Founders Brewing Co.
Grand Rapids, MI
An all-day IPA naturally brewed with a complex array of malts, grains and hops. Balanced for optimal aromatic and a clean finish.
ABV: 4.7
ABW: n/a
COLOR: GOLD
BITTERNESS: 42
ORIGINAL GRAVITY: n/a
AVAILABLE: MI, NC, OH, Chicago
Is it a session beer? Even for me, a 4.7 percent IPA is admirable restraint. But is it good? It sure is hoppy: There’s a powerful layer of sticky pine and grapefruit aroma hovering over the pale white head, revving and rumbling. In the mouth, the hops are bright and insistent, resinous and piney and well executed. But where’s the malt, where’s the esters? This is an interesting exercise—it hits like a beer designed to place well in contests.
This lovely, hazy gold ale references UK IPAs, where alcohol contents needn’t be 7 percent or more (as is increasingly the case in the US), but does so with an obvious enthusiasm for domestic hops. The nose is perfumey grapefruit with sweet notes of meadow grass and tropical fruit, while the light and quenching body mixes obvious citrus notes with faintly grainy malt and hints of dried peach and apricot. About the only area found even slightly lacking is the dry but thin finish. A great session or hot weather brew.
Lew Bryson writes about beer and whiskey from his home in southeast Pennsylvania. He has a family and two dogs. That's all you need to know.
Once described as "beerdom's Brillat-Savarin," Stephen Beaumont is the author of five books and countless articles on beer, spirits, food, travel and how it all goes together.
