Founders Porter

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

Wow. Never is a long time, but that’s the last time I had a bad Founders beer. And this has got to be one of the best, if not THE best. Tons of roasty chocolately flavor, full body, great aroma... just perfect.

Wow. Deep Black. Sharp coffee grounds and a hint of clean soap aroma. Oh the flavor is good. Dark roasted coffee, smoke, sweet malt, bright, bitter and sour all at the same time. Kind of a paradox in a bottle. Well balanced, easy drinking and complex all at the same time.

A black appearance with a tan head. The aroma contains a lot of coffee, chocolate and some licorice. The flavor contains some mocha, chocolate, coffee. The finish is quite bitter on this one. Overall a well done porter for those who like it bitter!

Sampled from a 12 oz brown bottle this beer poured thick, black and oily with a small very dark brown head. The aroma was moderately sweet chocolate and bitter coffee. The flavor was very bitter and roasty with full malts and a strong, somewhat rough fruity hop presence. The finish was very long, bitter and roasty. The body was thick and full. A bit too dry and roasty for my taste. Good.

THOUGHTS: A really nice porter. It was similar to Anchor Porter, but not quite the same. Also slightly like Weyerbacher Raspberry Imperial Stout without all the raspberry. Just great really. I can’t really explain it. Everything just comes together well. It’s like dessert and coffee after the meal. I need to get more. I only bought a single bottle, but this is worthy of a case purchase. I gave it a bonus point for being greater than the sum of it’s parts. I highly recommend this to porter, stout and beer fans in general. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a dark brown that was an opaque black in the glass with an average, light brown (the darkest I’ve ever seen on a porter) head that mostly diminished, but left good lacing. Th aroma was moderate to heavy strong coffee, dark chocolate, roasted and burnt malts, and slight cream. The initial flavor was sweet and lightly bitter; while the finish was more sweeter and more bitter with an average to long duration. There was Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate, a little fruit, coffee, roasted malt, a little burnt malt and a little hops. There was as much coffee bitterness as there was hop bitterness and it was hard to tell where one started and the other ended. The medium body was silky with very tingly carbonation and a light astringent and lightly metallic finish.

Solid black color with a thick tan head. Mocha and roast aroma, mostly sweet. Taste is an excellent bitter chocolate and roast coffee. The strong coffee taste does not linger very long at all which is nice, but the body is pretty thin.

12 oz bottle, from miketd. Pours a very dark brown body with a nice one finger frothy dark brown head that left some nice lacing. Great depth to the nose, lots of milk and bitter chocolate, roast, coffee, licorice, and a good bit of hops as well. The hops grab me up front with dry roasty and chocolate malt taking over towards the back end. A good deal of licorice and burnt malt lingering. I like this, but it’s not among my favorite Porters. Too roasty and burnt, I want something more chocolaty and less hoppy. Mouthfeel is is medium bodied with a very dry, almost ashy feel to it. And to think that I wanted this for so long? It’s a bit of a disappointment.

One of,the best Porters I’ve had. The nose is brimming with warm chocolate, espresso grounds, and a touch of licourice. Through the palate the same thread of cocao powder and roasted malt found in the breweries more powerful dark offerings can be found. This porter gives the up front impression of weight and holds, as the round body offers a degree of polish. As we finish the palate lightens up gradually as the bubbles give this beer and uncanny lift. Warm chocolate, slight mission fig sweetness and hop spice linger. 95