Founders Amber Ale

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

Red amber color, thin off-white head. Smells quite bitter and malty. Earthy grassy undertones, quite a tanginess leading to a dry finish. Alright but not too great of a beer from my standpoint. Quite plain to be frank.

Deep clear red with very excellent lacing, head diminished quickly. Fruity, tart, sharp and tangy up front; malts thicken in the middle and back. Hops contribute thru the whole flavor. An easy to drink amber

My treatise on Amber Ale follows, although I know you didn't ask for it. It's a much maligned style, in large part because it is so varied. Some Amber Ales are much more malty versions, some are hopped up. This is my 28th of the style, and I dare say that it's...by the book? It's as if the brewers said "Let's make a quite malty AND a fairly hoppy amber ale, toasty caramel as required from this recipe book...", etc. etc. Indeed, this has the malt component nicely tricked out and it's fairly good quality, and the hops cut the beer well before any sweetness could get fatiguing, but there's no pizazz, and no body at all - this is quite watery. Hops are nice and tight and spicy (cinnamon? Definite pepper), but it all seems so forced. Lots of quite different varieties await the patient Amber consumer - my highest recommendations go to Ithaca, Siletz Winter Warmer, Full Sail, Rogue, and Z Street.

A nice Amber, Medium to full bodied with a medium sized beige head. Pleasant malt aroma. Nice malty taste that is sweet but not overly so, with a touch of hops in the finish. a nice very drinkable beer.

Medium body with good mouthfeel. Malty, slight sweet perception. Good drink.
Earlier Rating: 6/2/2002 Total Score: 3
Nice maltiness, the toasted malts come through. Some hops come through. The beer seemed a little harsh to me, and wasn’t as satisying to drink as I would have liked.

Dark amber color with a sweet malt flavor and mild hop. A nice beer, nothing offensive - and that's not good.

Another nice Michigan Amber. Pours amber (read: surprise!) with a thin tan/white head. There is a slight hint of candy in the flavor and aftertaste, which is largely grainy malt. I may be suffering from Amber withdrawal; I do not remember enjoying the style as much as I do now prior to my ratebeer days.

This beer surprised me. First of all, because I picked it up en route to grabbing some old favorites and two, because it was so good. This reminds me of Michelob Amber Bock without the "funny" taste. Pours out to a dark amber in the glass with a slight head. Good malty aroma followed up by a nice, malty sweet taste. The aftertaste is even good with this one and is sweet, but not overly so. I think I may have found a new session beer. Very drinkable.