Founders Curmudgeon Old Ale

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

Deep amber/red with a faint white head. Syrupy palate, viscous body. Caramel up front, a bit worty, lots of excess alcohol showing. Fruity finish with a lingering hint of bourbon and toffee.

Bottle thanks to TURDFERGUSON. Labeled at 9.8% ABV so I am assuming it is the Bourbon Barrel version or something recent. Pours with a light brown head and a slightly hazed, pretty reddish amber body. Head fades to a ring after a while and leaves pretty good lacing. Aroma is alcohol (Brandy with notes of vanilla and bourbon), with tons of caramel and a bit of fruit behind the alcohol burn from my snifter. Tastes is alcohol and a bit of bitter butterscotch, with a touch of dirt or cobwebs, some fruits, and raisins. Alcohol is not welel hidden at all (but that is okay by me). Creamy mouthfeel and light carbonation. Another good Founder’s Beer.

Thanks to Honkeybra. Aight, so I pour this out into two separate glasses, one for me and one for Jakebra. His is cloudy, mine’s clear. So…appearance is actually 3 ½. Kinda scotchy and fruity nose followed by a really smoky flavor. Like smoky scotch or something. Interesting brew. I’d like to try it again.

12oz bottle courtesy of JCB. Pours a hazy amber with some floaters and a 2 finger cream head but only spotty lacing. Nose is caramel malt, brown sugar, vanilla and alcohol. Taste is raisins, toffee, sweet dates and a light hop finish with some alcohol burn mixed in. Medium mouth feel. Decent brew. Thanks Jason!

Bottle thanks to jgd0608, thanks man. Poured a clear, deep caramel-red color with a moderate off-white head that slowly faded to a layer and left some spotty lacing. Aroma of sweet caramel, toffee, dark fruit (mostly raisin, some light plum), some light oxidization and a bit of alcohol. Smooth, moderately sweet entry with some light hints of fig that lead into a caramel maltiness with some fruity raisin undertones that finishes with some oxidization. Low carbonation, smooth on the palate. I really wanted to like this beer, but something held me back. Perhaps it was the oxidization, which seemed a bit intense for the age of the beer.

A very fine barley-wine. Body was hazy and opaque and straw colored. Aroma was very malty with some fruitiness. Flavor was warming and mellow with some mild cereal-ness I didn’t care for, and a lot of body I did like. Mouthfeel was clean and dry. Had this on tap at Mike Roman’s pub in Bay View, WI.

pours murky deep amber with no head at all. very mellow smooth body, creamy, caramelly. light notes of hops in the background, but not overpowering at all. does not really drink like a 9+% beer, but a little warming going down.

12oz bottle. Pours a hazy deep red with ruby highlights, specks of bottle-conditioned-sediment floating lazily. The head is virtually non-existent. What bubbles do form are very small and light-tan in color, forming a thin ring around the perimeter of the glass at the surface of the beer - leaving slight/trace amounts of lace on the glass here and there. The aroma is very malty with a strange metallic air at first followed by vinous malts, soft fruit, some hoppiness (slightly vegetal, piney), and a noticeable wallop of alcohol, too. The flavor starts very malty and mellow with some woodiness and a nice layer of hops - piney and spicy. At mid-tongue, there is a great balance of big, bold malts with a good bit of sweetness and bitter hops that are fruity, slightly earthy, and spicy. The finish is full but not cloying with a nice thick malt ending that is well-balanced with a good bit of fruit, some wood (subtle smoke), and a very pleasant and strong hop bitterness. The mouthfeel is full and oily (not quite syrupy) with a lot of suds (spritzier and lighter than expected from the complete lack of foam upon pouring). There is a slight astringenct sensation on the middle and back of the tongue that is only slight and not unpleasant - from alcohol, bitterness, and carbonation combined. The beer is warming in the chest as you drink it down without tasting like alcohol (though it certainly tastes big). Overall, a very pleasant experience.