Founders Curmudgeon Old Ale

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

Two beers in a row where the consensus seems off by a few points. No head to speak of. Dark whatever color (not black or totally opaque). Aroma of mild, faint musty junkyard. Flavor very fruity something. Could be any number of fruits you could have fun guessing at with this one. Blueberry? Raspberry? Fig? Date? Plum? Very sweet in any case. Very smooth palate. Deserves some points for being interesting/distinctive. Technically it comes out at a 7/10 but I’d give it a 7.5 on the subjective scale.

Back to back with Immort Ale or a similarly suitable barley wine, this will get you sufficiently lit.
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Poured a cloudy light brown color with small head. Aroma was of burbon oak and pineapples after eagle said that i got it. Flavor was malty little not overly sweet very good.

Warm amber body with some oily thickness, scattered, flaky particulate load, and a modest, dissipating beige head. Pleasing aroma of brown sugar, mellow bourbon, vanilla bean, polished wood and candied peaches. Smooth and well-integrated flavor of concentrated malt and good bourbon. Subtle fruity tones as well. Medium sweet and moderately bitter with light emerging alcoholic warmth. A nice old ale, on the young side, but could likely progress nicely. Very enjoyable and sufficiently distinct all-around.

Bottle courtesy of Degarth. Thanks again. Poured a murky-brackish brown with no head. The aroma is kind of light with shriveled up dates, plums and raisins. Behind that I also smell a nice sweet caramel. The flavor is complex and not altogether smooth. The flavor starts with a bolt of alcohol then alcohol soaked dates, plums and raisins. That takes the taste to beyond midway where a sweet caramel flavor takes over for the main note. Also joining the fun is a roasted maltiness and some cinnamon. Excellent winter sipping brew.

12oz bottle acquired in a trade with drewbeerme - thanks! An opaque, deep amber body with tons of sediment floating around. Minimal head but tons of carbonation rising from the bottom. The nose is pretty big - whiskey and peat. Those flavors persist in the taste, quite lovely, and they’re capped off by smooth caramel and malt. My biggest gripe is that the alcohol is a little too biting, would like it muted a bit more. Still, a really solid old ale that I’d like to try again.

A tan head fades quickly to cirussy wisps atop an opaque-hazed, caramel/amber body with copious sediment in suspension. Aroma finds harsh hops to start which mellow to citrusy florals. (By "mellow" I simply mean "the edge is off"... they’re still pretty intense.) Spicy notes of pepper and rye. Thick, smooth mouth, finishing warm and coating. Everything I love about a barleywine is in abundance. Fat, sweet citrus, heady caramel undertow, mild alcohol bite and a dry bitterness to finish (although the finish is a little abrupt). I may need to reconsider my "favorite style".

<font size=-4>I thank <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/View-User-14352.htm&g for handing me one of these last autumn. </font>

12oz bottle. 06 verison aged I think a year now. pours a muted dark ruby with small ring white head (if the color had more of a glow i’d give it a 5). nose has some nice raisins, plums, pears, and bourbon, not a bad nose just not complex at all. taste is rather sweet but very enjoyable, with candied dark fruits, bourbon, vanilla, and caramel. there’s also something rustic in the middle and finish which is unpleasant. finishes with alcohol warmth but no burn/bite. palate is full, a little chewy, and long lasting. carbination is low. wow, an easy to drink bourbon barrel old ale, well done. this beer lacks depth and complexity. however, i recall thinking this beer was hard to drink in early 06 so i think a year as done this beer very well perhaps another year or two is needed.7/4/7/4/15=3.7.

12/2/07, 2006 vintage, aged in bourbon barrels, aged about 18-22 months. pours muddy brown with small white head around the rim. nose of soft bourbon and vanilla. flavor notes of rich soft toffee, brown sugar, plums, with undertones of smooth bourbon and vanilla. this beer mellowed nicely. the palate is a bit short and thin but this is perhaps the smoothest bourbon barrel aged old ale. a bit too much residual sugars left here. it seems not have that rustic unpleasant note i recorded in the previous rating. i don’t see this getting any better but maybe another 6-12months will dry it a bit more. 7/3/7/4/14=3.5

bottle - Pours murky brown with a very small head. The aroma has caramel, malt sweetness, and a hint of hops. Malt, quite a bit of hops, some alcohol, and some oak flavors all come through in this in this full bodied ale.