Founders Curmudgeon (Old Ale) - Founders Brewing Company

BarrelAgedBrian

Massachusetts

4.1/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a snifter.

A: Poured an amber/brown color with minimal head.

S: The malt comes right through in the nose, followed by oak and molasses. Subtle caramel?

T: Excellent notes of molasses and oak. Malt comes through in the beginning, with some nice bitterness from the hops towards the end.

M: Medium body, not a whole lot of carbonation.

O: While I'm not as well-versed in old ales, this one is a particularly drinkable one with wonderful flavors of molasses and oak.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 02:57:55 | More by BarrelAgedBrian

Star80

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours out a dark ruby red with minimal head into a snifter.

S - Smell is of candied fruits, some toffee, vanilla, and some oak.

T - Taste is rich malts, oak, vanilla, toffee and some vague puckering from the hops.

M - Mouthfeel is dense, yet smooth.

O - Overall a nice old ale with an added oak treatment that just adds the icing on the cake as far as complexity goes and it just gets better as it warms in the glass. A perfect lingering winter/spring evening sipper.

Serving type: bottle

04-03-2013 00:52:16 | More by Star80

Justin_Neff

Ohio

4.31/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2013 Bottle (Denotes brewed with molasses and aged in Oak, where other years did not say this on the bottle) Poured from a bottle into a 50W tulip glass.

A: Pours a deep copper color, that almost appears amber when held to the light. At onset there appears to be very little head and then a billowing, off-white head rushes up quickly and clings to the side of the glass, eventually leaving a nice frothy, latte-like rim around the top.

S: Strong caramel wofts. Butterscotch, malts, vanilla, some oakiness, and molasses shines well. The smell is extremely complex.

T: Boozy. The caramel and molasses character are very present. Some dark fruit sweetness, balanced with some vanilla. Strong malt character and heavy oakiness to also balance out the sweetness.

M: Medium-Full body, but definitely closer to the full body. Creamy. Boozy, but smooth. Dangerous.

O: This one tastes a little different with every drink. Great complexity, but not all over the place. The balance of sweet, but not being overly sweet with some bitterness and the oak character was done really well. Glad I have a couple to age as well - I'm interested to see what happens with some age.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 22:56:42 | More by Justin_Neff

KFBR392

Illinois

3.63/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: A light brown color with a very rich glow. No head even on a heavy pour. Below average carbonation throughout but that is to be expected.

Smell: Very rich malt. Heavy syrup and lots of molasses. Oak and touches of vanilla.

Taste: The front is a smooth maple syrup taste. Can definitely feel the carbonation on the front end. Medium to a thin body for what I expected out of an Old ale. The aftertaste is such a deep bourbon alcohol smooth burn. Not offensive just sticks around for a very long time. Overall just lacking that depth that I look for.

Mouthfeel: Heavy, but seems to just be off a bit.

Overall: In every way a solid brew. No glaring weaknesses. One of the first brews I had when I was starting up and still impresses me. I also had the opportunity to enjoy of growler of this and that was an eventful night. A bit pricey overall but more then worth a shot.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 04:25:56 | More by KFBR392

dar482

New York

4.05/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

The beer comes in a dark brown red color with a beautiful lacing.

The aroma is of roasted malt, sweet caramel, and plum

The flavor has sweet breadiness or caramel with a slight hop kick. There’s dark fruits of plum, cherry, and date. There’s a good sweetness with a bitter finish and a slight alcohol bite.

It reminds me of a toned down Stone Double Bastard. It's quite smooth. I think I prefer the Double Bastard because of its hoppiness and complexity, but this is still quite wonderful.

Serving type: on-tap

04-01-2013 03:53:28 | More by dar482

McNealc31

Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours a hazy orange that's just on this side of brown. Virtually no head. Oak, raisins, and must in the aroma. The flavor is mostly oak and molasses. Bit of punch from the 9.8% ABV. A touch of bitterness from the hops at the end. It's a sipper, but something different comes out with every sip, including maple syrup.

Spend a lot of time enjoying this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 23:57:23 | More by McNealc31

BEERMILER12

Maine

3.94/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Bottled 01/18/13

A: Pours a slightly hazy mahogany color with 1/2 an inch of head that quickly dies down to nothing

S: Molasses, oak, malts, and a hint of vanilla

T: Follows the nose. Very malty with huge notes of molasses. Also get a light oakiness and some vanilla

M: Medium-full bodied with low-moderate carbonation

O: A solid oak-aged old ale. Not overwhelming with the oak, but it is nicely imparted. Not overly complex, but a true malt bomb and a solid brew

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 03:52:03 | More by BEERMILER12

maxcoinage

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a (2013) bottle into snifter.
Appearance was a dark amber color with a 1 in off-white head.
Aroma was of maple and oak
Mouthfeel was a light syrup consistency
Taste-malty, biscuity, a hint of maple sweetness
Overall- a great beer, similar to a Barleywine. Booze is well hidden here. For $16 a four pack, I can’t say I would buy more than one a year but its a nice pick up.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 22:42:38 | More by maxcoinage

facundoCNB

New Jersey

3.99/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

a "chunky" amber pour.. lots of floating sediment, slight white rim of head. smells almost like a barley wine, very sweet malty profile, caramel, plum, vanilla. smells pretty boozy. tastes much like a very strong barley wine mixed with some scotch. not sure if this is bourbon barrel aged or what, but it definitely tastes that way.. bourbon, oak, vanilla, tons of barley, caramel, banana, plum, raisins. a full bodied ale with some, but not a whole lot of carbonation. very heavy, boozy, thick and rich beers like this are perfect for just sitting back, relaxing, and sipping on. this is a great beer and i'm glad i let it sit for a while.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2013 02:19:55 | More by facundoCNB

Dave1999

Virginia

4.39/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a deep dark brownish amber with a small white head.

The smell is molasses,caramel and spices.

The taste is malty, caramel, brandy, vanila with a touch of alcohol.

The mouthfeel is is fairly thick with medium carbonation.

This is a tasty beer, rich and full of flavour. Pretty sweet like a brandy liqueur.

Serving type: bottle

03-26-2013 21:59:14 | More by Dave1999

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.03/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

a really brilliant example of the style, and the time on oak really brings this to life. pours sort of a hazy burnt caramel color, and boasts a nice lathery off white head with outstanding retention. it smells extremely sweet, molasses and cane sugar, and a lot of alcohol. smells a lot like en English barleywine actually, with a similar malt profile. the flavor though is what makes this special. while it is intensely sweet, there is a lot more to it. there is some bready malt that reminds me of teacakes, there is a butterscotch character that coupled with the oak is simply sensational, and the alcohol, while strong, is also sort of inviting, its warming and friendly, easy up easy down, and that's hard to accomplish I think. very woody in the finish, and again very sweet. relaxed carbonation is ample, and the body is colossal. its not something I would drink everyday, that's for sure, but its a heck of a beer, really well built, and guilty of getting me pleasantly drunker than I anticipated. founders always rocks, and this old ale is true to form.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2013 18:42:18 | More by StonedTrippin

Howler89

Colorado

4.1/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Wow. What a pleasure to be rating this beer as my very first on BA. My good friend Clayton gave me this one from his trip to the midwest. My favorite part of beer in the past 2 years has been the friendship it comes with. A special thanks to my good friend StonedTrippin (Ben) for showing me the way.

Now for this founders GEM. There are a couple of things that really stand out for me. I have a had a few beers that call themselves "Old Ales" but I have never had one this crisp. I poured it into a Burgundy wine glass carefully and got only a fine carmel dust of a head. A thin cloud if you will. The color is a very clear redish-orange that reminds me of a good whiskey. THe aroma is very gentle. Really stick your nose in this one to pick up some of the subtleties. My intitual take away is twix candy bars, whiskey, chocolate-covered coffee bean, and almonds. VERY SWEET. Im anticipating a cavity here folks. My frist sip surprises me a bunch. I expect a smooth and heavy velvety liquid, but what I get is surprisingly thin liquid that dances around in the mouth like soda water. The time this spends in oak comes through aggressively in the flavor. Whiskey right up front, followed by all the candy, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, pecan pie, and sweet potato even. THe bitter is in the finish and at 50 IBU id say this is very respectable. The bitterness lasts 3 times longer than the flavor and almost sticks around as if to say "take another sip." Its right on the back of my throat hanging there like a vampire bat. THe alcohol is there, but at 9.8 abv this beer will definitely trick you into getting wasted fast.

I really like this. I have friends that would be more critical I think. Its a pretty sweet brew which I like, but the mouthfeel here is what I see as the standout factor which separates this old ale from others I have had. A great brew next to thanksgiving dinner.

B+ to A- depending on who is drinking it.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 03:27:46 | More by Howler89

sethmeister

New Hampshire

4.05/5  rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours a hazy ambered ruby with a thin cream colored head. Minimal lacing.

Scent is fresh doughy bread, yeast, and dark fruit - raisins or figs. Molasses. Orange zest. Spicy alcohol notes.

Taste is rich, chewy and malty. Raisins. Caramel. Vanilla. Toffee. Reminds me of an irish whiskey bread pudding I once made. There's a kiss of earthy and spicy hops and a nice firm bitterness that balances out the considerable sweetness.

Mouth is voluptuous and a bit sticky sweet on the lips.

Very satisfying ale. Bet this would be great with a little age on it to tame the alcohol and the sugars.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 00:57:45 | More by sethmeister

MRsojourner

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

beautiful deep reddish hue with a off white head that dissipates real quick but hangs loosely throughout the glass
The aroma is of vanilla and red grapes and a touch of alcohol.
The taste is of grape nuts and prunes but its really soft on the palate followed by vanilla and a touch of wood with just a touch of bitterness to offset the sweetness that makes it really balanced
the mouthfeel is really soft and creamy with light carbonation.
overall a very smooth old ale that's drinks really easy and seems totally appropriate for winter like spring in new england

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 00:26:49 | More by MRsojourner

dogfishandi

New York

4.13/5  rDev +3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

12 oz bottle at fridge temp poured into a snifter. No bottling date.

Pours a nice deep chestnut red color, with a bit of haze. A thick, tight off white head sticks around for a few minutes before fading to a ring. Some spotty drippy lace left on the glass.

Really not a whole lot of aroma at first. Ripe dark fruits, brown sugar, some booze as it warms, almost bourbon like, and slight hints of flint stone vitamin orange?

A really nice taste when compared to what the aroma suggested. A bit of ripe dark fruit, but a real nice molasses/ brown sugar that combines with a dark bread flavor, think pumpernickel or rye bread, this is the flavor that really does it for me.

Thick, full bodied mouthfeel, sticky, really coats the mouth.

Quite a malt bomb. I wasn't expecting to really enjoy this beer as much as I did. Leaps and bounds better than old stock ale. Should age nicely.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 20:03:38 | More by dogfishandi

Axnjxn

North Carolina

4.04/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz bottle poured into a pint glass. 1/28/13 bottling date.

Pours a dark amber color with a very light white head. Smell is quite appealing...very sweet notes if caramel and sweet candy. digging the nose on this one. Taste is more of the same... its very sweet tasting. Hints of caramel and toffee and laffy taffy flavor. Extremely sweet beer, but its not a bad thing in this case. It works quite well! Mouthfeel is smooth, medium bodied, light carbonation. ABV is apparent in the belly and going down but not on the palate.

Overall this one is another good offering from Founders. You never know what to expect from Old Ales as they are all so different, but this one is a winner.

Serving type: bottle

03-15-2013 23:23:28 | More by Axnjxn

SawDog505

New Hampshire

4.01/5  rDev 0%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured into a 16 oz snifter, bottled on 2/15/13. Pours a beautiful deep amber with a two inch off white head, that leaves webs of lace. Smell is vanilla, dark fruit, brown sugar, bready, and apple. Taste is all of that with vanilla and brown sugar starting the party, with some figgy dark fruit in the finish. Body is medium large, nice amount of carbonation, maybe s little dry, and nice drinkability. I am more of hop forward drinker, but this is really solid.

Serving type: bottle

03-14-2013 02:23:10 | More by SawDog505

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.6/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear deep amber orange color with a smallish off white head that dissipates quickly to wisps of foam on the surface. The aroma is sugary and malty with a clear bit of ethanol. Brown and caramelized sugars among dark pitted fruit and a solid hit of alcohol with little to no hop nose. The flavor is sweet with the rich dark sugars that were present in the nose. Added bonus is rich milk chocolate melded with dark fruits and again tempered with a hit of ethanol. Medium to thick body with a light level of carbonation and a sweet almost syrupy mouthfeel. Good beer, I could drink it, but I was expecting a bit more from Founders, this one didn't wow me.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 23:46:45 | More by johnnnniee

SportsandJorts

Michigan

3.79/5  rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Type: 12 oz bottle
Glass, Snifter
From: mL in Birmingham MI
Price: $18 a 4-pack

Appearance: brown, perfect clarity. white head that leaves a lacing behind

Smell: malts, sweetness, touch of oak, alcohol

Taste: sweet malts, toffee, molasses, alcohol, oak. nicely complex and very hot. very unique

Mouthfeel: warming, heavy and pretty creamy

Overall: This one let me down a bit. I was expecting a lot from founders on my favorite beer style but it was a bit lacking to me. I would prefer more creamy and molasses sweetness to it. Im gonna sit on the rest for a while and see how it plays out over time

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 19:01:06 | More by SportsandJorts

dheacck11

Connecticut

3.76/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Nice deep burnt orange color with thin head and scant lacing.

Honey, caramel, malt on the nose.

Little shot of scotch to start, followed by ripe wood, honeysuckle, some hints of molasses. Very gentle hoppiness. Not boozy at all

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a little bite at the end. Ends up feeling thicker than it actually is at first.

A solid old ale example, but could be a little more complex with the scotch flavors. Would also have liked a little bit more body, and to taste the booze a little bit...

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 23:32:49 | More by dheacck11

ShreddedThumb

Michigan

3.99/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 4

As a Michigan resident, Founders Beers are widely available.
This month, Curmudgeon was released, and I was keen on purchasing a bottle.

Appearance: The color of the beer is darker than I had expected, and I was pleased by the appearance. Obviously not opaque, but a musky, dark orange with pleasant lacing.

Smell: Musk. Very unique. I like it, but at the same time, the olfactory factors do not stand out like other beers.

Taste: Up front, some fairly bitter notes are followed by smoothness. And then, an explosion of smoke, musk, and dark malty tastes erupt on the back of my mouth and tongue. I really enjoy the taste, and if I was to compare, Fat Tire is fairly similar to Curmudgeon; however, Fat Tire has lesser aroma and taste qualities.

Mouthfeel: Fairly enjoyable, but nothing special. The taste is where Curmudgeon excels.

Overall: In Michigan, Founders is extremely common, and the Grand Rapids brewery essentially shares the Michigan crown with Bells (out of Kalamazoo). I will seek Curm out in the future. I was impressed by the taste, considering my enjoyment of Fat Tire and other oakey beers. Look out for this beer, and please pick it up if you have the opportunity.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 23:51:07 | More by ShreddedThumb

Roose13

New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass

A: A dark, transparent amber color. Absolutely gorgeous to look at when I poured it. Kept the white head nice and thin when I poured it. Beautiful bubbles as well

S: Smells like molasses and caramel

T: Syrup, caramel, toffee, sweet. Dark and oaky in taste. Great taste all around.

M: Smooth but a little thick

Overall: Holy crap what a great beer. Founders is one of my favorite breweries, especially as of late. This beer proves again why I freakin' love this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 03:24:48 | More by Roose13

TheCondor

Missouri

3.94/5  rDev -1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

On the way out of the liqour store, I noticed this and decided to grab a four pack. I have heard a lot about it and, of course, Founders is one of my favorite breweries. So this should be good.

Appearance - This is certainly the best part of the brew, for sure. Pours a clear, strikingly bright amber color with a nice one finger that has decent retention. Leaves solid lacing at the top of the pour, nothing else really to speak of. Like the old crusty bastard on the packaging as well.

Smell - Molasses, caramel malts, sweetness, and some dark fruits. A bit of of the oak comes through as well.

Taste - A lot like it smells. THe sweetness is ever-present on the palate, but doesn't detract or become overwhelming. There is certainly a booze taste to it as well, especially as it warms. The bready malts really come through as the brew warms as well.

Mouthfeel - The warmer the beer gets, the more booze can be detected. When it reaches room temperature, its almost like a shot of whiskey! Maybe thats an exaggeration, but booze is the main mover on the finish. A nice warming sensation

Overall - This is a pretty good beer. Nothing you need to run out and buy right now, but I woud recommend giving it a try while it is out. This beer isn't as good as most of Founders year-long lineup, but it is unique and worth a try. Give this a shot next chance you get.

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 02:33:02 | More by TheCondor

nickapalooza86

Wisconsin

3.96/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

well I just picked up a 4 pack of this years release, so I decided to pop one of last years and give it a review.

Pours a hazy deep orangish amber color, not much head.

Smell is molasses, dark fruits, toffee and a wee bit of oak shining through, not the most pungent aroma but very refined.

Taste is a lot of caramel, toffee, sweet molasses, oaky and a stange herbal hop flavor that I do not much care for, with out that note it would be next to perfect.

Mouthfeel is silky and full, low carbonation, finishes rather dry.

I liked it, I will continue to by a couple of 4 packs every year, It may not be the most flashy beer out there but it is damn good none the less!

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 01:47:34 | More by nickapalooza86

Naters333

Illinois

3.86/5  rDev -3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured into a snifter from a 12 oz bottle.

A-Pours a nice deep amber color with a nice bubbly head. Head is slightly off white. Has some nice lacing and good carbonation. Maintains a nice thin head on the side of the snifter as I drink

S-Not a very pungeant smell. Pick up some fruits, but my nose is so clogged right now, unless its just bursting with a strong smell, I'm useless. Will come back to this.

T-Alcohol, sweet, toffee, malts, burnt,complex,

M-Very nice. A sipper for me.

O-This is just a nice beer on a cold day. It is what it is. Not my style, but would like this to just sip on in front of the fireplace. Will come back to this beer for more in depth review.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 08:07:23 | More by Naters333