Founders Deca

Formerly brewed at Founders Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Grand Rapids, Michigan USA

Serve in Lager glass, Tumbler

22oz bottle (picked up in Michigan for me by artusory). Thanks, Ryan! Pours a bright, deep maroon color; off-white head with fine-bubbled lacing. Boozy dried fruits and fruit leather in the aroma; plenty of stickiness and spice. Medium-to-full, chewy mouthfeel: intensely dense and viscous dried fruit and boozy dark fruit / licorice; not a huge spice presence, at least not in relation to the dried fruitiness; just an immensely sweet, viscous beer without being too cloying. Lengthy, sweet and mildly spiced finish.

Poured from a bomber. Semi-clear and still body of browned orange. Aroma is very hot, first of cayenne and vinegar, then a whiskey of insubstantial body. Oranges, honey, and dandelions provide some unintimidating accent. Burnt toffee and wet wood define the beginning stages of taste. Crisp spices, quite vague, bite on the first smack. Plenty warm, and with the temperature increase the spices get dark and earthy - cardamom and anise. Sesame seed drys out the finish. Smooth and rich palate with a salutary reserved prickle of carbonation. A soft spirit-like dispostion; fitting. A bit young, maybe, but the cigar did it a lot of good. Thanks for sharing, Ken!

Tasted 9/10/07. 22oz bomber. Filtered with a deep amber hue. Beige ring of head. Piney and sweet. Citrus astringency. Slight Pine Sol nose. Candy sugar and dried dark fruit. Cinnamon aromas. Big but not necessarily wonderful. Super full bodied with a big burn. Almost a nutmeg spice flavor. Nuances of Belgian candy sugar yeastiness. Burnt sugar and mild citrus. Warming brew. Intense beer. Cocoa and caramel mixed with odd spices. Might be better after a bit of mellowing. I’d give this Deca a few years under the belt.

Poured a purple brown color with a small, light tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of dried fruits, caramel, molasses, with light spice, bready malts, candy sugar, and a bit of citrus hops. Taste of elderberries, plums, raisins, cherries, some tart citrus, light smoke, thick molasses, caramel malts, and faint spices. Light alcohol noticed, but Founders really knows how to brew a big beer like DFH, that is for sure!

A very pleasant earthiness, like beets, abounds in this beer, as well as a nice grassiness/herbal quality. I like it. I’m also quite surprised at the high alcohol content! It’s detectable in the aroma, but not so much in the flavor. there is no characteristic alcohol burn typical of beers of this caliber. Its quite sticky and sweet with cane sugar

Hazy burgundy with a purple hue - a vigorous pour fails to kick up a head, just a small ring of lace - barleywine-like aroma, with notes of plum, brown sugar, figs, port wine, wintery spices, alcohol and a sweet, booze character - slick mouthfeel, with low carbonation - alcohol heat is apparent from the get-go, and lasts all the way through the finish - dried cherries, raisins and figs - syrupy sweetness is slightly cut by a light tartness, but the sweetness compliments the alcohol warmth, fruit, and spicy character, creating a kind of spiced rum flavor - doughy, christmas pastry flavor and some herbal character develop late - complex and tasty, but a little too sticky.

Dark Brown with a Luminescent Dark Red Glow. No Head. Heavy Syrupy Malt, Dark Bready Fruit, Spice, Herbal Hops, Toasted Aroma. Heavy Bodied, Sweet Syrupy and Dry Hopped Thick Mouthfeel. Warming Immediately Present and Effective. Still Quite Smooth Given that it’s 13%. Caramel, Syrupy Barley, Dark Breads, Dates/Figs, Light Spices and Subtle Fruit. Very Sweet, Syrupy and Doughy with Nice Spiced and Hopped Finish Making for a Wonderfully Balanced Big Brew. Outstanding Thick and Gooey Winter Warmer.

Bottle received via trade with john_adam. Pours hazy brown with a small, fizzy, light brown head, diminishing with fair lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (cookie, caramel, toast), average hops (flowers), average yeast (dough) with notes of date, apple and brown sugar. Full bodied, oily texture, average carbonation and a bitter finish. Average duration, moderate sweetness, light acidity and bitterness.