Founders Harvest Ale

Brewed by Founders Brewing Company
Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
Grand Rapids, Michigan USA

This is easily the wettest fresh hop beer I’ve had. The hop "flavor" is very strong here, but it hits the tongue totally differently than with a typical IPA (or really anything else) and the fresh hop cocks the mouthfeel sideways into an oily mess of awesomeness. Nose is an exotic blend of strawberries, upper peninsula deciduous forest, and mid-grade reefer. Appearance is very light, thin, and clear, even for an IPA, not a case where you’d expect it to lace the glass pretty hard, but it actually did lace nicely. Tastes more or less just how it smells, but with more hop bite. Harvest ales are a favorite of mine, and this is definitely at the top end of the category. Awesome awesome brew.

12oz bottle via trade. Pours a cloudy bright golden color with a one-finger white head that leaves a little foam on top and good lacing. Aroma is fresh and citrusy with orange, lemon, sweet malt, and even a little funk. Flavor is citric with orange, lemon, and peach, with sweet malt and a little bretty tartness that works well. Not terribly hoppy, but you get some bitterness on the finish. Body is medium-light and palate is extremely crisp. Drinkability is ridiculous. This is a beer you could have many of with no problem at all.

Pours a hazy gold with a medium head. Aromas of pine and cirtus. Flavors of fresh piny hops with a slight bitterness. Nice bitter finish grapefuit finish. Very drinkable and delicious.

Bottle. Pours a candy amber with a medium sized creamy white head. Really big citrus, lightly musky and earthy, with some nice grapefruit tones. Medium bodied, creamy, nice malt and spicy hops. Nice long smooth bitter finish with big grapefruit tones and nice smooth spiciness.

Bottle. This is a sexy pour, metallic orange with a head that cakes the side of the glass with adhesive foam. The aroma is hard to place -- citrus, for sure, but there’s something else -- peach blossom? -- dandelions? The same mysterious flavor rides into the flavor, an floral component that is unusual, but quite pleasant, with a very spring-like character. (#3772, 12/20/2009)

Pours hazy golden with a white head. Aroma is fresh, citrusy, slightly piny, floral hops. Flavor is a great mixture of citrus fruit, grapefruit, pine resin, and hints of spice. Very good.

Bottle in Cleveland. Pours orange with a white head, some rentation and lacing. Aroma is lots of citrus and fruit, taste is very hoppy with some citrus notes.

Pours a golden orange with a decent white head that fades rather quickly into a thin layer of foam. Plenty of lacing left in the wake of this one. Smells like an English ipa to me. Sweet and fruity aroma of orange, grapefruit, pineapple, and lemon, with some caramel, and a hint of floral hops. The flavor is a little on the sweet side, but full of citrus and tropical fruit, and fresh hops. Slightly woody and herbal. The finish is bitter, but not as much as I had expected. Dense body with mellow carbonation.