Founders Nemesis 2010 - Founders Brewing Company

DovaliHops

California

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

Pours a very dark, brownish-black with a very tiny, light-tan colored head that diminishes quickly. Scent is immediately a lovely aroma of dark fruits and dark malt. Some caramel malt as well. Some toffee and nuttiness as well. I get a bit of fresh biscuit and fresh baked pie...blackberry? No hops in the aroma. Taste is immediately chocolatey with some tasty dark fruits. More coffee/espresso notes than I was expecting. Definite tobacco and leather-like flavors...lots of tobacco. A bit of burnt malt with sweet toffee and warming booziness. Still a good amount of warmth to this beer. Some mellow hoppiness throughout...but nothing along the lines of SN Bigfoot or anything. Finishes with sweet, burnt maple syrup/brown sugar flavor. Mouthfeel is very full bodied, creamy...somewhat sticky and still a bit hot. Drinkability is fairly high...as long as you sip. Overall, this is a big beer. Still pretty boozy, but nice complexity and great flavors. Quite the sipper.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2012 05:46:31 | More by DovaliHops

Treebs

Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -16.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle split 2 ways. Thanks to daneilnovak3 for the share. Served in a mini tasting snifter.

A: Pours a dark purplish color with some light brown hues mixed in. A light tan head forms on the pour and quickly recedes to a thin film and ring.

S: Lots of dark fruits are present up front. Sweet grapes and dark figs mostly, with a oat malt bill.

T: The taste is a lot like the nose, but more complex. The same fig earthiness and grape sweetness are present up front, but it quickly makes way for slight leather, oat malts and minimal booze on the finish.

M: Medium bodied with a slightly thick and syrupy mouthfeel. Light carbonation.

O: A very solid beer. At this point the hops had drastically faded and this turned into a slightly above average English barleywine IMO. It still had some layers of flavor though and I'm glad I got try it.

Serving type: bottle

03-25-2012 15:50:46 | More by Treebs

Doodlesby

Indiana

4.53/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Poured from a bottle into a small half pint Sam Smith sample glass

This beer pours a dark red color. Like if the the
Burgundy met Amber and they got together and had a baby. This beer goes down so smooth for 12% ABV. The sticky mouth feel is there but each sip I have gets better and better.

Great overall beer... too bad its retired. :(

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2012 05:27:13 | More by Doodlesby

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A-dark brown golden coloring with a small off-white head and some lacing

S-caramel and fruit with some hints of yeasty bread

T-caramel and dried fruits with some malt and yeasty character and a mild bitter hop finish

F-medium body with light carbonation, smooth slightly sticky mouthfeel with an overall richness and warmth

O-a nice well-balanced barley wine

Serving type: on-tap

02-26-2012 19:21:07 | More by MDDMD

JohnnyMc

Ohio

4.73/5  rDev +12.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I was lucky enough to have this on tap and boy does it pack a punch. The aroma is a wonderful blend of coffee and roasted caramel malts.

From the first sip you can definitely feel the alcohol, but thankfully you can't taste it. There was a surprising amount of hops in the taste as well as the sweet caramel malt and a subtle hint of fruit.

It was incredibly smooth and the flavor developed as it got slightly warmer. This might be the best I have had from Founder's so far.

Serving type: on-tap

02-18-2012 18:03:27 | More by JohnnyMc

BBP

Ontario (Canada)

4.83/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Pours very dark. Almost stout-like in appearance. Great head and retention as well.

The aroma is very hop forward despite it's age. Very pungent. Ample pine and a hefty amount of caramel malt. Somewhat balanced but still substantially hoppy.

Extremely bitter but balanced and smooth. Well rounded despite the excess of hops. Incorporates everything I expect from a barleywine in all the right proportions. Depth and intensity while incredibly easy drinking.

The body is medium full and medium light in weight. Somewhat sticky in the finish.

Overall, this was very smooth, and if this isn't the peak time to have this, I can't imagine how good it could taste. It's almost like a DIPA/barleywine combo and I love it for it.

Serving type: bottle

02-18-2012 17:38:39 | More by BBP

dejrrma

Georgia

3.25/5  rDev -22.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

$12 for a 12 oz bottle at Brick Store. Poured into a tulip pint glass. 2010 Vintage.

a-pours a very dark amber color, with a good amount of fluffy, tan head. Leaves some lacing behind.

s- like raisins. some vanilla coming through, and generally very sweet-smelling.

t- sugary and of dark fruit. very boozy. some chocolate hints. almost no hops or bitterness detected. this is too sweet for me. it takes away from the rest of the flavors.

m- syrupy, cloying, slightly under-carbonated.

o- disappointment...but it was 2yrs old.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2012 03:27:10 | More by dejrrma

travMI13

Michigan

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

2010 vintage, illegible "Bottled On" date. 12 oz. bottle poured into a snifter.

A: A soft, low, fluffy, off-white head sits atop a deep brown-black body. Deep sienna edges with nice lacing. This might pass for a stout (not imperial, of course) if I didn't know better.

S: Vanilla, molasses, brown sugar, and booze. Still smells kind of hot, which is surprising.

T: Sweetness up front with the brown sugar and molasses. Smoked and roasted malts on the back end with an incredibly dry finish. Some heat is present. The hops that brought this to 100 IBU have obviously faded away. Definitely a sipper, and definitely a barleywine.

M: Sticky up front and so dry on the finish. What an interesting combination. The lingering feeling is dry roastiness. I usually like barleywines that finish stickier, so this is certainly different. Not sure how much I dig the finish.

O: As usual, another solid offering from Founders. It has been forever since I had this fresh, and I didn't take any notes, so I can't compare the fresh bottle with the aged bottle. That was a mistake. I think that, fresh, the hops would hold up the front end to match the dry finish. I wish I could have this fresh again. Or maybe even barrel aged.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2012 04:07:09 | More by travMI13

robbrandes

Oregon

4.2/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

pours a deep, dark brown. impossibly fine, light tan head, ridiculous lacing. aroma is a mix of smoky malts, oak, charred sugars and caramel.
malt-forward on the tongue, but really light for a 12% ABV. as big and syrupy as this beer is tho, the back-end is clean with a big, spicy hop bomb. mouthfeel is out-of-this-world; as good as any beer, any style i can remember.
wish i had a dozen of these to keep coming back to for a few years.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 05:39:05 | More by robbrandes

tobin999

Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearence: dark dark brown with nearly no head

Smell: Caramel, toffee vanilla very little hops present in the aroma

Taste: caramel, burnt malt bitter chocolate. nice bitterness to keep it form being to sweet.

Taste: almost syrupy with just enough carbonation to keep it that way

Overall: very nice beer! Still a little bitter bet pretty well balanced.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2012 03:00:51 | More by tobin999

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

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

Thanks to phnphilly for this one.

A - Deep brown to black with ruby highlights and a thin tan head. Oily dots of lace stay behind.

S - Sweet caramel, toffee, prunes, rum soaked raisins, candied orange and grapefruit hops and alcohol.

T - Sugary sweet caramel and toffee, decent amount of fruity alcohol, rum soaked raisins, candied grapefruit and piney hops balance out the sweetness, molasses on the finish brings some sweetness back.

M - Medium to full body with medium carbonation. Warming alcohol with a bit of a numbing bite.

D - Still fairly hoppy for being 1 yr+ old. Strong, flavorful barleywine.

Serving type: bottle

01-23-2012 01:16:49 | More by brewcrew76

mindspin315

New Jersey

4.58/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Poured out a small tan head. Faded away quickly. Deep dark brown body with light brown and mahogany color coming through in the light. Alcohol legs and lacing are very impressive here.

Graham crackers, burnt toast, pie crust, fresh cut tobacco, toffee, and a mild citrus zest. Sweet earthy malt profile and a little bit of a hop presence is still detectable even with a year+ age on this one. As you take the aroma, more and more keeps revealing itself.

The citrus zest aroma also imparts itself in the taste. A faint wash of pine, vanilla, and molasses on the back of the tongue. Caramel and toffee flavors from the sweet malts. Very delicate mouthfeel. Everything is just smooth and glides over the palate. This is actually very drinkable for a 12% beer.

Wow this is one barleywine that tastes awesome with age on it. Note: I didn't try this fresh, but that's not to say I can't appreciate what I feel are the aged qualities here. Makes you wish every barleywine were this great!

[97/100]

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 08:32:08 | More by mindspin315

billab914

Virginia

4.05/5  rDev -3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12oz bottle poured into my CBS snifter. It poured dark brown in color with a thin, bubbly lacing scattered across the top of the beer and concentrating around the edges.

The aroma shows a good amount of caramel and toffee flavors to it. I get some oak to it along with a little bit of a citrus hop presence. A little bit of the darker malts show through with some roasty, chocolaty notes.

The taste has more of the caramel malts and toffee flavors to it up front. In the finish I get more of the roasty, bitter malts coming out with a little chocolate to them. The roasty, bitterness gives it a nice balance.

The mouthfeel is on the heavier side with carbonation being low. Overall it was a very good beer. I thought the little bit of dark, roasted malts added some great balance to the sweeter, caramel malts. Very flavorful and drinkable beer of the style.

Serving type: bottle

01-20-2012 02:13:48 | More by billab914

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.98/5  rDev -5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Doopie brought this one out for random beer night a while ago. Thanks for sharing dude!

From a bottle into a mini-snifter
IBUS: 100

APPEARANCE: A dark pour produces a cascading, medium sized, tight looking, light tan head with phenomenal retention. Color is a deep bistre brown with no carbonation evident. Head eventually fades to a wisp and coats the sides of the glass. A good wisp remains until the end and leaves some lacing down the glass. Great looking beers.

SMELL: Mostly caramel malts and plenty of aromatic floral hops. A touch of oak as well, but the hops are certainly still the centerpiece here.

TASTE: Caramel and toffee sweetness up front, with some butterscotch and nuts in there as well. A good dose of hoppy bitterness at the finish with some floral and piney flavors riding out after the swallow. A bold and lingering aftertaste of caramel and toffee sweetness as well as some floral hoppy bitterness. Well balanced and well executed. The alcohol plays a supporting role as well.

PALATE: Medium-full body and medium carbonation. Very creamy smooth on the palate, goes down surprisingly smooth for the abv and finishes somewhat sticky on the palate. No heat on this one either. Great feel.

OVERALL: Admittedly I’m not the hugest barleywine fan, but Founders always agrees with me, and when I saw the 100 IBU tag, I thought it would be something I’d enjoy. Luckily I was right. The sweetness was perfectly balanced with the hoppy bitterness and the alcohol had mellowed out nicely. This one looked and felt fantastic as well. A very enjoyable brew that I was happy to get a crack at. Thanks again for sharing Doops. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

01-17-2012 11:07:55 | More by Jeffo

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

4.43/5  rDev +5.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle poured into a Founders goblet

A: Pours a dark amber/brown, but almost black. Two fingers of very dense light tan foam with a fairly vigorous pour. Amazing retention and very nice lacing. Perfect.

S: A good mix of sweet dark fruit and caramel, supported by light citrus hops and quite strong oak. Slight over ripe fruit similar to added hops.

T: Very nice. Strong caramel, hop bitterness, and oak flavor dominate. Dark fruits and dark chocolate (interestingly) help support the flavor in the background. I get light roasted malts in the background, too. I still get that slight over ripe pineapple flavor that I smelled in the aroma. Very complex, and the sweet flavors mix very well with the roasted malts and hop bitterness.

M: Medium to thick (but closer to thick) mouthfeel with soft carbonation.

O: I really like this beer after some age on it. The hops have taken a backseat to a very complex beer. Also very balanced.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2012 01:20:57 | More by coreyfmcdonald

TheFlern

Idaho

4.93/5  rDev +17.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This isn't your typical barleywine . . .

Appearance: Pours almost a jet black, okay. White head dissipates to a thin layer. Good lacing.

Smell: Alright, this is different. In a good way!!! So we've got some burnt malt flavor, hops offsetting that, a slight sweetness in the background. Oak, delicious. Perhaps some coffee/chocolate aromas as well. Interesting to say the least.

Taste: Follows the nose. Very complex. This is a real thinking beer to sip on for a night. Love it.

Mouthfeel: Perfect amount of carbonation. Little to no bitterness detected despite the hops presence in the taste and aroma. Very top notch.

Overall: This is a black barleywine, imo. Love it. Wish more breweries would experiment with the barleywine style in this way. Lots of creativity yet to be tapped in this direction. Founders, hats off to you!!!!

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2012 03:32:57 | More by TheFlern

Sean9689

Illinois

3.98/5  rDev -5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12oz bottle into tulip.

A - Pours a browish/amber color, thin ring, some wisps on top.

S - The booze has really smoothed out with the year of aging and there's a nice amount of fruity notes and caramel sweetness. A nice touch of oak in there as well. All smooth and well-rounded.

T - Caramel, burnt sugars, molasses, smooth booze, dark fruity notes, and some oak. Again, the 12% is just super-smooth and enjoyable. Finish is sweet caramels and oak.

M - Medium, soft carbonation, creamy oak finish.

O - An enjoyable Barleywine, but not amongst the best of this style. The year really did some good, smoothing out the 12% and taking away some of the big barrel notes I found when fresh. Good, not great.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2012 15:28:21 | More by Sean9689

Alieniloquium

Florida

3.63/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a snifter.

Appearance - Very dark brown body with a fleeting khaki head. Sticks to the side of the glass. Some lacing, but not great. Remarkably dark for a barleywine.

Smell - Roasted malts and a load of hops. Citrusy hops, despite the age of the bottle. A fair amount of booze as well. Not much caramel. Like a Cascadian Dark Barleywine.

Taste - Follows the smell. Roasted malts as a chocolatey base. Hops up front. Slight caramel flavor in the middle, but it's tough to pick out between the harsher hop and roasted malt flavors. Booze in the end.

Mouthfeel - Sweet, but not overly sweet. Bitter and boozy, though. Leave a bit of unpleasantness on the palate.

Overall - The roasted malts detract. It makes the beer harsh. I like my barleywines to taste like candy. This doesn't. It's like an amped up Cascadian Dark Ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2011 03:15:25 | More by Alieniloquium

adamdarcy

Michigan

5/5  rDev +19.3%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Last bottle at Park Place Liquor in Grosse Pointe, MI.

I don't prefer barleywines. I don't like wine, and when I see the term "wine" on a beer bottle, I usually avoid. This time, the term "Founders" on the bottle over-road that tendency.

This was a "zen" like experience in that words won't do the experience justice. A little bit of light made it through the bottle, but not enough to change the color from "pitch black" to a dark brownish hue. The smell was slightly alcoholic, leather, dare-I-say "wine", woody, pine, cigar or pipe tobacco - the taste totally followed the smell. No wonder the olfactory bulb contains the only exposed nerves in our body! Anyway, just a wonderful, wonderful brew. Checked their website, and noticed they don't seem to make this anymore. Shame. But try and try again to trade for this if you have to. It's worth it!

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 05:08:22 | More by adamdarcy

mjtiernan

New York

3.83/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Courtesy of heyta...thanks bud!

12oz bottle poured into a snifter

A: Very dark brown. Small head quickly disappears leaving a thin ring around the edge and an archipelago of bubbles across the top. Looks very oily.

S: Licorice, caramelized molasses, vanilla, rum soaked raisins and oak.

T: Taste is similar to the nose....sweet roasted malt, oak and vanilla...the biggest difference being the hops during the finish. The bitter finish disrupts the smoothness of the whole experience, which is a bit unpleasant. Decent complexity and the alcohol was tucked in there nicely for such a big beer.

M: Medium body, medium carbonation. Fairly oily.

O: Between the slightly cloying sweetness and the bitter finish, I wouldn’t call this my ideal barleywine experience. It was a beer that offered a friendly challenge to accept its extremes...kind of like that shady neighbor who you aren’t quite sure about, but on a day-to-day basis you get along just fine.

Serving type: bottle

12-13-2011 04:33:38 | More by mjtiernan

trxxpaxxs

New York

3.3/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Huge thanks to jerryfreak for this bottle.

A: Pours a deep, dark, molasses brown with just the tiniest amount of red around the edges. There is almost no head to this beer, just the thinnest of halos around the surface of the brew.

S: This beer smells super malty, and extremely boozy. I also pick up notes of plums, raisins, and brown sugar. There is some honey in there too. But the booze in unmistakable.

T: Starts off with flavors of sweet malt, burnt toast, and just a tad of sea-weed. The fruits (plums, raisins, cherries) come through after the first hit, but the finish is nothing but tart and funky. Huge booze on the back end, and flavors that are just a bit off.

M: This is a full bodied beer. It's sticky, chewy, and totally cloying to the palate.

O: I'm seriously disappointed in this beer. I was expecting a lot from a Founders barleywine and I was let down. The booze is too dominating and the flavors are too murky.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2011 23:30:49 | More by trxxpaxxs

VoiceOfTheSoul

Pennsylvania

4.55/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

10 or 12oz pour into a snifter.

A Black with a light tan, short head. Head doesnt stick around. Leaves a frothy, murky top.

S Roasty, burnt, chocolate, bready, bittersweet.

T Burnt, coffee/espresso, quite dark chocolate, sweet and spicy up front, malty in the middle, piney and burnt bitterness in finish with some bittersweet chocolate really hanging on.

M Thick, smooth, creamy.

O This was great. A lot more chocolatey than I'd expect to find in a barleywine. Very complex, well balanced and surprising and pleasant at every turn.

Serving type: on-tap

12-05-2011 19:30:19 | More by VoiceOfTheSoul

match1112

Illinois

4.13/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

thanks to beerhan for this bottle! pours a deep brown almost black with ruby highlights around the edges. a quarter inch of tan head left as quickly as it came. smell is that of dark fruit, burnt sugar, malts and alochol. taste is very sweet and well balanced for a 12% abv, i cant taste the alochol at all. mostly sweet malts and fruits with a sugar punch. mouthfeel is a full bodied beer with a sticky feel. surprisingly the 100 ibu's and high abv were not noticable at all in the drink. overall this is a very good beer that is drinking pretty good right now.

Serving type: bottle

12-05-2011 03:45:35 | More by match1112

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

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

First had: on tap at TJ's, Paoli, PA

Not the usual barleywine that I'm used to. Poured a dark coffee brown, with a patchy cap of delicate bubbles. Aroma of dark chocolate, molasses, toffee, and booze. Smooth taste, sweet with caramel, molasses and toffee, dark chocolate, with a light fruitiness detectable, and a piney bitterness mixed with bourbon coming in soon after. A bit heavier than medium-bodied, smooth and velvety, and pretty drinkable for a stronger beer. Very nice.

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2011 21:14:54 | More by Rifugium

Retail1LO

Pennsylvania

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

On tap poured into 9 oz snifter at TJ's 8th Anniversary Event. Pours a luscious black with a thin head that quickly exits. The nose is a rich blend of chocolate, vanilla, and bourbon. Reminds me of Parabola. The taste is also very remniscent of a a bourbon barrel stout. Loaded with cocoa and vanilla with a boozy backbone. The mouthfeel is smooth as silk. Overall, this is extremely well done.

Serving type: on-tap

12-03-2011 16:32:36 | More by Retail1LO