Cerise

Beer Name: Founders Cerise
Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
ABV: 6.5%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a tumbler
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Bottled 5/15/12

For those of you that don't speak Russian, "cerise" is French for cherry. As such, I am expecting this beer to be filled with cherry goodness.

Cerise is a deep ruby red beer, sort of the color of cranberry juice. It poured with just over a finger of fluffy pink head, which faded away pretty quickly but still left a good amount of lacing behind. There is a nice cherry aroma, but it's not overdone. There's also a grainy aroma to it, and the combination makes it seem like the beer will be nice and light.

This beer has a whole lot of cherry flavor. However, it's more of a tart cherry flavor than a sweet one, which keeps it from being like a soda or juice. That's not to say it isn't sweet, as it still has a sweetness to it. There's also enough of a malt presence to remind you that this is, in fact, a beer. The carbonation is somewhere in the low to moderate range, and I think the whole experience might improve slightly if there was just a bit more. The finish is sweet, and sticks around just a little too long.

Final thought - This beer is pretty good. As with many fruit beers, there's probably a low limit to the amount you'll be able to drink in a single session. There's just a point where things get too sweet or sticky and it's time for something else. My overall impression is that this is like a cherry #9, with just a bit more happening. And there's nothing wrong with that.

-Jon

Double Trouble

Beer Name: Double Trouble
Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
ABV: 9.4%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a tumbler
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

Editor's note - I actually wrote this a couple weeks ago, but accidentally clicked to save the draft instead of publishing it. I'm sure that everything I wrote back then remains true. Otherwise I wouldn't have written it.

I have had good luck thus far with beer from Founders, so I'm hoping that continues with this hoppy offering. And if not, I've got a variety of other things in the fridge to take the sting away. I've learned that you never want to have no more beers in the house. It's a very sad state of affairs.

Double Trouble is a golden beer, much lighter than most other IPAs that I've encountered. It poured with about a finger and a half of fluffy white head that faded away very slowly leaving a heavy lacing pattern down most of the glass. As a double IPA, the aroma is packing a good amount of hops (citrusy ones if my nose is to be believed), but there's also some grainy malt sweetness. It's a nice aroma, which is a good sign.

The flavor of this beer follows very closely from the aroma. There is a whole lot of hops going on here, but there's also a good amount of bready caramel to help balance it out. The hops are pretty bitter, with a grapefruity quality to them. Each sip has some sweetness at the beginning, and the middle and end are where the hops shine through. There is some lingering bitterness in the aftertaste, but also a bit of sweet malt. There is a low carbonation, and the finish is a bit dry.

Final thought - This was a great beer. I imagine it would pair well with food, but it is enjoyable on its own as well. I'll have to check out Founders' other IPAs, just to have something a little less strong. If they're as good as this one, things will be good.

-Jon

Founders Porter

Beer Name: Founders Porter
Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
ABV: 6.5%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle in a snifter
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: ?/23/11... first part was illegible

I already know I'm late to the Founders party, although I'm probably still here before most of the people that read these posts. Especially the Blue Moon drinkers. Suck on that, BMC drinkers! (Look at me, I'm a beer hipster.)

Founders Porter is a nice dark porter, nearly black. It was poured for me with a thin layer of head that faded rather quickly, leaving just a small ring around the outside. A small amount clung to the glass in a light lacing pattern, but for the most part this was not a heady beer. The aroma is fantastic, a big roasty affair with dark chocolate and coffee and malts in abundance.

Those chocolate and coffee flavors from the aroma come through nicely in each sip. Roasted chocolate and roasted coffee take center stage, with just a bit of bitterness in the end. There is a pretty big mouthfeel here, but the carbonation is low enough to keep things drinkable. As it warmed, the bitterness came through a little more noticeably. I started the beer before my meal arrived, and then finished it as I ate, and it was fine both ways.

Final thought - What a great porter. I enjoy roasted flavors, but some porters are above and beyond that threshold, and pretty much need to be paired with food to help balance that out. This one worked very well with food, but it was also fine on its own. I think I'll have to be looking for some more Founders brews tomorrow at T&V.

-Jon

Breakfast Stout

Beer Name: Founders Breakfast Stout
Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
ABV: 8.3%
Serving method: 12-oz draft (?) in a stemmed pilsner glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown

I think this was on draft, but I can't be sure because I didn't see it poured. It felt drafty though, so that's what I'm going with. This beer is supposed to be one of the best beers brewed in America, and I've been searching for it for a few weeks now. Unfortunately, it's a seasonal, and it's very popular apparently, which makes it tough to acquire.

Founders Breakfast Stout is a very dark beer, basically black. It arrived with just over a finger of thick head, which faded very slowly and left a heavy lacing pattern on the glass. This beer has a delicious coffee aroma along with some cocoa and roasted malts. My experience with many stouts is that they benefit nicely from being allowed to warm up a little, so I just sat and smelled it for a few minutes. I probably looked like a weirdo.

The first few sips were dominated by bitter coffee flavors, with the other roasted flavors in the background. Those were primarily chocolate, but there were other roasted malts as well, along with something grainy, like oatmeal. The beer has a very thick mouthfeel. It's lightly carbonated, and very smooth. The aftertaste has a little bitterness, and then that fades away leaving a pleasant coffee flavor that lasts for a while.

Final thought - This beer was definitely worth the search, and next fall I'm going to have to get out there early and get myself some more. It had all the best qualities of a good stout, and only a little bit of bitterness that might upset the more sensitive palettes out there. Perhaps next time I'll have to have one with breakfast.

-Jon