Founders Rübæus - Founders Brewing Company

Deuane

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Reddish amber with a pink tinged thin white head. Left nice lacing down the glass.

S-Very pleasant twang of sour, tart raspberries.Nothing crazy but it gives you the impression of real fruit and not fake extract garbage.

T-I have always been a sucker for this beer. No annoying cloying sweetness only the sharp, tart tang raspberries. A wee bit of hop bite in the finish...and nicely supported by the pale malt...and not the typical wheat bill!

M-Medium body with a lovely sharp crisp feel. This is a great summer brew.

D-IMHO one of the best sessionable fruit beers out there. Others are surely better but you aren't able to have one after another. I applaud Founder's on making such an outstanding fruit beer!

Serving type: on-tap

05-06-2008 18:56:06 | More by Deuane

Nutleybeer

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Founders never seems to disappoint. At $9 a 4 pack, this better be good. It was. Poured with a cloudy, pinkish color. Slight head retained. Lacing is present. Mild carbonation seen.

A pleasant, tart scent. The taste matched the smell. Fruity, but not sweet. The sour tartness is clear in the flavor, but not too much, yet enough to leave your mouth slightly puckered after a sip.

It falls somewhere in between a raspberry lambic and a sour ale. Not fully either, though. Quite drinkable, in moderation. Would probably pair well with cheese and nuts, not necessary a full meal.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2008 20:44:01 | More by Nutleybeer

wheelinshirt

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured a very rich, deep, dark red with a thin foamy pink-white head that disspates quickly. I wish the head lasted longer and that there wasn't little pieces of sediment floating in it. Probably not yeast, more likely raspberry pieces but im not sure.

The smell is all raspberries, tart and sweet. Taste is similar with a bit of a boozy finish. Fairly well balanced for a fruit beer, a bit too sweet but i guess it has to be to balance out the tartness. Mouthfeel suffers mainly from the little pieces of whatever that make it a bit gritty. Very drinkable, though. my girlfriend loved it which did not surprise me as she likes a lot of fruit beers. Good to try but a bit pricey.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2007 02:47:18 | More by wheelinshirt

stangski83

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Girlfriend flat out loves this stuff. Not nearly as sweet as berry weiss but still has lots of good aroma and very drinkable. Not too sweet and you can definitely smell the raspberries. We love drinking Lindeman's Framboise - but you cannot drink that in quantity. This is the perfect balance of fruit flavor in a beer merged with drinkability. Has a fairly high alcohol content to boot - a few of these will definitely satisfy you on a friday/saturday night if you are a fan of fruit beers (or if your lady is so inclined). Price can be a bit high (we paid 9.49 for a 4-pack, but worth it if you love it - pretend it's $2.50 bottles at the bar!) A nice example of how to balance fruit with beer and not go too far in either direction. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2008 22:31:43 | More by stangski83

proc

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This one pours out to a red color in the glass with an almost, exploding-like head. It took two pours, with the first one requiring a few minutes for it to settle. The appearance of this beer was incredible. I mean, come on, its red beer with a slightly red head. That alone was pretty entertaining for me. The aroma is nice with fruit obviously coming to the forefront. The taste starts off with a berry tartness that I was afraid was going to continue through the swallow, but actually mellows out with the tartness giving way to a nice sweetness that is not overdone or cloying, but nicely balanced.

Usually I don't care for fruit beers. This one is an exeception. Its an excellent beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2005 01:12:32 | More by proc

GreenWBush

Oregon

4.28/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Freaky, almost magenta in appearance, Founder's Rübæus comes out of the bottle into my chalice bubbly as all get out. Gigantic, whooshing 'champaign' foam that meringues but settles like a toddler after his ritalin. Smallish white head with flares of lace. Great presentation...par for the course from Founders.

Nose is raspberries in syrup; just really lovely and amazingly un-beery...a compliment, a put-down, and an invitation to beer advocacy all in one. Slight whiffs of sweettarts.

Intense fruit follows on the palate. Marachino cherries in syrup. Overripe red grapes. Childhood flashbacks to Sparkling Grape juice on New Year's.

Not really that drinkable, but remarkable and 'must-try' in all regards.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2006 19:14:41 | More by GreenWBush

klewis

Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Pours a clear cranberry red with a frothy one-finger head that subsides to a frothy rnig around the glass. Specks of lacing.

S: Sweet-smelling aromas of raspberries and pomegranate

T: Sweet and tart with just the right amount of raspberry flavor.

M: Light-medium in body with a puckering mouthfeel, yet not to the extreme as somethinglike Lindeman's. The carbonation is much less than most fruit beers, giving this one a much smoother texture.

D: Not very "beery" (to use a much disliked term), but this beer is what it is. A very good fruit beer. If you're into that sort of thing, go get some, and you won't be disappointed.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2006 01:05:51 | More by klewis

CraftAle

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at brewpub. I'm not a fan of fruit beers, and have found peach and blueberry brews acceptable---not not repeatable. However, this dark pink brew had an exceptional rasberry smell and taste, with the necessary malt and hops, to make it a beer and not a soda pop! I will buy again.

Serving type: on-tap

10-09-2006 21:54:49 | More by CraftAle

Phatz

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance: Pours brown with hints of pink/ruby highlights and a tan head.

Smell: Aroma of fresh raspberries, with hints of chocolate and caramel as well.

Taste: Incredibly quaffable! This is so easy and approachable I would be hard pressed to find someone who does *not* like it. WOW. Very tasty tart raspberry juicy flavor balanced brilliantly with chocolate malts.

Mouthfeel: Sheer SILK! The dark fruit flavors just slide right through the palate from beginning to end so easily.

Drinkability: Heavenly. I want cases of this stuff. You would never guess it was nearly 7% ABV! Simply tasty easy drinking, fruit beer.

Hope this is helpful.
Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2006 05:01:57 | More by Phatz

adammills

Michigan

4.3/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This is like no other beer that I have had. Its rich almost ruby red is georgous and its fresh berry smell is suprising. It is quite sweet, yet dry, with a moderatly light mouthfeel. This is not in my opinion a beer just to tip back one after another, but very very nice.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2006 23:24:43 | More by adammills

beermanbrian

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Let me start by saying that this is a style of beer that I usually do not like but.... I figured that coming from a brewery with the rep of Founders that it would be worth a try.

Ruby red color with a pink tinged head. Smell is a very appetizing raspberry. The smell is sweet but it's not the sticky sickening syrupy sweet that you get in a lot of fruit beers. Somehow the sweet smell portrays a complexity that gives you the impression that you are about to try something special.

The taste dosn't dissapoint, sweet raspberry up front followed by a tart sourness and a dry finish. Notes of cherries and some citrus zest also show themselves. I'm searching for the malt but it really never appears. Faint earthy hops finish at the very end. The dry finish is really the most surprizing part of this beer. The sweetness totally dissapears. 6.9% is completely hidden.

Simply the best fruit beer I've ever had. I've finished this one off without any trouble when it would normally be a struggle. This is what this style should be and a great example of what a quality brewer can do.

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2007 01:19:27 | More by beermanbrian

BMoney575

Michigan

4.3/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Sampled on 7-16-07

Pours a very cool cloudy pink/red, with a bubbly white head that quickly fades.

Smell is all fruity raspberries, but not in an overly sweet way.

Taste is lots of soda-like raspberry at first, but then a good bready "beeriness" comes in to even it out. Surprisingly non-sweet, its is hugely flavorful and enjoyable.

Mouthfeel is great, good carbonation adds to the soda fruitiness.

Drinkability is fantastic, very refreshing and light on the palate.

Overall, a great beer from Founder's. This is exactly what a fruit beer should be. Tons of flavor, but with a good balance.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2007 23:59:25 | More by BMoney575

bluejacket74

Ohio

4.3/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 ounce bottle. Served in a chalice, the beer pours a red/pink/amber color with a very small white head. Aroma is pleasing, but it's pretty much just raspberries and it's both sweet and tart smelling. Taste is similar to the aroma, it's sweet and tart raspberries, very nice. I don't notice any hops or alcohol taste in the beer. Mouthfeel/body is light/medium with moderate carbonation. Drinkability is very good, although I think this is more of a dessert beer. I don't know if I could drink more than a couple of these at a time. But overall I think this is a good beer. It's not too sweet and not too tart, it's a great example of what a fruit beer should be.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2007 03:40:27 | More by bluejacket74

MuenchenerKindl

Germany

4.3/5  rDev +10.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz stubby to a pint glass, the liquid is light ruby with ok carbonation. The head is small and pink, fades fast leaving little lace.

The smell is good, I love sweet raspberries and that is what this is.

The taste follow well, lots of sweet raspberries, lots of desert qualities, for the real plus would be as a summer beach brew. This would be the best IMO. I like this brew it tastes great and is refreshing.

The mouthfeel is nice, light body and sparkling like carbonation. Nice.

The drinkability is very good as it is just about gone.

Prosit, MK

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2008 20:37:24 | More by MuenchenerKindl

nmyers

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer had a light ruby color to it with a nice pink head on it. Raspberries with a hint of hops is the best way I can describe the aroma of this beer.

The taste of this beer starts out sweet raspberry and the quickly turns into a tart raspberry taste. The taste of this one lingers on long afterward.

Almost champagne like feel in your mouth, really felt like and reminded me of a Lambic style beer.

Other than this beer being on the sweet side, I found it rather enjoyable.

Serving type: on-tap

04-23-2006 23:18:13 | More by nmyers

WesWes

New York

4.33/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The beer pours a ruby red color with a thick frothy pink head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a wonderful raspberry scent that is geniune, not derived from extract. The taste is great. It has a very smooth, raspberry flavor that goes down easy and finishes fruity and tart. It does have a dry, earthiness in the finish as well. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium/full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a real treat. Raspberry is my favorite fruit to brew with. This beer is a fine example of a brewery not selling out with fake extracts and brewing with the real deal. It makes a difference.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2007 01:17:32 | More by WesWes

dave1822

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours a great red/pinkish color. The smell is very sweet and filled with raspberries. It has a great taste and is perfect for a summer night. My only complaint is that it is almost too overwhelming with fruit but only after the first few. Great beer give it a try.

Serving type: on-tap

02-11-2008 23:34:12 | More by dave1822

younger35

Minnesota

4.33/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

So apparently Rübæus isn't being brewed anymore by Founders? It's still on their website but whatever. This is easily my second favorite raspberry beer (after New Glarus's Raspberry Tart) and I've had it many many times. This was my last one so I decided I better review it. Drank from my Ithaca Excelsior tulip while watching the '09 Masters.

Appearance- Pours a ruby red with a very small bright white head that slowly dissipates leaving almost no cap and super thin collar.
Smell- I've always sort of thought that Rübæus smelled like Flintstone vitamins but that's probably not fully accurate. Loads of pulverized raspberries give a very nice nose that is fresh and bright. Some subtle grain adds a bit of doughy bread but for the most part this is a one trick pony. Raspberries.
Taste- Unlike New Glarus Raspberry Tart this beer is actually reminiscent of a beer. The raspberry isn't tart, raw and dominant as much as it's fruity, fresh and inclusive. Just a hint of sweetness lies in the background from the malt with an extremely light sort of toffee that is really only detectable once the beer warms. On the finish there is the tiniest bit of a hop bite that adds a touch of bitterness and proves that this is really a beer.
Mouthfeel- Light and crisp on the airy side of a medium body with fairly sharp carbonation.
Drinkability- Every time I drink this beauty I love it more and more. I'm a huge fan of any beer with fruit or coffee in it and this is one of the bests. It's so drinkable and although the raspberry is fairly strong, it's not overbearing. An absolute gem that Founders needs to keep on a brewing.

Serving type: bottle

04-12-2009 21:17:36 | More by younger35

rfgetz

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

From a deleted review from the great crash of '09

Pours a purpley brown color, moderate khaki/pink head and decent lacing. Smell is of tart raspberries with a cereal grain background. Taste follows scent with delicious tart raspberries and a nice cereal grain backbone. Medium bodied, sligltly syrupy but not overly coating and no major aftertaste. Good carbonation for an older bottle. Great fruit beer from Founders, one of the best. Would love to taste a fresh one if ever produced again.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2009 03:46:08 | More by rfgetz

techfed87

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev +11%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a well sized, rosy head to it.

Smells heavily of sweet, tart raspberries, almost on par with a lambic. However, unlike a lambic, this has a bit more bitterness to the after taste. That being said, this is a sweet, sweet beer. In essence, it is fermented raspberries in a bottle.

It does seem to be somewhat one dimensional in that regard. However as a semi-lambic, I'm more than comfortable with that title.

If you're into a sweeter beer, this one is definitely for you. Double if you're a fan of raspberries.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2010 03:05:46 | More by techfed87

mcallister

Ohio

4.35/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Very dark bland red with hints of brown. Slight white pinkish head with some lacing.

Aromas of sour raspberries, with a sweetness also. Even a little cherry aroma to it. Some hops in the smell also somewhat hidden with a yeast drop.

This is a great fruit beer. Upon entrance is a succulent sweet raspberry that melds into some slightly sour notes. On the back of the palate and throughout the long long finish is a wheaty hop flavor that leaves a great feeling in your mouth. Makes you want more. Makes it taste more like a beer.

On a warm day I could drink quite a number of these. Tasting great after just mowing the yard.

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2006 20:47:25 | More by mcallister

mhatters

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served on-tap at TND - amazed it was available on-tap

Pours a cranberry ose color, beautiful in the glass

The nose is all raspberries - more than any other beer I have had

Light carbonation, tart, sweet - the raspberry is dominant but not syrupy. The malt is around, enough to balance the flavor out.

Crisp, tart, light. Very nice.

Easy to drink, great in the heat, a real shame this is going away

Serving type: on-tap

05-24-2009 20:25:52 | More by mhatters

juzy

Alaska

4.38/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I received this bottle as part of a gift box from someone in WI.

I popped the cap and took a whiff from the bottle. Can't wait, smells great.

It pours a magenta color with a head that is thick and beautiful, like a layer of tiny, raspberry bubbles in my bath-tub. It leaves a lace veil along the sides of my glass.

The aroma reminds me of the end of summer, picking raspberries and preparing them for winter storage.

The first sip is almost like biting straight into the berry itself. Fresh from the bush, tart, not sweet, a hint of sourness. A mild hop flavor peaks through the berry predominence.

It's a bit tingly, like pink champagne. A light to medium body feel in the mouth. Very drinkable and most enjoyable. Wish I had another.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2005 16:57:52 | More by juzy

Mitchster

Michigan

4.38/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

$2.59/bottle at Jack's. I picked up a 6'er as I liked it on tap. "Fermented with Pure Raspberries"...thank heaven's they didn't ferment them with the regular old-fashioned, un-pure kind. Evidently about 24 IBU. 6.9% ABV. Raspberries were added at five different stages throughout the brewing process. Pours out to a semi-hazy deep crimson red, forming a soapy dark-pink head with average retention and scant lacing. The aroma is nice..the tartness of the raspberries really shines through and they smell like fresh raspberries, not some knockoff concentrate like most other fruit brews. The taste is akin to a raspberry champagne without the spritzy dry mouthfeel. It's well balanced and not terribly sweet, with a tart, crisp finish. Medium carbonation, medium-light bodied. Never cloying, but one bottle is a dessert in itself. Burps bring up a nice toasty grain note. Bitterness is mild, but combines nicely with the tartness and sweetness to create a wonderful package. Alcohol isn't tasted, and it's cleanly fermented with some apple and pear characteristics from the ale yeast.

A wonderfully done fruit beer, amongst the best I've had. Despite this it still has that "wine-cooler taste" that may shy some people away, especially when you could buy a raspberry wine-cooler for cheaper. Still, Founder's delivers on their promise of making kick-ass beer. What style haven't they conquered yet? Hrmmm...Imperial Rye Dopplebock. I would drink that!

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2006 22:02:15 | More by Mitchster

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5

Thanks to mac300 for sharing this one. Poured into a pint cold.
A - A medium cranberry color w/ thin white head and good clarity. A little lace is produced that doesn't stick.

S - Big candied raspberry scent, like a raz liquer.

M - Fruity tartness with minimal acidity. Feels like drinking sugary berry juice.

T - A very juicy Raz w/ subtle grain flavor and textures that are wrapped up in the sweetness and mildly dry taste w/ nicely accented fruit. The effervescence is pleasant and complements the deeply intense juicy raspberry taste well.

D - So easy to drink like a Dole juice pop twisted into beer. Very fruit forward raspberry ale. One of the best fruit flavored beers I have had. The berry taste is natural and not overdone, very tasteful and all-around drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2007 22:28:15 | More by Slatetank