Founders All Day IPA - Founders Brewing Company

weizenbob

Michigan

3.2/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

This 12 ounce bottle was purchased at Meijer in Ludington, MI ($7.99/six-pack on sale). It was bottled January 4, 2012. Weighing in at 4.7% ABV and 42 IBUs this sounds a lot more like an APA than an IPA, but then again, it is a blurry line that distinguishes the two styles. I popped the cap and poured into a Samuel Smith imperial pint glass.

The pour yields a finger of ivory head that dissipates rapidly but never fully disappears. Lacing teases in a couple of spots but fails to manifest in a significant fashion. The brew is light copper in color and crystal clear. A fair amount of carbonation is seen rising lazily up the middle of the glass. The clarity is attractive and there is nothing offensive in the look of this beer; but it is otherwise uninspiring to the eyes.

The aroma is wonderfully hoppy with tangerine-like citrus asserting itself beautifully. They must have dry-hopped the snot out of this. Beyond that there is not a lot of complexity; but they sure did cram a ton of fantastic smelling citric hops into the aroma.

Unfortunately, the flavor proves that the notion of a lower alcohol IPA is, as of yet, too good to be true. All Day IPA comes off as an unbalanced hop bomb. However, at 42 IBU the hopiness doesn’t taste all that aggressive. The flavor is resinous in a way that is akin to pine sap and citrus rind. There is little in the way of a malt bill to stand up to the hops, which is unsurprising given the brew’s gravity. As such it tastes very watery. The finish is dry with moderate bitterness lingering on the tongue. A bit of added crystal/caramel malt would have done wonders here, but would probably have bumped the ABV even further beyond “session” level than it already is. As is, it tastes akin to hop water.

The feel, though light for an IPA, is inoffensive. The body is light. The carbonation level is fairly low. It drinks nearly as easily as water. The only barb is the resinous hop oil that manages to coat the tongue and mouth. It lingers for a long time, begging for some crackers and sharp cheese to scrub it away. This is not necessarily a bad thing.

Overall, this is a confusing little beer. Ignoring that it’s technically beyond the ABV limit for a session ale, the relatively low gravity means that there is little malt to stand up to the fairly nice hop additions to this beer. It smells great and has an inoffensive feel, but flavor is what really matters. This beer, though not bad, feels more like a gimmick than a serious stab at a respectable brew. I do think that it has a slight edge over Founders’ Dry Hopped Pale Ale, but it is miles away from their excellent Centennial IPA.

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The Two-Schlitz Scale: (reference my profile for an explanation)
I do not give a Schlitz for Founders All Day IPA. Incidentally, Schlitz is also 4.7% ABV (and a better bargain).

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2012 21:44:37 | More by weizenbob

WKole81

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-24-2013 03:01:46 | More by WKole81

planbee

North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +16%

05-24-2013 01:38:08 | More by planbee

Jeremy_H

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%

05-24-2013 01:31:22 | More by Jeremy_H

amalahow

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%

05-23-2013 23:18:18 | More by amalahow

Vlaminck

Illinois

4/5  rDev +3.1%

05-23-2013 23:08:04 | More by Vlaminck

AR_Rios

Kentucky

4.5/5  rDev +16%

05-23-2013 22:18:48 | More by AR_Rios

sketchpunx

New York

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-23-2013 21:10:15 | More by sketchpunx

e30todamax

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-23-2013 20:11:24 | More by e30todamax

drh1382

Texas

4/5  rDev +3.1%

05-23-2013 20:00:28 | More by drh1382

Boston_Steve

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%

05-23-2013 19:11:44 | More by Boston_Steve

frogfan

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-23-2013 19:06:38 | More by frogfan

iabeerbaron

Iowa

3.8/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

REVIEW

Style: IPA

ABV: 4.7%

Purchased at: John’s Grocery, Iowa City, IA

Pour: Dark gold pour with a medium-sized white head.

Aroma: Pine, citrus hops aroma dominate along with some dankness on the nose.

Flavor: Citrus hops dominate the flavor, maybe a tad of floral taste as well. The bitterness is missing but doesn’t take away from the brew.

Ratebeer.com rating: 96/100

Beeradvocate.com rating: 87/100

Overall: A-

My recommendation: A go to beer for the summer for sure. A great concept, and they come through by providing a very tasty sessionable beer.

Serving type: bottle

05-23-2013 17:52:44 | More by iabeerbaron

Ecxeeder616

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%

05-23-2013 14:18:06 | More by Ecxeeder616

mgavin27

Iowa

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%

05-23-2013 01:52:17 | More by mgavin27

Dpayne

Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -9.8%

05-23-2013 00:54:29 | More by Dpayne

slimntubbs

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +16%

05-22-2013 23:59:08 | More by slimntubbs

KenC

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -3.4%

05-22-2013 22:32:44 | More by KenC

SpectralAbyss

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +3.1%

05-22-2013 20:46:59 | More by SpectralAbyss

RyanAU

North Carolina

3.25/5  rDev -16.2%

05-22-2013 18:39:26 | More by RyanAU

erialbill

New Jersey

4/5  rDev +3.1%

05-22-2013 18:16:48 | More by erialbill

rph97

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +9.5%

05-22-2013 15:16:05 | More by rph97

DStoked

Ohio

2.5/5  rDev -35.6%

05-22-2013 15:06:06 | More by DStoked

Ted

Texas

4/5  rDev +3.1%

05-22-2013 00:39:19 | More by Ted

BrownNut

Florida

2.86/5  rDev -26.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.75

I don't get it. The first one of these I had out of the sixpack was so enjoyable and tasty and refreshing and light. I thought I'd found my new go-to beer, particularly for warm weather. Several days later, the second one tasted like straight up cat pee. Is that the Simcoe hops? Is it one of the undisclosed hops they say are in there? I don't know but it makes for an unpleasant experience. I'll try a third one in hopes that it tastes like the first, but if not, this one gets perma-banned from my fridge.

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 23:41:35 | More by BrownNut