Founders Bad Habit Belgian Quad - Founders Brewing Company

Bierguy5

Ohio

3.9/5  rDev +8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On tap at the Founders tasting @ Dilly Deli. Cloudy, chestnut/copper in color, almost seems a bit light. Thin off-white foamy head disappears quick. Fruity and spicy notes in the aroma. Slightly caramel malt backbone with an abundance of fruit, apple, pineapple, orange. Some spices also thrown in. Medium body, with appropriate carbonation. Very drinkable, alcohol is not noticable. Overall, nicely done. Didn't have the dark bready character that appear in some, but still nice. Would be interesting to see how this develops.

Serving type: on-tap

09-22-2006 02:27:18 | More by Bierguy5

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I sampled this at the Michigan Brewers Guild Summer Fest.

A: Brownish-amber, off-white head, no retention or lace.

S: Prune, bread, slight spice/phenolic aroma, pleasant fruityness (pineapple & melon).

T: Prune; bread; spicey, but not too phenolic or fusil; a little pineapple & melon; fig; alcohol becomes more assertive as it warms.

M: Light to moderate carbonation, moderate to full body, slight hint of acidity.

D: Good.

Serving type: on-tap

08-13-2006 19:29:16 | More by Derek

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.6/5  rDev +27.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

La Cave Du Vin in Cleveland had this on tap this week. I never heard of it before I tried it, and now I hope they start distributing it in bottles so I can have more.

Dark orange color with wispy sticky head, candy sweet aroma and awesome Belgian-yeasty flavor. They told me it was 12% alcohol, but it was hard to taste it. Went down really easy.

Get it if you can find it.

Serving type: on-tap

01-28-2006 15:19:12 | More by TurdFurgison

Frozensoul327

Michigan

3.6/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap, at the source. Presented a deep brownish bronze color with a small head of foam. Low carbonation. Aromas of candied sugar and sweet malts lead a nice assault on the nose. The taste was a bit of a letdown, as the flavors were rather bland. Definite sweet syrup notes, some maple and malt, a touch of hops. Maybe a touch of grain. Mouthfeel was slightly syrupy and thicker than I'm used to for the style. At 12% ABV, I can't complain about the drinkability. Worth a sample.

Serving type: on-tap

01-18-2006 22:41:16 | More by Frozensoul327

sopor

Oregon

3.85/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

It strikes me that Founders needs to be bottling this stuff, I would love to add another bad habit to my list.
The chalkboard at the brewery only listed 10.5% abv, but I left there in a less than sober state of mind, and could be wrong.

Bad Habit is dark amber brown with creamy head that leaves a lovely splat & ring in the Pils glass it was served in. Minimal nose of candy/caramel sweetness.

Candy sweetness with some hints of marshmallow and chocolate and a slight abcking of grainy malt. Alcohol is definitely present with slight hop bittering. Not very complex, though it was getting more complex as it warmed. One BA told me that they like to order this and one other beer at the same time, to allow this beer time to warm up. Not a bad idea!

Moderate but "fluffy" body due to decent carbonation coming alive on the tongue. Very tast brew but not to be taken lightly due to the ABV. I hope Founders decides to bottle this brew, perhaps they have been experimenting with it on tap first?

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2005 11:16:31 | More by sopor

granger10

Wisconsin

3.95/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It was a little disappointing to see this beer comes from the tap and have no head on it considering it's a Belgian but that didn't really seem to detract from the flavors of the beer. It was quite a darker color than I thought it would be as well. It was good to see it put in a proper glass for the style. The beer was really on the sweet side. Lots and lots of Belgian candy sugar seemed to go into this one. It verges on cloying but isn't. There's also some caramel flavors and a husky grainy taste to it. Hops come forth in the finish along with some spicy yeast flavors. Alcohol isn't really that noticeable considering this beer's strength. Went down quite easily. I liked it. My only problem was the price, $5 for 8 oz. Oh well.

Serving type: on-tap

04-11-2004 21:41:03 | More by granger10

CRJMellor

Arkansas

4/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a deep maroon with brown highlights with little to no head. Carbonation very evident with small bubbles jumping off the bottom of the tulip and racing for freedom.
Aroma was heavy Belgian candy sugar, brown sugar, spicy yeast and some coriander and orange peel.
Flavor was sweet candy sugar, caramel, citrus orange hints some spicy yeast and hint of bitterness on the end.
Mouthfeel was very pleasant and wonderfully smooth throughout with a dry alocohol finish. Ever so slight cloying sweetness on the end which really didn't add or detract from the feel.
Drinkability was very high for 10.5% ABV, so watch out.

Serving type: on-tap

02-22-2004 17:25:46 | More by CRJMellor

mikesgroove

South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +25%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

murky orange brown with a large three finger high head of thick gooey and sticky lace that really clung around for a good long while before finlly settling down

The aroma was very bourbonesque with a weird almost off color woodiness to it that was difficult to place. As it warmed some other almost fuity like aromas started to come out with hints of figs, and plums really dominating the profile as it came up to room temperature. Lots of dark fruity flavors were the favorites here and really served to push the envelope a little bit in try to bring out some of the other flavors. There was a nice and very deep underlying earthy flavor that really seemed to ry to bring balance to the whole thing, however this was comletely thrown out one the alcohol flavors decided to get involved and really flex their muscles, and flex they did completly overpwoering the rest of it until it warmed enough to allow the subtle hints of fruity yeast to trounce back to the surface.

Serving type: bottle

08-24-2011 03:13:30 | More by mikesgroove

dgfair

North Carolina

2.63/5  rDev -26.9%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

12 oz bottle poured into Chimay goblet.

Pours a very flat hazy cloudy baby poop brown color. Decent amount of floating matter in the glass, and the tiny bubbles around the edge of the glass don't add much appeal.

The smell is very interesting after 6 or so years in the bottle. At first it smells like a cognac with nutty notes and cherry booziness. Then I get whiffs of pure apple cider. There is also a definite cardboard mustiness, but nothing really overtakes the surprising fruity booziness. Lots of apple, cherry, banana, and alcohol ester.

Taste is downright abrasive and not in a good way. Rotten banana, booze, rancid cider, and wet cardboard. Age has not been kind to this one. This is the last bottle from the cellar and that is probably a good thing. I remember this one being boozy when fresh, but I am shocked at how boozy it still is. Booze and off flavors is all that is left here.

The mouth is flat and oily...definitely well past its prime. If Founders decides to make a quad again, I will most certainly try it, but this beer is happily retired.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2011 02:09:21 | More by dgfair

ShadesOfGray

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Got via trade(thanks FlandersNed)...pours a deep cloudy/hazy brown. Unfortunately little to no head...just a thin ring on the surface.

Aroma is strong! Heavy dark, over-ripe fruits...definitely raisins. Complex and boozy scent. Heavy roasted malts and a tad oaky.

Flavor is a little weird...if I may say so. At first, not much at all...just Belgian yeast, roasted malts, and small notes of dark candy...but then a very strong raisin flavor rushes over and over the tongue and down the throat, along with the booze burn. The raisin flavor is a little overwhelming and almost ruins the flavor. It adds a little TOO much complexity.

It's no doubt a sweet flavor and full bodied...not easy to drink. Not the best example of a Belgian Quad, and not my favorite Founders brew by far...but worth trying.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2009 02:56:51 | More by ShadesOfGray

brentk56

North Carolina

3.33/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: Pours an apricot nectar color with burnt orange highlights; the modest amount of foam quickly declines to a ringlet

Smell: Fig, bubblegum and a dollop of toffee

Taste: Figgy, up front, but a souring medicinal element kicks in rather quickly; by mid-palate, however, a caramel sweet tone starts to subsume the other flavors, while adding a fusel alcohol character to the fray; after the swallow, the alcohol and fruit flavors buttress the finish

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with low carbonation

Drinkability: Age has not been particularly kind to this beer; though the complexity is intriguing, it is all over the map and the sum is not equal to the parts

Serving type: bottle

10-15-2009 01:09:34 | More by brentk56

drumrboy22

Colorado

3.8/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12oz. bottle into a Westvleteren chalice. Beer was a clear, copper color with a very small, light brown head. Light carbonation and lacing.

Aroma was very sweet. Notes of apple, brown sugar and toffee.

Taste was also very sweet. Dark fruit, candi sugar and a slightly spicy finish.

Serving type: bottle

06-12-2009 05:57:24 | More by drumrboy22

Oxymoron

Colorado

2.93/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Common examples include: procrastination, fidgeting, overspending, nail-biting - Wikipedia. Pours a very clear amber red color with a light brown hue through out. A little light for style but ok. A soft fizzy head that hid to the edge of the glass and not much for lacing.

The nose is sweet, even for a quad. A candy like sugar nose up front with some minor sweet caramel and malty undertones. Not really depth or complexity. Very limited yeast aromas, too clean in a way. Some minor plums and figs notes but subtle. Some minor medicinal and light metallic/coiny notes but light.

The taste is bit more on style but still lacks that distinct Quad taste. The malt is sweet with sugary note and a mild caramel malt taste. Limited overall, I would like to see more depth and body. The esters come out a bit more versus the nose. Some plums and raisins with a light sweet orange flavor. A bit too clean for yeast but only minor off notes. Light plastic/medicinal, no where near the nose. Some minor alcohol, very clean considering the ABV.

The body is moderate to moderate full. Really lacking the depth and complexity that I would like for a quad. Carbonation is light but ok. Some warming from the alcohol, but mostly clean. Overall, easy enough to drink but just needs to take a step further with the malt and yeast temps to add that complexity.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2009 21:38:26 | More by Oxymoron

onix1agr

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

12oz bottle poured into a regular snifter, recieved as an extra. Not sure when this was brewed.

A- Bad Habit pours a dirty tan color out of the bottle while settling to a dark brown/ mahogany color once in the glass. Some debris can be seen also. Up to light a nice deep orange bronze color. Not much head and no lacing.

S- Smell consists of a bunch of dried fruit with apples and a off caramel malt sense. A bunch of alcohol as well. Toffee with syrup. A bit of a candi essense. Some raisin with warming and some plum.

T- Starting off I got a nice apple taste with caramel from the malt following and of course some alcohol, that can't be denied. The toffee came with warming along with even more sweetness with raisins which did not mesh well.

M- This quad was a bit lively once first opened but quickly lost it's feel and became quite flat. I prefer this in very small sips as anything more and your in for sweet alcohol. A step above medium bodied.

D- The flavors don't collide well leaving me scratching my head. I'm glad I tried it but won't miss it. Hopefully founders releases a revamped version later in time, as this bottle may be past it's prime(Not sure the year on this).

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2009 05:14:50 | More by onix1agr

FtownThrowDown

Ohio

3.1/5  rDev -13.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Pours a very opaque and muddy brownish red in color. No head forms at all on the pour. You can immediately pick up some fruity tones upon popping the cap. That's where the positives cease. This tastes like a fruity alco-pop. Very fruity and alcoholic. Like a cheap bottle of Mad Dog 20/20. Medium mouthfeel and a somewhat cloying aspect. I love my boys at Founders, but they severly missed with this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2008 00:31:54 | More by FtownThrowDown

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.98/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

nlmartin hooked me up with this one via BC2. Thanks Nate!
Fairly clear and deep reddish orange with a thin skim of foam that formed a solid collar. Some sticky, spotty lace. Significant alcohol in the aroma, but it was fairly mellow with no fusels. Notes of fruity plum, floral hops, toasty and doughy malt filled things out. Very fruity flavour with some sweet malt, plums, strawberry, and a peppery alcohol finish. Some higher alcohols were present. Medium to full bodied with gentle carbonation, warmth and a bit of stickiness. Drinkability was pretty good. I thought the higher alcohols worked for this one, especially since they didn't seem overly hot or solvent-like.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2008 00:25:25 | More by DrJay

blitheringidiot

Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours into a tulip with a quickly settled tan head to coating atop a dark tawny hue offering little bubbles rising to the surface.

Deep plum and sugar syrup scent. Tons of sweetness roll off this surface. Pancake and syrup. Dark fruit scent of fig, cherry and red apple dominate the nose.

First swigs: Touch of root beer meets fig. Sassy quad. complexity derived from a liquorice anise flavor. Warm boozy coating as it goes down. Fruit cake flavors flow from this sipper like the cat's meow. Yeasty belgian strand is in there to give this an authentic style bonus. Perhaps a touch too much candi wasadded to almost push this into a Big Tripel direction.

Feel is full bodied quad with a thick tongue coating. Zippy and buttery. A touch of heat on the palate, no doubt from the 9.8% ABV as touted on the label. Something about the feel was a little beat up and rough.

Last swigs: Bonus points for complexity in the drinkability category. Bad habit hangs in there to really get the quad job done.

Serving type: bottle

01-16-2008 01:27:46 | More by blitheringidiot

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.05/5  rDev -15.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

"Bad habits are like a comfortable bed: easy to get into, but hard to get out of."

--proverb

Harvest orange with butter rum colored trim. Unfortunately, the beige crown is small, soft, less than sticky, fizzy and isn't exactly coating the glass with lace. It's difficult to imagine a Belgian-style ale that looks less Belgian. The high ABV may be a foam killer, but I've seen plenty of high-ABV ales that were more attractive than this.

The aroma sketches the faint outlines of the style when bold brushstrokes are called for. Each sniff delivers cherries and berries macerated in Stolichnaya. If the beer is this boozy now, it must have been something else back in the fall of '06. Will it be more competently buried on the palate?

Founders is one of my favorite American craft breweries. I had to get that in because Bad Habit is not a good quadrupel. In fact, it's a car crash of a big ale that, nevertheless, isn't a *total* loss. Where the hell do I start?

A considerable cherry cough syrup sweetness is cut off at the knees by a rubbing alcohol quality that undermines the whole operation. The remainder of the flavor profile includes butter toffee, black cherry, red raspberry and pink bubblegum. Can BHBQ possibly be brewed with nothing other than malt, hops, yeast and water?

It feels stupid to grant an average taste score since Bad Habit is anything but average in the 'run of the mill' sense. With respect to quality, however, the above score is entirely appropriate. I think I'm starting to hallucinate. Are we sure this stuff isn't 14.8%?

The mouthfeel isn't as big or as sticky as anticipated. It starts out that way, then dissolves into lightly viscous and modestly mouthcoating. A few too many fine bubbles don't help the cause.

Founders is not in the habit of brewing less than delicious beer. However, they missed the mark widely with Bad Habit Belgian Quad. They should either go back to the drawing board or should forget this colorful mess entirely and concentrate on brewing the beers that we all know and love. Breakfast Stout, Kentucky Breakfast Stout, Imperial Stout, Red's Rye, Black Rye, Centennial IPA, Devil Dancer... and on and on and on.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2008 16:54:18 | More by BuckeyeNation

JohnGalt1

Idaho

2.7/5  rDev -25%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2

12oz picked up in trades (sorry I don't remember everyone who has sent me one of these, I promise I am keeping better trading notes now.) Poured into my red wine glass and am still listening to Sasha's Involver mix.

Hazy muddy orange pour... waaaay to big of a head. Lacing is good.. but nothing even remotely great.

Bazooka Joe bubblegum, banana and harsh Belgian yeast spicyness dominate the nose.... sugar syrup with lively fruits.. plums... plums... a little bit nutmeg. Alcohol is hot... If it was warm enough, I could set it on fire.

Flavor is candy sweet... Hefeweizen banana and cloves... too much, way too much fruitiness... I normally need a little sweetness to tie together the Quad flavor nuances, but this is nearly off the charts. Mouthfeel is heavy/thick and cloying... I've been sitting on my last bottle of Bad Habit for close to a year now (thinking that time would do it well) ... My notebook reviews show the same disdain... although, this review is not nearly as bad as when I first had it back in January. I wrote, "Bad Habit needs a recipe reformulation and this bottle needs a LOT longer bottle time". That being said, I would really like to score another 4-6 of these and not touch them for 3-4 years.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2007 09:47:57 | More by JohnGalt1

DIM

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

a: Medium copper in color, slightly hazey. Pour leaves a lovely , frothy white head that lasts and lasts.

s: Alcohol soaked figs or raisins and some brown sugar are the most noticeable, Some sour wheat and cherries appear as it warms.

t: Alcohol and cherries are the dominant flavors here. This is the most flavorful U.S. quad I've had but it's just too much. Some sweet sugary malts are here along with an alcohol burn at the end.

m: The carbonation comes pretty close the genuine Belgian article. It's certainly thick and silky enough for the style.

d: I don't know how old this bottle was but some age might have helped mellow this out. I won't be in a hurry to try this one again.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2007 12:01:27 | More by DIM

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle: Poured a cloudy amber color ale with a small foamy head with minimal retention and some lacing. Aroma of sweet Belgian style malt with some nice notes of toffee. Taste is a nice enough mix between some sweet malt with some toffee and dry fruits characteristics. Body is quite full with some medium carbonation and no alcohol was discernable. Well done overall but lacking some complexities to be on par with the best of the style and maybe a tad too sweet.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2007 19:00:22 | More by Phyl21ca

weeare138

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to egajdzis for breaking this open...
Appears a hazy, orange toned brown with a small, off white head that fades into a small cap. Spotty lacing is left around the glass. Smell is yeasty, boozy, with notes of peach, nectarines, apricots, caramel, and brown sugar.
Taste echoes the aromas with a standout raisin flavor.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied, fruity, yeasty, boozy, sweet up front with a semi-dry finish.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2007 14:22:53 | More by weeare138

MrBen

Ohio

4.38/5  rDev +21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Belgian brews can sometimes be real sugar bombs, but I noted that Founders kept the sugar from leaping over the top of the brew. Bad Habit poured a lovely, rust-like color with a fair head. Scent opened up quickly into sweet and mildly spicy and with a bit of alcohol.

Flavor was candy-like and fruity, but the touch of spice I smelled at the pour carried into the flavor profile, somewhat balancing everything out. I also noted a zing from the hops in the background and in the very long finish.

This limited-edition beer is certainly worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

09-01-2007 00:58:02 | More by MrBen

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

3.55/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A - Hazy orange copper with little head and a ring of lace.

S - Fruity, very sweet and boozy, candy raisins, bubblegum and overripe apples.

T - Bubbleyum bubblegum (sugary), boozy, candy raisins, fruity.

M - Medium but slightly syrupy. Sweet and almost cloying.

D - This one is over 1 yr old and still a boozy sweet bomb. Good but on the sweet side.

Serving type: bottle

08-25-2007 02:42:53 | More by brewcrew76

younger35

Minnesota

3.03/5  rDev -15.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Review #50

Thanks to JohnGalt1 for this brew. Drank from a nonic pint glass since I didn't feel like dirtying my snifter (thing is hard to clean!).

Appearance- Pours a murky reddish brown with heavy carbonation. Lots of yeast swirling around as they are bounced back-and-forth by the carbonation. Forms a very small off-white head that maintains a decent collar for the duration of the beer. Semi spotty lacing slowly traces down the glass while you drink and eventually dissipates to nothing.
Smell- Lots of sweet dark fruits such as cherry, plumb and grapes. Very musty from the yeast and semi bready from the malt. Light alcohol vapors.
Taste- Very sweet upfront. Almost too sweet. Has a malt liquor like quality to me. The alcohol is very prominent. Like the nose, there is still a big fruit punch from this with a almost orangeish like quality to it. There is a cherry like dirtiness to this brew that isn't as horrible as it sounds.
Mouthfeel- Heavy champaign like carbonation with a heavy, malty feel. Lot's of alcohol warming and semi dry finish.
Drinkability- Although this isn't the worst attempt at a Belgium I've had, it wasn't exactly made by a monk. It has some flaws but is not undrinkable by any means. If you're looking to try something different and new in an old style, maybe give this a shot. If you want a terrific quad, find something made by a monk.

Serving type: bottle

08-15-2007 22:15:25 | More by younger35