Founders Backwoods Bastard

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

Bottled. A deep red beer with a thin light tan head. The aroma has notes of malt, caramel, wood, and whiskey. The flavor is sweet with strong notes of bourbon as well as medium notes of caramel and wood, and a slightly burnt edge. Thanks Papsoe for sharing.

(Bottle 35,5 cl) Courtesy of pepsican. Pours a slightly hazy reddish amber with tiny floating impurities and a small, creamy yellowish head. Distinct sweet bourbon aroma. Medium-bodied with sweet caramel and fruit, a little spicy with the bourbon notes really shining through leading to a somewhat boozy finish. A little low in carbonation. Very pleasant. 220808

12 fl oz bottle. Pours cloudy golden amber with a lacing tan head. Wineous and barley dense aroma. Flavour is sweet and dense malty. Smooth chocolate and vanilla flavours nicely balance the dense barley and alcohol notes. Lingering chocolate and vanilla finish.

Bottle 12fl.oz.
Alc. 8.7%. Clear medium to dark red amber color with a average, frothy, good lacing, mostly lasting, beige head. Aroma is moderate to light heavy malty, caramel, milk cholate notes, light whisky, alcohol. Flavor is moderate to heavy sweet and moderate bitter with a long to average duration. Body is medium to full, texture is oily, carbonation is soft. (220808)

Date: February 09, 2007
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, Extreme Beer
Vintage: 2007
Appearance: muddy brown
Aroma: rich woody malt aroma
Overall: rich sweet whiskey covers up most everything else, still a bit of the rich malt left to fight through, woody bitterness in the finish

Date: December 21, 2007
Mode: bottle
Source: trade
Vintage: 2007
Score: 3.4 to 3.6
Appearance: clear dark ruby red, fine tan head, drippy lace
Aroma: sweet bourbon and vanilla aroma balanced by oak with a hint of the underlying dark caramel malt
Flavor: rich caramel malt flavor with lots of bourbon character, nice vanilla sweetness, earthyness blended with the oaky character, the oak continues to grow and offers lots of balance to the sweet caramel and vanilla

Date: November 01, 2008
Mode: bottle
Source: cellar tasting
Vintage: 2007
Aroma: sweet dark caramel aroma with lots of oaky earthyness
Flavor: caramel and bourbon sweetness in the flavor is well tempered by the earthyness and oak
Overall: much drier and earthier than the 2008 in a side by side comparision

Date: November 01, 2008
Mode: bottle
Source: cellar tasting
Vintage: 2008
Score: 3.6 to 3.8
Aroma: sweet dark caramel aroma with a touch of vanilla for extra sweetness
Flavor: lots of sweet caramel and bourbon flavor, vanilla adds to the sweetness
Overall: much sweeter than the 2007 in a side by side comparision

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 16/20
Rating: 3.8/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

Murky reddish-brown with no head. Very whiskeyish aroma with chewy earthiness underneath. Lots of vanilla and bourbon. Light caramel notes as well. It’s burly, but I’m not sure what they are trying to do. The base beer and the barrel don’t really ever find common ground here and it comes across the palate a muddled mess.

(12oz bottle, thanks eclectic) Small beige head with clear copper body. Aroma is moderately sweet, grapefruit, Bourbon, smoke, some caramel. Taste is moderately sweet, grapefruit/orange, caramel, smoke, some alcohol (light burn). Sticky medium-full body.

(Draught) Pours a clear amber body with a small beige head. Aroma of caramel, brown sugar, vinous, and vanilla. Flavor of hops (orange, grapefruit), caramel malt, dark fruits, and toffee.