murky. A beautiful color, like a dark amber. Not too much head but I didn’t pour too aggressively. The taste was immediately very bitter, with a faint grapefruit taste, but a very piny presence. The flavor sticks around a while which is a good thing. Overall I was expecting it to taste a little sweeter, but it’s still a solid IPA.

Pours very dark amber, almost no visibility. Extremely small head immediately disappears. Smell is hoppy with pine and fruity sweetness, cherry comes to mind. A little malt in there as well. Taste is very piney and grassy, with a blend of malt and hop up front. The bitterness sticks with you. The finish is crisp with a solid amount of carbonation. Lips will be licked immediately. A unique IPA, it's delicious.

Bottle sample at a tasting at Rotem’s place. Thanks beerandbeyond. Pours hazy dark amber with a white head. Hoppy, grass evergreen aroma. **forgot to rate the taste - I’d take it that I liked it* Long bitter finish, light body, mild carbonation

A: Pours a slightly cloudy dark amber color with a one finger white head of decent retention and good lacing. S: Citric, grapefruity hop aroma abounds here. I can also pick up a little breadiness as well if I concentrate. T: The first sip opens VERY bitterly, even a bit soapy. Thankfully, the bitterness subsides a little bit after subsequent sips are taken. Even still, it gets rather tiring and one-note after a while. There is a bit of crackery malt on the finish, but otherwise, it’s not very balanced. M: Well carbonated and medium bodied, but rather rough on the tongue. I would have liked a bit more creaminess here. O: Not so much ’bad’ as it is ’incredibly disappointing’. As much as I can applaud the Centennial hop’s versatility, it works a lot better as an aromatic hop in my opinion. All in all, falls way short next to the other well-known IPA from Michigan, Bell’s Two Hearted. Though I have to wonder...maybe I got a bad bottle of this? For that reason, I’ll try it again...but eh, I’m in no rush to do so.