Founders Porter

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

Serve in English pint, Stem glass

I read a forum thread today about a what’s better, GL Edmund Fitzgerald our Founders Porter. This one is dark, nice head and some lacing. Just like GLEF. Smith and creamy, just like GLEF. This one is less bitter and less porteresque, with the characteristics of a milk stout more than a porter. Good beer, but I give the nod to Eddie Fitz.

Ok, so I had a bottle of this months ago. I was going to wait to get another one to rate it, but the hell with it. This is the best porter I’ve had. It was pitch black with a slight mocha head. So much coffee and chocolate in there it’s crazy. Founders’ stouts are world-renowned of course, which I think contributes to why their porter kicks so much ass. The 6.5% ABV seals the deal. I drank this as a digestif, and couldn’t have been happier with my choice. I like the Edmund Fitzgerald and Bell’s porter just fine, but Founders’ version to me is top of the class. Just plain awesome.

Initial smell and taste are of the 45 ibis. It smooths out into a roasted woody taste with a nice long aftertaste.

355ml bottle from jsprime. pours dark brown with a tan head. very roasty nose. complex flavour profile. not too drinkable for a porter. good, but not my fav porter.

Pours inky with just a touch of brown head. Nose is pleasant coffee, dark chocolate, and a generic but delightful light sugar. Flavor is rich and expands on the coffee and chocolate notes, with mild but supportive hops, brown sugar, and a light fruitiness. Finish is slightly sticky. Excellent porter.

A: The beer pours an almost black color with a finger of mocha colored head. S: Roasted malts dominate the aroma. There is an intense coffee aroma to the beer that is quite pleasant. Lots of bitter, cocoa powder notes with a light sweetness of toffee. A slight earthy character underneath it all. T: Lots of roast and coffee flavors all the way through. Perhaps just as much bitter dark chocolate and cocoa powder with a light hop bitterness. Earthy tones, a bit of espresso, and some light caramel on the finish. M: Medium bodied with a smooth, medium carbonation. O: An outstanding porter, one of the best I’ve had, come to think of it.

I don’t find porters to be particularly interesting in the first place, and even within the subset there is not really much interesting about this brew. That said, there’s nothing to complain about either, in fact it’s quite good. Looks nice, smells very nice, tastes pretty bitter as dark brews go but it’s good shit. Has a bit of the metallic aftertaste often found in brews of lower quality than I would expect from Founders, but it’s not a huge detriment. Surprisingly easy to drink, definitely not a meal in a bottle.

Black with a light compact head; tobacco and chocolate aromas; dry and oily palate, bitter finish.