Founders Pale Ale - Founders Brewing Company

AwYeh

California

2.4/5  rDev -35.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a snifter; unfortunately, the bottling date didn't seem to hold on this bottle, though I do believe this particular bottle is less than two months old.

A: Pours a slightly hazy, vibrant, autumnal copper-golden color with just a thin coating of head. Some slight lacing is left behind.

S: Pretty faint when compared to the bevy of pale ale options out there; I'm picking up some light biscuity malt and lesser pronounced bits of floral and citrus hops.

T: Hops come through in the flavor, offering some bitterness and flavor; they're rather earthy and floral here, without much of the citrus flavors pulling through. A bready malt backbone stabilizes things. Not much really pops out at me here, though the taste is by no means offensive; in fact, it's almost watery at times with its lack of character.

M: Medium-bodied with lively carbonation, which lends the beer a creamy character. Fairly smooth with a moderately dry finish.

O: Extraordinarily easy to drink and quite refreshing, but largely because the beer doesn't seem to ask much of the drinker– this is a pretty straightforward brew, with a light sweetness upfront followed by light bitterness on the finish, and the sweet/bitter qualities largely overshadow any particular flavors. I have nothing but love for Founders, but when I look to buy a pale ale in the future I will probably look for a different option.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2012 05:40:33 | More by AwYeh

Dools9

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +7.5%

05-18-2013 16:02:32 | More by Dools9

Nyknick1

New York

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

05-18-2013 10:18:27 | More by Nyknick1

bigbeers84

Minnesota

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

05-18-2013 09:51:31 | More by bigbeers84

melisassy

Massachusetts

2/5  rDev -46.2%

05-18-2013 01:58:37 | More by melisassy

thaghost

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

05-17-2013 17:34:49 | More by thaghost

capnamerica

Arkansas

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

05-17-2013 15:04:48 | More by capnamerica

ZEB89

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

05-17-2013 01:59:07 | More by ZEB89

magictacosinus

California

3.1/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Gotta say, I love the artwork on this bottle, although the name is slightly generic yet gets to the point. There's a label on the bottle that says this was bottled on "11/21/12," so it's quite old at this point.

Pours a cloudy, orange-amber color that leaves some bubbles and lacing temporarily at the side of the glass. Hardly any head, which quickly dissipates into nothing. Looks like it's on its way to getting past its prime, but nothing in presenting itself for what it is.

The aroma was what I feared based on the bottling date - while there is a faint, classic Cascade hop profile, filled with some earthiness, slight piney flavors, and a dash of citrus, it really seems to have faded quite drastically by now. There's a bit of caramel and honey from the malts, and a huge cracked grainy flavor, but by now I can only assume how much the hops have descended from their former glory. There's hardly any dry hopped astringency to speak of, in fact, and overall it smells pretty muted, almost to the point of being oxidized. Nothing smells wrong, just bland, almost like cardboard.

Right at the front, there's a classic hop citrus flavor from the Cascade, as well as touch of crisp graininess combined with malty faded toffee full-bodied flavors. If someone handed this to me in a blind tasting and told me that it was a SN pale ale, I would have instantly believed them, although I would said that it was a rather old batch. And while it holds up well, I believe age is a major factor here in deciding this beer's greatness. There's some slight lemon rind flavors, a bit of earthy grains that are astringent but not too long lasting, and decent carbonation, which is only hindered by the thinned body of the beer. Pine and floral flavors come in and out. Not bad, but nothing too great to write home about.

Even this old, this is a drinkable beer, although I can't tell where the dry hopping has really played a part here. Dry hopped pale ales are becoming my new favorite thing, so to see it so muted at this point is rather saddening. I bought this two weeks ago, and broke it from a six pack, but I've no clue why it was still sitting around. It still is crisp, and amazingly resemblant to the flagship West Coast PA flavor, but it has way too much lemon going in on in it, and not enough else other than the earthy grains. Not horrible, but not up to par on Founders' standards.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 07:40:18 | More by magictacosinus

JoyHelfrich

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -12.6%

05-15-2013 05:02:22 | More by JoyHelfrich

Omnium

Pennsylvania

3.71/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Bottle > Pint Glass

A - Pours super murky light orange, less than a half a finger of head, no signifigant lacing.
S - Faint aromas of sweet caramel malts, with some dry pine and earthy hop scents.
T - The sweet caramel and other malts in this are really off for a pale ale, especially a dry hopped one, but on that note it does finish with a nice dry pine bitterness.
M - Odd flavors linger, and its not well carbonated.
O - Weird brew that doesnt really match up to its label or class.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 04:35:56 | More by Omnium

chefhatt

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

I poured this into a glass, it has a orange amber colored body with a thin tan heas. The smell has sweet malt aroma with a hint of hops, The taste has a very nice malt up front then the hops come right after. the bitterness of the hops leave a nice resdue on the back of the tongue. Overall this is a good pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-15-2013 01:46:27 | More by chefhatt

Bustersuess

New York

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

05-14-2013 19:07:47 | More by Bustersuess

Mcvs1507

Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

05-14-2013 03:56:40 | More by Mcvs1507

HarmonMW

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

05-13-2013 21:47:54 | More by HarmonMW

vrbulldog22

Ohio

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

05-13-2013 18:24:11 | More by vrbulldog22

mikeburd1128

New Jersey

3.25/5  rDev -12.6%

05-12-2013 17:34:32 | More by mikeburd1128

Mike099

New York

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

05-12-2013 06:07:49 | More by Mike099

philbe311

Pennsylvania

3.49/5  rDev -6.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I can't believe that it's taking so long for me to get around to trying this Founders offering...

A - No real head to speak of... Rather there is just a slight lop-sides fizzy lacing with some carbonation bubbles exploding up through the surface... The color is a rather pale golden yellow... There is a very subtle haziness present... Fairly still with just a couple of sluggish to moderate paced carbonation bubbles seen towards the top of the glass...

S - A slightly malt forward aroma... Warm doughy biscuits... A slight kiss of caramel sweetness... The hops are a bit muted, but take on a rich whole coned persona... They are earthy in nature... Some light orange zest notes... A very minor spice component as well... A bit musky...

T - The hops take more of a prominence on the palate, but are far from potent... They take on a European noble character... Some bread crust... There is a slight metallic presence as well... Not too much else going on...

M - On the fuller side of light bodied... Sleek... Clean and crisp... A limited bit of sharp carbonation... A bit thin around the edges... Very muted carbonation... Finishes with an ever so slight dryness...

D - Goes down easily enough... However, this does not live up to the lofty expectations that other Founders offerings leads one to expect...

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 01:20:08 | More by philbe311

banglin

Pennsylvania

3.18/5  rDev -14.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: poured a very small white head, clear golden color

S: nice hop aroma but not overpowering. nothing too strong

T: the hops bitterness is almost absent when first taking a sip but appears after being swallowed and remains in the mouth for a while after drinking

M: nice amount of carbonation bordering on too much

O: this is a pretty good beer. Admittedly I am more of a porter and stout fan and prefer Founders' selection of stouts and porters over this one.

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 23:51:15 | More by banglin

HardyA

Michigan

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

05-10-2013 23:05:42 | More by HardyA

scottbrew4u

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Served a clear light amber color with a frothy off-white head. Great lacing as you drink.
S: smooth roastiness and husky grain aromas. Hop notes are fresh peppery and minty.
T: husky grains, light caramel notes and a nice breadiness. Hops are not bold, but fresh tasting and balancing with some bitterness a peppery spice.
M: light crispness and light to medium body.
O: easy drinker and not flashy but it is spot on for style. Fresh tasting for sure and accessible for most people.

Serving type: on-tap

05-10-2013 20:38:25 | More by scottbrew4u

JohnBender

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

05-10-2013 14:11:30 | More by JohnBender

Texasfan549

Texas

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

05-10-2013 03:26:15 | More by Texasfan549

justforrazors

Missouri

4/5  rDev +7.5%

05-10-2013 01:49:34 | More by justforrazors