Founders Pale Ale

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

This was surprisingly dry. It came across almost like a pilsner in flavor because of that. There’s that pale malt flavor that keeps it from being entirely pilsner like, but it’s definitely dry for a pale ale. Less hop aroma than expected from the "dry hopped" moniker.

Bottle from Archer Liquors. Amber gold color with a huge, frothy white head. Citric/floral hop aroma. Medium body with creamy/frothy carbonation. Flavor is fruity/hoppy over light caramel. Well balanced - it could be an ESB. Finishes extremely tasty - smooth and bitter. Just a joy to drink.

Bottle. Pours a clear golden body with a foamy off-white head that laces nicely. Aroma is light but not uncomplex. Initially its a pleansantly sweet fruity aroma, slightly citirc, fresh hops, then the underlying malt is caramel, but so smoothly sweet that you could swear it was maple or vanilla, and maybe even slightly chocolate. The flavor was the perfect balance of fresh hops and fruity sweet caramel malt. I was honestly a little stunned by how well balanced it was. There is no compromise one way or the other. Palate was medium bodied and the carbonation along with the fresh hoppy flavor gave the feeling of unrelenting freshness like having just brushed your teeth or quenched some unslakeable thirst. I’m honestly didn’t expect this from a pale ale.

Good fresh hop aroma. Pretty light, lightly sweet malts backed up with a hoppy finish. Decent.

Found some old notes. (9/29/07). Bottle. Pours a hazy orange gold. Orange zest nose with some grassy notes to it. Flavors follow adding a lot of bready malt flavors.

Bottle: Hazy deep orange pour with a dense white film of head. Light zesty citrus hop notes in the aroma along with light plasticy phenols and apparent cookie-like malt character. Medium carbonation. Cookie-like malt body gives a light sweetness with a mild citrus character. Some zesty notes, and relatively unassertive overall. It could use less carbonation. I don’t think this bottle was too fresh, but it seemed like an OK APA.

Seems underrated to me. Aroma isn’t much - really green, really sharp. But the flavor!! Opens like apple juice, mid palate like champagne, and a finish smoother and crisper (and drier) than Alpha King. I think aside from the aroma, this is the best Pale Ale made in the US today.

Nice drawing of 1920s beauty on the label. Nice big head, but below average aroma, with some soap and herbs. My bottle might have been a little off. The flavor is dry and a fairly sharp, with hints of grapefruit pith. A lot of Cascade hops for a PA, and some light floral flavors too. Foamy with a tingly mouthfeel. An interesting and full flavored pale ale.