Founders Curmudgeon Old Ale

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

Pours a nice reddish brown color with a thin white head.Nose is definitely hoppy alcohol. Nose is slightly off putting to me. Taste is a bit smoky and ceder. Malt, hop, and hard alcohol dominate this brew. I believe this beer needs a year to mellow out, but it is very complex and still quite interesting.

A nice beer, from Founders. Good color, though not much of a head. Has that sugary, grainy appearance so common of barley wines, and a good, reddish hued brown color. Nose is warming on its own, dominated by the hops and alcohol. Flavor is, again, very similar to a BW, though perhaps not quite as hoppy or rich in flavor as that near cousin. Finish fades into hoppy goodness.

12 oz. bottle. First had a sample at the 2007 World Beer Festival in Durham. Now onto the proper rate. Pours a hazy, ruby cider color. Lots of floaties. Medium sized, khaki head. Aroma of dark fruits, toffee. Flavor is smooth and different. Leans heavily on the malty side, but there are underpinnings of hop bitterness and licorice. A very earthy mouthfeel. Finish is slightly bitter. Another tasty offering from Founders.

tap at monks- pours hazy brown with sudsy lace and a thin head that goes to the edges. nose is spicy, sensing milk as well. butter. tastes hoppy, bitter, yet balanced. lots of fruitty rasberries, lots of butter with piney hops underpinning everything. excellent. i dont know why but it reminds me of a scotch ale.

Bottle, shared with Naka. Pours murky brown with floaties and a rimming, small khaki head. Nose is caramel, oak, bourbon and brownies with mild fruit, chocolate-covered cherries and fig. Taste is caramel and chocolate with bourbon, oak, cherry and raisin, alcohol head and mild flavor, with the burn lasting into the after. This is a tasty, tasty brew. Must find more. The best old ale I’ve had as of this date.

12oz bottle. Pours hazy amber with golden edges and a thin golden tan head. Aroma malty, toffee, brown sugar, dark frutis, woody and a little alcohol. Flavor is sweet malts, brown sugar, toffee, caramel, a little booze, and apples that give a little tartness at the finish. Really liked this old ale. Will have to keep the rest to see how they age.

There is a quality to this beer that I really don’t like. I know a lot of people like this, and it’s a pretty great old ale. I can drink it if I plug my nose. It smells like thrift store books. Anyyyywayyyyy.... it’s a ruby color .. nice representation for the style. Flavor is REALLY malty... almost a peat like quality to the malt there. I smell leaves. Like old leaves waiting for pickup on the side of the street. OK, come to think of it, this beer of the personification of a child molester. It’s kind of musty, dated, old sock-ish, and reeks of booze. I need an adult.

2008 bottle. Amber clear pour with small white head. Smells... old. Smells like weathered wood, lemon oil, malt (but not too sweet), some hints of vanilla and toffee. Maybe also some peat. A little bit of pleasant sourness. Some mild autumn fruit... apples and raisins. Full mouthfeel without feeling sticky or thick. I found this really tasty, even young. Can’t wait to see if these improve with age.