Founders Cerise

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

Serve in Flute

Strikingly generic, not one of the better founders. I wish a brewery would do a true Michigan cherry brew that actually showcases their tartness.

Cherries (good ones) and rose petals. Some musty qualities come through. The appearance is beautiful rose-colored cloudiness. Nice but short-lived head. The first flavor is very sour cherries, with a second wave of dry musty nutmeg. There is a horseblanket character. Touch of white wine. A little sour, puckery bite at the end. The palate is silky and slick, with a nice, creamy thickness. It’s a good, sour, horsey beer. The cherry here is not cloying, but well-balanced.

Bottle at home. Light hazy reddish and amber with an off-white head. Aroma moderate malty and cherries. Flavor artificial cherry-sweet, then acidic. Medium body. Strange.

Pours a bright pinkish grapefruit color with dazzling lacing down the sides of the glass. What an impressive look. Smells distinctivley of cherries, almost like a lollipop. Most obviously cherries steal the show with this one. Fruity sweetness upfront, maybe even some watermelon, as it slides down the palate. It’s tart, yet not mouth puckering, which is a plus. Malt plays a large role in preventing a fruity dominance. I am not a huge fruit beer fan, but Cerise actually is quite enjoyable. It never gets to the point where tart fruit flavors wear your palate down, as with many sours or lambics. The body is light and carbonation just right. This is something I would share with some lady friends.

Bottle. Pour was pinkish orange with minimal head that fizzes away fast. Aroma was tart cherries and funk. Taste was decent with a sour cherry flavor that lead into a malty backbone. Palate was thin and fizzy with a bitter chaulky finish. Not my favorite style.

The body of the beer was pink-orange and cloudy, and there was no head to speak of. The smell was mild with only a hint of cherries, and some floral aromas as well. The taste was far better than I was expecting, with a sour sweet taste somewhat evoking a lambic or a Flanders red, but without any funkiness like those styles. The beer was light in the mouth and easy to drink with a dry finish. The sourness made this much more interesting than other fruit beers.

Bottle. Ruby golden pour with some white head. Tart cherry and full cherry notes. A bit thin on body, but sweet and tart flavor and aroma are enjoyable.

Sweet and tart smell of cherries, but not too much so. I was worried about this one but as I drink it I find I do like it. Tart finish but not too much. I would drink again but only 1 or 2 at a time. Would be a great sipper on a hot day.