Founders Barrel Aged Reds Rye

Brewed by Founders Brewing Company
Style: Specialty Grain
Grand Rapids, Michigan USA

Pour at Founders Fest 2009. Pours a murky caramel color with a creamy off-white froth. Sweet perfumey aroma, strong vanilla and bourbon. Flavor follows, perfumey, lots of barrel, strong vanilla, some faded hops, a bit spicy. Founders barrel aging is very aggressive and really overshadows the beer thats in there. Medium bodied with a lighter mouth-feel, larger but soft fizzy carbonation.

Sampled draft at the brewpub (Grand Rapids, MI). Pours an iced tea reddish brown with decent offwhite head that dies to a film, still laces and clings well. Aromas throw decent rye malts, caramel, light barrel character, floral hop profile seems more subdued than the base. Initial goes from rye malt to sweet to a bit of a bourbon, oak, and dry finish. Light vanilla, booziness, with good bitterness in the finish from the hops.

On tap at Founders. Aroma just isnt real strong. What is there is a faint rye and apple mix. theres a slight woodsy earthiness that shows itself in the flavor and the aroma, but there again, the flavor doesnt jump out either. Slight tang in the finish.

On tap at Founders. Pours a reddish copper and has thin aromas of rye, apple and oak. Flavor has a bit of a sharp alcohol bite in addition to rye caramel or something sweet. Ilike the regular Red’s better.

On tap at Founders Taproom. Opaque ruby red with a small white head. Very nice fresh hop aroma with big orange citrus notes. Flavor is very complex with smooth oak, citrus (grapefruit and pineapple), pine, sweet caramel malts, and vanilla. Finish is spicy and bitter, but not overwhelming. An excellent brew.

On tap at the 2009 Founder’s Black Party. Copper pour with a dense white head and good lacing. Cereal, caramel, pepper, oak, and vanilla notes. The bourbon aging is much more subtle in this than the other Founders barrel-aged beers. Sticky, medium body with lots of carbonation.

On tap at the brewery. A little more oakiness and bourbon flavors than the original Red’s and a little smoother than the original. Great aroma and appearance. Another wonderful brew from the folks at Founders!!

On tap at the brewery. Bourbon and malt aromas, reddish with a minimal head. Lighter flavor than the regular red for some reason. Dominated by bourbon and wood. Hops is somewhat lost. Dryish, orange notes. Thin and a bit watery. Short duration. I like the regular reds rye a lot more.