Founders Cerise

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

Serve in Flute

12 ounce bottle that pours a hazy orange pinkish color. aromas of tart cherries. Flavor is tart cherries. decent ale with a very tart cherry flavor. decent for outside in the heat, but cant drink a ton of it.

Light body. Crisp and refreshing. Pleasant cherry tartness balanced nicely with mild sweetness. No hop bitterness. I’d like this beer better if it had a heavier body. When I drink it, I’m not convinced I’m drinking a beer, but it is pleasant to drink and I think the 6.5% booze is a tad underrated : )

Bottled 0.355L at Pikkulintu 6.10.2010. Mild berryish nose. Pale fast disappearing head. Pale clear reddish colour. Slightly sourish cherryish taste. Very low hoppiness. When warming more cherry taste.

Hazy orange/pink color; Medium slightly creamy body; Aroma of sweet malt, fruit, some caramel, & spice; Flavor of sweet malt, some yeast, fruit (notably cherries & strawberries), citrus, and spice; Finish is dry and slightly sour/tart; Nicely balanced; Overall, a little subdued but nice.

I poured a 12oz bottle into a tulip glass.

Appearance: Pink blush hue with slight orange/copper shade. Very clear, little carbonation noticeable. Forms a pinkish/white soapy head which mostly dissipates but does leave some nice lacing on the glass.

Smell: Mild aroma of cherry pie with wheaty/grainy backbone.

Taste: Although mild up front, Founders Cerise finishes with a tasty, sweet, and seemingly authentic flavor of real cherries and a kiss of maple syrup. Most fruit-themed beers are just pale wheat ales with "natural flavoring" and taste more like cough medicine or candy than beer, but this is the real deal. While not very complex overall, Cerise contains a very tasty finish. The label indicates this beer is brewed with cherry puree which gives it a sweet, almost syrup-like taste, akin to cherry topping you might put on your pancakes. The sweetness is well-balanced to remain tasty without becoming cloying. By far the most pleasing, most authentic-tasting fruit ale I’ve ever had (aside from a Belgian lambic).

Mouthfeel: Light to medium thickness, soft, low carbonation. Minor tart aftertaste.

Drinkability: With plenty of flavor and a smooth delivery, it’s difficult not to chug Cherise straight down. It’s amazing this beer weighs in at 6.5% ABV, as it drinks and feels like all those other fruity wheat brews that are less than 5%. A great beer to have with cherry cheesecake or any fruity dessert or AS dessert itself.

Overall, Founders Cerise is an impressive beer for what it’s able to do with a fairly simple palate. It’s so unlike the rest of the Founders lineup, but it doesn’t surprise me this brewery can make a fruit beer this good.

12 ounce bottle, bottled 5/13/11. Pours slightly hazy light orange amber color with a fairly dense 2 finger white head with very nice retention that reduces to a decent sized lacing cap. Some fairly thick lacing is present on the glass as well. Aromas of tart cherries, peach, breadiness and a bit of funkiness and spiciness. Pretty nice aromas, though a tad weak. Taste of big tart cherries, with breadiness, spices, and big sweetness in the back. Wow, this actually tastes just like cherry pie. Fairly dry finish, but some tart cherries, spiciness, and breadiness does stick around for a bit. Medium carbonation and body. Very drinkable as well, with no alcohol noticed other than a small warming after the finish. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it is Founders, and they pretty much have never let me down. Excellent stuff, I might have to pick up a 4 pack before they are gone for the season.

12 oz bottle. Pours a very light pink with a small pinkish white head. Aroma is light cherry, a bit sharp with a stronger malt and grain character behind it, kinda weak. Flavor is a bit better, the tart crisp cherry comes more to the front, a bit of that fake cherry note, with some grainy bready malts in the finish. Medium body and a sharp carbonation. Refreshing on a hot day, but not a super great fruit beer

Light amber with a pink hue and a thin bright white head. Cherry and floral aromas. The flavor is tart at the beginning with a slight citrus bitterness. The middle and finish are dominated by the cherries which leave a llingering sweet aftertaste. Very enjoyable fruit beer