Founders Reds Rye P.A.

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

Pours copper-amber with fluffy off-white head and a decent amount of sediment. Brilliant nose carries aromas of rich caramel malt, rye, and a substantial amount of bitter, citrus, and floral hops. Great balance achieved in the flavor- hop bitterness gives way to creamy-sweet malt and rye spciness. Good showing from Founders.

Had this on tap at the Founders brewpub. It had a bright amber red body with a one finger white head. The aroma is aroma is very hoppy and spicy with a good rye character. The hop aromas are very citrusy. The flavor matches the aroma with strong citrus notes and rye spiciness. The rye is a bit more subdued than I would have guessed from the aroma but the hop flavor is almost so intense that it creates a muddled taste. A pretty good beer all around though.

12 oz. bottle. Hoppy (dry, bitter), floral, yeasty aroma features cardboard, apricot, pear, cracker, hard-boiled egg, apple crisp, and peach cobbler scents. The smell is pleasant but ordinary. Hazy, shiny liquid. The color changes at various angles, ranging from a bright, deep red to an amber brown with a brass hue. Small to moderate amount of beige/tan head. Produces some lacing. Very cool appearance. Dry, spicy taste. Alcohol noticeable. Shortbread cookie, lemon, and Orange Julius flavors. Tastes generally as one would expect a hoppy amber ale to taste. Lightly dirt-bitter aftertaste. Light to medium body. Lively and sharp yet creamy in the palate. I purchased two bottles of this beer almost four months ago, and I drank one of the bottles soon after purchase. The beer has softened over time, and it is neither as hoppy nor as rye-spicy (mint, pepper) as it was the first time I tried it. It is neither better nor worse for the change.

Pours an orange redish color with a big creamy heady. Nose is incredible with hops oils and dare I say marijuana? Taste is bitter and a bit caramel. Good beer fizzy mouth feel and goes down easy. Good job founders.

A very good beer. but Lagunitas Lucky 13, Decadence 06 and Two Brothers Cane and Ebel are better in my book. This may be the fourspot, though. Just a bit drier than the previous entry, and dryness without size is just too harsh.

04-Dec-07 (12 oz bottle: Obtained 17-Mar-05 in trade with bkelley68, thanks Brian!) I dug deep into my cellar to finally find this long-lost beer. Two and a half years of aging have most certainly changed the beer considerably, but I’m not the least bit disappointed by the outcome here. There’s a good half-inch of loose, chunky sediment and a thin layer of sludge in the bottom of the bottle, but the first 10 ounces pour mildly hazy and dark amber in color. The foamy, off-white head is at least three inches in height. After scooping out some of the head, the nose is sweet, malty and woody with an oxidized, caramely tone. Mimicking the nose, fairly strong notes of oxidized, sweet, deeply caramely flavors are further enhanced by tea, dried fruit, sherry, light earth, wood and vanilla. Just a touch of gently bitter hops emerge in the finish, but no surprise there of course. As the beer warms, modest smokiness adds even further complexity and the earthiness begins to deepen and intensify. Body is medium-full and carbonation is moderate. A hint of tartness and acidity adds some vibrancy on the palate, and combined with the gentle bitterness, this malt-dominated beer is tasty and easy to drink. No doubt, most people would probably consider this beer long past prime (what constitutes "prime" is an individual choice), but I think it’s delicious; it’s taken on almost an Olde Ale character. I do suppose I should obtain and rate a fresh bottle of this beer, but I don’t expect it will provide any more satisfaction that this aged, highly complex bottle has today.

Hops in a bottle.Hoppy nose with hops and malts on the flavor.Add some bitterness to it and that is how it also finished.

Bottle: Pours a cloudy, redish orange with very little head, hoppy, citrus aroma, flavor is hoppy, a bit bitter and dry, with a pretty mellow finish, this is a nice brew, certainly worth having again.