Founders Curmudgeon Old Ale

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

2006 bottle - thanks to TBC. 6/24/08 - my 1 yr RateBeer anniversary the bourbon barrel aging really comes through on the aroma... lots of bourbon and sweet sugary malts with some vanilla as well. pours a dirty brown with little to no head.... lots of floaties too. wonderful on the palate - very even and smooth... medium to full body. caramel, bourbon, vanilla and maple syrup dominate the mouth. excellent strong finish... the bourbon barrel aging is most noticeable on the finish and there is a bit of alcohol presence as well.... it goes down extremely smooth and lingers for a bit. very glad I got to have an ’06 bottle and would love to compare it to a newer batch.

Hazy brown ruby pour with a big beige head. Spicy citrus and molasses aroma, also other ripe fruits are present. Smooth caramel texture with alcohol and sweet fruits, and a bitter roast finish. Great balance, very flavorful.

Pours cloudy brownish red color with very little head. Aroma is big and fruity, a deep plum with some caramal and toffee notes behind the dark/dried fruit. Taste is significantly earthier, but the fruit is there as well. Caramel, toffee notes, with some dark rye bread flavors too. Finishes fruity, then dries out immensely with a burnt breadlike taste. Lasts a long time, kind of like the Traquair beers. Thick mouthfeel, very low carbonation. Excellent.

Bottle. This was the 2006 version which has clearly been bourbon barrel aged. It pours with a copper color and a medium head. Aromas of bourbon and malts, flavors of bourbon, and caramel, somewhat sweet but not overly so. Fairly complex wiht a nice mouthfeel, excellent.

12oz. bottle, with thanks to alexsdad06 for the great bonus. Pours a iced tea color with a thin off-white head, moderate retention and lacing. Aroma is sweet malts, dark fruits, caramel, toffee and honey. Flavor is malty, with more caramel, toffee, and candied dark fruits. Enjoyable enough, but everything just didn’t quite seem to come together as well as it could for some reason. Thanks again Brad!

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.

Bottle pours a thick dark amber color with a light tan head. Aroma is caramel sweetness, oak, and some bourbon notes. The nose leads into the same flavors and is very smooth and tasty. Mouthfeel is medium heavy with a slight touch of carbonation. Overall a very solid brew and is one I will buy again.

Pours a very slightly hazed dark copper with a 1 finger creamy beige head that has awesome retention and leaves some nice lacing. Aroma is toasted grain, vanilla, dark caramel, roasted nuts, old oak, maybe a hint of bourbon with that oak, lots of earth and herbal notes, hot buttery toffee and some toasted nuts, more oak and a dusty barn note come out as it warms. Flavor is oak, vanilla, caramel, nutty toffee, toasted wheat bread, some blood orange, dry grain, sweet wheat bread, toasted maple, Bit O’ Honey candy, light plum notes and bitter hops. Mosre slightly bitter hops, toffee, and herbal notes round it off to finish. Palate is medium to thick thickness, with a slightly syrupy feel and sweet-neutral finish. This stuff is pretty great, it has some really nice, lightly toasted oak and maple notes that are pretty unique.