Founders Backwoods Bastard

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

Thin head which dissipates quickly. Slight sheen of foam lingering on top. Strong bourbon aroma with loads of sweet caramel, maple syrup and some smoke. Bourbon dominates all other aromas though. Color is a dark crimson mahagony. Nice color. Thiner body than expected. Bourbon is a bit less intense in the flavor. Lots of butter, sweet malts, wood and some smoked grains. Decent bitterness late swallow. Strong alcohol presence that stings and warms. Finishes buttery smooth and creamy with a lingering sharp bitterness. Not sure if this is a scotch ale but it is still pretty tasty. Bourbon may be a little bit strong but not totally overpowering.

Poured brown with small bubbly off white head. Aroma of candy and bourbon. Very solid bourbon flavor with some sweetness. Finished harsh. Got worse as it warmed.

Bottle at BA tasting in Nashville. Pours mahogany with a thin head. Medium bodied with a slight sticky texture. Aroma of maple and smoke. Flavor of dark caramel and vanilla- rather simple. Some alcohol on the finish, but not in a detrimental way. I don’t get a ton of barrel characteristics on this one.

A nice little scotch, gotten in trade. Pours medium with good lasting white head, tons of lace.Aroma is decent bourbon. Mouthfeel is easy, average and smooth, good bourbon taste not in-your-face that is well integrated and woody. Very drinkable.

Pours a deep brown with a tan head - aroma is pure bourbon - couldn’t smell anything beyond that. The taste was reminiscent of drinking a shot of Jack Daniel’s with a little beer splashed in it. Very different from any beer I have tried before. This is definitely a sipping beer. I have a neighbor who loves bourbon and loves beer that will love this stuff. A solid brew but not one I could drink regularly.

Wawaweewah! This is overpowering. Looks great with a deep red and brown pour and a lasting thin tan head. The aroma is pure scotch. That is all I can find because it is so strong. The flavor is straight up scotch. A little vanilla and coffee shows up if you really look hard, but you have to look hard. I don’t know what to say. It warms me up, but the complexity is totally sacrificed to the whiskey. Try it, because it is completely original, but don’t buy a six pack unless you know what you are getting yourself into.

Bottle. Very cool label, looks like my Grandpa....haha ((bottle I got was different than the one pictured). Pours a very deep brown with a one finger beige head. Nose was big on bourbon, with some vanilla, oak, caramel and a touch of booze. Flavor was sweet and woody with a good alcohol kick......good stuff.

Taste 3/1 Bottle. Looks: Deep opaque brown with a tone finger head. Aroma: Vanilla, bourbon alcohol and molasses. Taste: Vanilla, molasses, chocolate, oak and bourbon. Quite good.