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For those who crave the new and what to see what barrel magic Founders Brewing Co. is up to, well a new one is running towards customers.
Barrel Runner will be the 4th installment in the 2018 Barrel-Aged Series. The beer is “a mosaic-hopped ale aged in rum”.
“Barrel Runner will be available in 4-packs of 12 oz bottles and 750mL bottles beginning in June through August. It will have an SRP of $14.99/4-pack and $11.99/750mL bottle.”
To celebrate reaching the 20-year mark Founders Brewing will release Tank Bender in October. And it will be big.
Tank Bender is a barrel-aged eisbock that literally bent one of their fermentation tanks in the process of being brewed, due to collapsing ice.
The brewery describes the beer as having “toasty and dark fruit notes while a stay in bourbon barrels tames those intense flavors.”
750-milliliter bottles will be available on October 14th, both individually, and in special gift sets with glassware.
If ever a beer screamed for 8oz or 10oz bottles, then KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout) is one of those beers.
Out of the 22oz bomber bottle, the beer pours a super dark brown. I get the beer equivalent of a Mounds bar. Milk chocolate to spare along with a touch of near coconut sweetness. There is a bit of oak barrel note behind that initial chocolate bar start. It is not a sweet beer per se either. Not much bitterness though coffee is promised on the label. Has both a smoothness to it but also a bite as well. It doesn’t take too much of this beer to show its full effects. It is not a little beer.
I would find a molten lava cake and pair it with that. Just full on embrace the decadence of it.
Kosmicki certainly is amazing.
(Thanks to Founders Brewing for the bottle)
In the Undoing Project, Michael Lewis relates the story of Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, two Israeli psychologists who asked the question, “How does the mind work?” But they looked at the question from the point of view of decision making.
By pushing together various fields into psychology this unlikely duo was able to come up with some extremely contrary, at the time, findings about how we humans choose.
I usually find no fault in a Lewis book. Moneyball was a fascinating look at the person and the process at the same time. The Big Short took a complicated economic problem and made it so relatable that a movie was made from it.
Undoing though starts with a really long ramble about an NBA general manager that, to me, only tangentially connects to the two people in the book and from that point on, Lewis seems to be split between focusing on the theory or the people behind it. The two halves just don’t fit together even though the pair’s working relationship is fascinating and their work is too.
To pair with this book, you need to travel to the places in America where they did work. Eugene, Oregon, Michigan and the Bay Area….
Ninkasi Believer Double Red Ale – “Multiple kinds of caramel malts are used to create caramel, toffee, date, fig, subtle chocolate, and a hint of roasted malt complexity. The hops lend to an earthy and floral hoppiness to balance the malt. The balance of the two aspects with the alcohol content make for an incredibly drinkable and full-flavored beer.”
Founders Palm Reader – “A tribute to our beautiful state, this refreshing ale is made with Michigan-grown Crystal and Zuper-Saazer hops. Derived from Saaz, a traditional noble hop hailing from the Czech Republic, these Zuper-Saazer hops, grown locally at Hophead Farms, impart intense and fruity aromas. Combined with the citrus notes of the Crystal hops and the simple malt bill, this beer is crisp, bright and delicious.”
or you could get a Berkeley beer from Fieldwork. A nod to conducting trials outside the lab. Maybe one of their Field Trial beers or their Golden Ruel DIPA.
For my October suggestions, it’s a wide style variety. The complexity of brett and wood to the clean and crisp of a Midwestern Pils before heading to Japan for some salt and fruit from Hitachino Nest.
~LIGHT
Eagle Rock/ Woodwork #2 5.40% ABV
“Beginning with ERB’s “Unionist” as a base, this beer is aged on red wine barrels and bottle-conditioned with Brettanomyces.”
~MEDIUM
Founders/ PC Pils 5.50% ABV
“Pleasantly crisp, perfectly clean and profoundly crushable, PC Pils is our take on the classic Pilsner style. While Noble hops have been the preferred choice of Pilsner brewers around the world, we went with some of our favorite American varieties. Piney Chinook, pleasantly citrus Cascade and punchy Centennial make this an easy-drinker with floral hop characteristics.”
~DARK
Hitachino/ Anbai Ale 7.50% ABV
“Anbai literally means “Salty Plum” and the word is also used to describe the stat of taste and flavor. Ii Anbai means “just right”! Hitachino Nest Anbai Ale is brewed based on the high alcohol version (7%) of the signature beer Hitachino Nest White Ale, infused with locally grown green sour plum (ume), and finished up with a pinch of Japanese sea salt (moshio).”
I have been slowly going through the Founders line of beers that are in L.A. now and enjoying them. Now there might be another to look for on shelves….
I like the idea of pairing coffee with hops. Hard to do but maybe this will find the right balance.
Our final February featured review is Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale from Founders Brewing.
This is a sipping beer for sure I cracked open a window for air, cued up Sleepy Hollow episodes and opened the Bastard to see what a Michigan Scotch Ale is like (and also to see if I wanted to buy the Backwoods Bastard).
The beer is a dark brown with a reddish tint. Getting a medicinal, quinine aroma off of the beer but the taste moves in a different direction. It starts a bit sweet but then drops into a dry, burnt butterscotch/caramel end. A bit of harsh alcohol taste emerges too. Not quite digging this. It feels heavy to drink. Maybe a 4oz pour would be better.
Founders bottle release reviews started with the Centennial IPA and now move on to the Dry Hopped Pale Ale.
The Pale pours a clear orange with a head that is foamy initially but quickly settles down to a small rim of white bubbles.It is orange and bready on the nose.
And then a good sting of hops strikes you at the top of each sip. This beer doesn’t have a load of IBU’s but it comes across as quite bitter with a note of orange peel.
It is more bracing than many pale ales and for that matter many IPA’s and I find that to be refreshing.
Founders showed up in L.A. last month and I have had a few of their beers on tap but this is my first bottled brew bought in California.
Let’s see how they stack up in the tiny bit crowded IPA marketplace….
This is one of the darkest IPAs in recent memory. Very reddish/orange. My tastebuds are way to accustomed to extra West Coast bitters so I have to review with care because there is a definite hop difference. Mostly in amount. There is a tea like lightness here. The bitterness is there but not palate numbing. There is orange peel as well but overall this is not complex.
I am tilting more to lighter, sessionable IPAs that have more of a tropical kick and this has classic IPA written all over it so it is closer to my wheelhouse than bolder versions in the marketplace. I still prefer the Mosaic Promise from Founders more because it is more lively and less malt heavy.
Now I need to get some Backwoods Bastard.
Since Founders is now around town in finer craft beer shoppes and taps, I was able to speak with one of the co-founders, Dave Engbers, the other day to talk about and get a feel for the way they do things in Michigan.
I have written a more general piece for Food GPS but there were some odds & ends that I found interesting to relate.
~They have given their brewers, including brewmaster Jeremy Kosmicki a long leash when it comes to experimenting.
~The R&D team of the two founders + brewmaster + three other trusted members are the final gatekeeper for many beers but they also use their “taproom as a focus group” too.
~Engbers is quite aware of the “bad beer out there” and has