Founders Backwoods Bastard - Founders Brewing Company

socon67

New York

4.11/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Dark amber color with a creamy foam. Lacing is nice, and with solid foam retention.

S - Scents of candied cherries, oak, and caramel.

T - Sweet flavor of cherries and some notes of vanilla & butterscotch.There is a warming boozy feel in the finish.

M - Good balance for the complexity of this. A fairly heavy beer, and the potency makes this a beer that would be hard ot pair with food.

O - A great example of this style, and one of the sweeter scotch ales out there. Worth trying like many of the Founders offerings.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 11:56:42 | More by socon67

richj1970

Alabama

4.51/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12 oz bottle into snifter

A: Deep rich brown with small one finger off white head that dissipated quickly. Some minimal lacing but not much.

S: Nose of this one is incredible. Lots of cherry, vanilla, sweet caramel, warm bread, and bourbon. Makes me want to guzzle it down.

T: Lots of flavor with bourbon and vanilla up front. Some cherry, sweet butterscotch, caramels. Some alcohol heat coming up in the back.

M: Full bodied with minimal carbonation. A bit sticky sweet, but pleasant to drink.

O: Very nice brew. I'm going to have to savor the four pack I managed to pick up and go in search of more.

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 23:07:55 | More by richj1970

BaltimoreBeerLover

Maryland

4.76/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Haven't had this in a month or two and I don't know when I'll get my hands on this again but this is hands down my favorite beer.

Imagine drinking great bourbon with a lower alcohol percentage plus very pronounced flavors of vanilla and oak.

Mind blowing. One of two beers next to Breakfast Stout that made me say to myself, "Holy shit". 5/5

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 04:06:54 | More by BaltimoreBeerLover

CommanderOfAwesome

California

4.65/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

2012 bottle via IP trade. Poured into Snifter.

A: Pours a nice coke like ruby brown color. Thin one finger head that fades quickly.

S: Oak is very pronounced, vanilla, and red creme soda like aroma. Some slight hint of dark cherries on the nose as well.

T: Big bourbon up front, followed by creamy vanilla sweetness. Some brown sugar in there as well. Wow, just a fantastic tasting beer.

M: Rich full bodied with a very slight alcohol warming. Sweet sticky bourbon coats the mouth.

O: What a fantastic brew. I dont think I've had a BA scotch ale before but I shall be seeking out others.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 02:57:50 | More by CommanderOfAwesome

williamjbauer

West Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Bottled 10/2012, served in a weizen glass thanks to boilerfood for this one.

Deep mahagony with some light penetrating and a 1.5 finger soapy khaki head with moderate retention and moderate lacing.

Heavenly aroma, one of my favorites, great caramel and molasses notes flood the nostrils. Tastes sweet caramel at the tip of the palate and complex malts evolve on the middle while drier oaky, tannic woody flavors finish the experience.

A fantastic beer, maybe the best scotch ale I have had so far. This is number 97/100 of my quest to complete the BA hall of fame. Three more to go!

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 15:38:38 | More by williamjbauer

Dagger541

Indiana

4.84/5  rDev +12%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

This beer was first tried by a friend and I on a chilly Sunday afternoon in-between two music event that we were attending. It was an excellent choice all around. It has and great color and smell and was served in a sniffer glass. It is a sipping beer that will warm you right up. If you think of a scotch ale aged in a bourbon barrel you will have an idea about what this beer tastes like. If you enjoy their Dirty Bastard and you are a fan of whiskey this is a great beer.

Serving type: on-tap

03-03-2013 16:08:30 | More by Dagger541

Jacurdy60

Alabama

2.39/5  rDev -44.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.75

A-Deep ruby read with a bubbly head. Poor retention and little to no lacing at all.

S-Srong, potent scotch whisky and vanilla

T-Followed the nose, mostly. Some banana was in there as well

MF-Too carbonated and crisp, I was expecting something smoother

O-I did not enjoy this beer at all. It might be because I dislike liquor and it strongly resembled a scotch whisky. I guess this kind of beer is not my style, and now I definitely know so.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 02:53:59 | More by Jacurdy60

drrone

Arizona

4.83/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Poured from a bottle on 3/1/13. Bottle Dated 10/13/11.

A - Gorgeous hazy dark amber/brown color. Very little head and minimal lacing. It had some floating particles in it.

S - Wonderful nose to it. Bourbon, vanilla, and I think caramel/butterscotch. It makes my mouth water. Fantastic.

T - The taste is amazing. It follows the nose very well with an explosion of bourbon, vanilla, caramel/butterscotch, with an oak and malt finish. Nice balanced booziness to it.

M - Smooth, very easy to drink.

O - I love this beer. I only wish I could have found more of it. Founders did a wonderful job.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 21:52:05 | More by drrone

dheacck11

Connecticut

4.31/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pour from the bottle

Beautiful ruby mahogany with thin off white head with tiny bubbles.

Nose is massive, full of scotch, boubon and molasses.

Taste is dominated by the bourbon, but not overly boozy. Nice amount of sweetness, with some brown sugar flavors mixed in. Subtle smokiness.

Feel is full and robust, mouth watering.

Great scotch ale. Perhaps one of the best. Nice blend of flavor without the overwhelming alcohol flavor.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 01:08:25 | More by dheacck11

Jonada

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

12 oz bottled on 10/05/2012. Served in a snifter.

Appearance: Pours a deep dark red color with hints of brown. No head whatsoever save for a very thin collar that settles around the edges of the glass. Lots of sediment in the glass is visible when held up to the light.

Smell: Dark fruit, toffee, sweet bourbon, vanilla, maple.

Taste: Bourbon, caramel, vanilla, oak, dried raisins and dates.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with low carbonation. Gentle alcohol warmth in the chest after the finish.

Overall: Best scotch ale/wee heavy I've had to date. If you're a fan of the style, or bourbon barrel aged beers, it's definitely worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2013 06:23:04 | More by Jonada

banglin

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

A: Poured a very small head. The head that did form is nice white. Dark amber in color and cloudy

S: Fruity aroma, with banana notes. Can smell some of the alcohol in this high alcohol beer.

T: Very good taste, again with banana notes.

M: Despite the small amount of head, the carbonation is spot on in the mouth. Smooth. After a few swallows my chest begins to burn.

O: Overall a good beer with an excellent flavor.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 01:49:25 | More by banglin

nickapalooza86

Wisconsin

4.78/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Pours a deep hazy amber brownish with about a 1/8th of a finger of head.... so not much.

Smell is oak, bourbon, butterscotch, toffee

taste is caramel, oak, bourbon, vanilla, toffee, butterscotch with a slight and I mean slight hop bite near the end.

mouthfeel is medium full and coating with a light carbonation....

Well I would say this one flys under the radar compared to other founders barrel beers... But after this year I do not know that I can say that anymore!

A great beer, barrels take the already world class scotch ale to the next level!

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 03:49:21 | More by nickapalooza86

mjpolzin

Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The much anticipated first tasting for me of "Backwoods Bastard"...

The smell was absolutely incredible. The taste unfortunately was not as great as I hoped.

I really like "Dirty Bastard"; Founder's regular Scotch Ale. Assuming this is just the regular scotch ale aged in bourbon barrels, the bourbon taste was really good but overpowered the scotch ale taste I was hoping to get.

If I lined this up against most beers, it would win most head to head competitions. When I compare it to the "cream of the crop" beers I have had though, it didn't quite rise to the occasion.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 04:57:32 | More by mjpolzin

rawfish

California

4.44/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

2011 bottle. Pours a rusty brown, opaque and dense with bobbing sediment and yeast. Barely any head let the bubbles that lick the glass manage to spill over some speckles of lacing.

Terrific blend of molasses, brown sugar, caramel in the base with the bourbon imparting a huge toasty oak, vanilla and almond perfume. Underlying dark fruit, piney hops and earthy peat.

Bourbon character is dominant and punchy with oak, whiskey, vanilla and a hit of booze before dialing back and letting the sweet scotch malt of toffee and molassess through. Tail end gets a bit more complex with raisins, a touch of tobacco, and a minty and slightly drying hop finish.

Creamy mouthfeel, medium/heavy bodied and balanced alcohol. A sipper to be sure.

Bourbon bombshell, the wee heavy malt style is really what is needed here to provide balance and earthy complexity to the oak and bourbon. A delight to try.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 04:27:56 | More by rawfish

mhksuccess

California

4.53/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

poured from 12oz bottle into stone old guardian glass
at first very nice color and little head
it smells extremely sweet but
the taste is more of slight boozy with a back end of sweetness
very smooth and enjoyable to drink
made me wonder why i didnt buy more
it is very easy to drink
and has the characterisitics which you want to see in this style
what a great brew
would definite get more if had the opportunity

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 20:53:39 | More by mhksuccess

csrbv

Pennsylvania

4.44/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from 12oz bottle into a Maredsous Tulip Glass.

Appearance: rich red-brown hue with plenty of haze. Very little frothy tan foam with a bit of an amber cast. Quite good.

Smell: very sweet aroma, to the point of a malt molasses, perhaps. Along with that is a good woody aroma from the barrel, contributing vanilla and almond-like character. Very good, although massively sweet.

Taste: sweet malt, vanilla, alcohol, more sweetness, an oak woodiness, and finally a bit of bitterness at the end. The alcohol lends a bit of dark fruit character, cherry and plum. I like a lot of the flavors here. Good, but doesn't taste quite as good as it smells.

Mouthfeel: huge body, great carbonation, silky smooth creamy wonderful texture. The body on this thing is just massive, as the sweetness ought to indicate. Wonderful.

Overall: I know this is supposed to be a strong beer, but it is so smooth, quite a good beer!

Serving type: bottle

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 17:18:30 | More by csrbv

ArrogantB

Colorado

3.78/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Big thanks to Hopshopenstein for sending this my way. Dark, dark red color with a minimal head. The aroma on this was just great, vanilla, bourbon, sugar, wood. Great! The flavor was not nearly as good, sort of muddled. It had hints of the vanilla and bourbon but i really couldn't get a feel for the base beer beneath. If the flavor matched the aroma this would be top notch.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2013 01:20:30 | More by ArrogantB

NHJORDAN

3.76/5  rDev -13%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 4.25

Backwood Bastard almost has me imagining myself drinking this ale in the deep backwoods of the bayou. A part of me feels as though I'm rebelling against probation due to the strong alcohol content and potent bourbon taste.

This is a good thing my friends. The aroma, taste, and every other sensation surrounds my entire being while drinking this beer.

One cannot simply enjoy this beer unless he's reached manhood. This is indeed a mans beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 04:11:24 | More by NHJORDAN

jvillefan

California

4.04/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Almost no head when poured vigourously. The body is a muddy brown with a tinge of red.

S: Bery hot with prominate bourbon flavors. There are subtle caramel malts present.

T: There are caramel notes but harsh bourbon flavors rip through the body of the flavor of this beer.

M: The carbonation was very sharp but the texture was smooth and a little silky.

O: Good beer but not great. Definitely worth trying though.

Serving type: bottle

02-06-2013 02:51:27 | More by jvillefan

KFBR392

Illinois

4.64/5  rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Enjoying the first of the four that I have decided to age. Bottled on date of 9/28/12.

Appearance: A bright brown color with dark red amber tones. Some decent carbonation but no head retention throughout. Really a great color on the pour which came out much darker when in the glass.

Smell: My favorite part of the brew right here. The powerful malt/caramel just explodes on the nostrils. There is so much vanilla and toffee here as well. The spicy boozy undertones keeps you on your toes. If I got knocked out and someone put this under my nose I'm pretty sure I would come back to consciousness. Powerful stuff!

Taste: Really great. Upfront the malt and alcohol presence mix very nicely. A caramelized vanilla body carries this brew for days. The sticky toffee aftertaste simply won't stop. For everything going on with this brew the body is not as heavy as I would have expected. A very easy drinker.

Mouthfeel: The flavors provide complexity while the mouthfeel is not overpowering. The mouthfeel fades away quicker then I would have hoped though. Such a clean body.

Overall: Founders always does it right. No expections here. I cannot wait to periodically pop the other three of these over the next year. I think the aging really matured this beer and settled in many of the flavors. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

02-05-2013 23:54:19 | More by KFBR392

doppelmeup

North Carolina

5/5  rDev +15.7%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I absolutely loved this beer. Had it on tap on two separate occasions, and wish I could find some in bottles.

Great notes of malt, vanilla and bourbon in the nose, and the taste is more than I ever hoped for. Smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Sweet without being cloying. Bourbon flavors perfectly compliment the scotch ale, resulting in one of the best beers I've ever had.

Warning though - the 10.2% ABV will kick you in the N**ts!

I say - if you ever see this, buy it!!

Serving type: on-tap

02-05-2013 17:12:43 | More by doppelmeup

BlackBelt5112203

South Carolina

4.55/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

12 oz bottle poured into a snifter at cellar temperature.

L – Ruby-brown color with a 1.5-finger rocky, frothy, tan head. Awesome retention and some great lacing. Clear as far as I can tell.

S – Tons of caramel with touches of brown sugar, raisins, smoke, and vanilla and bourbon-tinged oak. This smells fantastic.

T – The taste almost follows the nose to a tee. It starts off sweet with caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, and dark fruits with spicy smoke following close behind. Slightly hot and astringent (but not in a bad way!) bourbon-soaked oak is very apparent toward mid-taste-to-finish. There’s the difference between the aroma and taste right there – the bourbon is much more prevalent.

S – Medium-to-full-bodied with pretty good carbonation, a sticky and chewy mouthfeel, and a sweet, slightly spicy, and very dry finish. Bourbon heat and dryness linger nicely. There’s definitely a strong throat-warming presence from the alcohol here.

O – This is a delicious beer. It has all the key elements of a good Scotch ale with the added bonus of bourbon barrels. Furthermore, it is extremely drinkable, especially for the 10.2% ABV. The warming sensation from the alcohol is strong but really quite pleasant. This may be one of my favorite beers from Founders and may certainly be my favorite Scotch ale. I might also add that this is by FAR my favorite bourbon barrel-aged beer that I’ve had so far. I highly recommend this beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 03:55:46 | More by BlackBelt5112203

RoninTK3

Rhode Island

4.76/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

A - Nice dark amber color with a bit of lacing on top.

S - Bourbon, vanilla, caramel, oak and alcohol are all present. Smells very sweet but the alcohol is definitely there. Perfect in this category.

T - Bourbon and oak dominate this one. Vanilla, brown sugar, and caramel back up the bourbon with some heavy booziness. This is a delicious beer, but there's no question it's a sipper.

M - Smooth, creamy, and medium bodied with medium level carbonation.

This is a pretty perfect sipper. If you don't like a boozier beer then you can avoid this one, but this is a very balanced, delicious beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-01-2013 01:31:56 | More by RoninTK3

screamking

Ohio

4.81/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

12 oz bottle poured in snifter.

Appearance- cloudy red-brown with little head. 4.25

Aroma-toffee, butterscotch, oak, alcohol, brown sugar, malty. 4.75

Taste-heavy toffee, lots of toffee, creamy butterscotch, vanilla, some malts, hint of alcohol. 5

Feel-medium body, coats palate well, no burn. 4.5

Overall- first off, I'm not a big fan of dirty bastard but this bourbon aged version is everything I want in a sipping beer. The flavor just keeps evolving as you drink it. Give this beer to a whisk(e)y drinker and watch their eyes open up and explode. Strong bourbon profile. Get a pack if you can, get two if you have the money.4.75

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2013 03:25:21 | More by screamking

ToddGregory

4.9/5  rDev +13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is the best Bourbon Aged I have ever had. It was aged about 18 months to perfection. I'm in Texas and understand the Founders has been picked up here by a distributor. Can't wait to get my hands on more of this amazing beer. If anyone can recommend anything like this or better I want it.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 18:57:50 | More by ToddGregory