Founders Barrel Aged Porter

Brewed by Founders Brewing Company
Style: Imperial/Strong Porter
Grand Rapids, Michigan USA

Name: Bourbon Porter
Date: 08/09/2008
Mode: Draft
Source: Brewfest, Great Taste

Appearance: black, creamy tan head,
Aroma: sweet chocolate and bourbon aroma with extra vanilla sweetness to make a bourbon candy,
Flavor: rich chocolate flavor, great bourbon character, touch of heat, light balancing bitterness,

Aroma: 9/10; Appearance: 8/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 7/10; Overall: 18/20
Rating: 4.3/5.0
Drinkability: 9/10
Score: ***4

(Draught) Pours a dark brown body with a small beige head. Aroma of strong vanilla extract, bourbon, toffee, nuts, and caramel. Flavor of bourbon, toffee, vanilla, and chocolate with subtle bitterness in the finish.

On tap at the Great Taste of the Midwest (8/9/08): Pours an oily opaque with a dark beige and thin-lacing head. Smooth dark chocolate nose has a great balance of bourbon and mild roastiness. Body starts with good fullness and sweet dark caramel and bourbon flavor toward a smooth finish. Nicely aged and balanced.

Draft sample at MBGF Summer08. Poured a black color with a moderate frothy brown head that mostly lasted with excellent lacing. Moderate to heavy roasted, coffee, nutty and woody bourbon aroma. Medium to full body with a creamy texture. Medium to heavy bittersweet flavor with a medium bittersweet tingly finish of moderate duration. Solid standout brew.

2008 MiBGF: Very dark with a solid head and good lace. The aroma has notes of chocolate, vanilla, walnut, char, oaky and a hint of booze. The taste is very balance with a twangy cherry and lacto note above a layer of dark sweet malts and a bourbon barrel finish. Slightly syrupy and heavy oily mouth feel, surprising for the genre for sure. A very YUMMY brew!

On tap at GTMW. Poured black with a creamy, deep brown head.. nice. The aroma picked up rich dark chocolate and vanilla upfront.. toasty oak and sweet bourbon joined the chocolate on the back-end. The flavor had dark chocolate all over with a very good bourbon/barrel impression (sweet vanilla and tasty bourbon were quite well integrated and let the malts do their thing).. drier finish picked up some coffee bitterness. Medium-bodied and well-balanced on the palate with spicy oak on the memorable finish. Excellent brew!

GTMW 2008. The beer pours to a pitch black body with a tan head. The aroma is milk chocolate and vanilla. Sweet. The flavor is roasted black patent, light licorice, sweet milk chocolate and dark chocolate chips. Vanilla and oak. Rich sweet palate with a full body and nice texture and great coating.

on tap at GTMW ’08. pours black with tan head. oaky and bourbon, chocolate aroma. much of the same in the flavor, rough around the edges. i prefer the non-barrel aged one cuz the hop character in that is lost here.