Founders Porter - Founders Brewing Company

NODAK

Tennessee

3.73/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

The aroma on here...wow. Very rich, even for a porter. Full of espresso, bitter chocolate and all things malt. Just like sniffing a cold mocha.

Mouthfeel here is very creamy. Body is a thick mix of coffee and dark chocolates (but mostly coffee) in harmony with one another. This doesn't turn exceptionally bitter until the finish. There, the finish features a moderate hop bite and some bitter coffee to give a somewhat astringent ending to the swallow. The coffee certainly hangs around a while afterwards.

This is a very aggressive porter. I respect it for that. Drinkability will be harmed for that reason, at least for me. Those who want a thick, punch you in the face porter should turn to this one.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2010 03:52:18 | More by NODAK

Sensaray

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a frothy robust brown head. Dark brown body. A bit of lace down the glass.

Smells of hops, chocolate, coffee. The chocolate is most notable to me. It smells very good.

The chocolate and roasted coffee come out first. The finish does have some hoppy bitterness to it, but is always kept at bay the sweet malt flavors im getting. Hop spice up front.

Mouthfeel is creamy medium to heavy body with a dry finish. Spiciness is present.

Overall this smelled really good but I wasn't really feeling it. Worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

05-28-2011 00:09:31 | More by Sensaray

techfed87

Michigan

3.73/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a nice mocha-colored head. Color is stark black as you would expect from a porter of this statute. Smell is a bit hoppier than I would expect a porter. Still a very dark malt scent on it, which is encouraging.

First sip is very well-rounded, turning out to be one of the bigger porters that I've had. Taste is dark and has many of the coffee/chocolate bitter qualities that make porter such a robust beer style that it is.

Mouthfeel is powerful without being over-powering. Aftertaste settles the beer nicely and confirms the overall smoothness.

Another great from Founders, try it sometime!

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2011 01:29:52 | More by techfed87

Bogforce

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5

A: BLACK, couldn't get any light through this beer. Doesn't pour with much of a head and had a small amount of lacing.

S: Has a nice roasty coffee smell, big roasted malt. Also has a small bit of hops to the smell.

T: The taste isn't bad, just as it smells. A pretty coffee forward taste with small amount of hops as well.

M: Pretty smooth with a light carbonation, doesn't leave much on the tongue goes down smooth.

O: Pretty good beer, not a ton going on but what it has is good. Worth a try

Serving type: bottle

08-26-2011 01:08:09 | More by Bogforce

tone77

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a black color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of chocolate, roasted malts, a touch of coffee. Taste is a good balance of chocolate and coffee, some maltiness. Feels full bodied in the mouth and overall is a solid beer worth seeking out.

Serving type: bottle

01-30-2013 01:18:23 | More by tone77

Yesac

Georgia

3.7/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to jwinship83 for the trade.

A - Solid black in color. Small fading brown head with nice even lacing on the glass.

S - Earthy oaked tones with a dry malt aroma.

T - Along with the smell, earth oaked characteristics with a slightly smokey/java dry finish.

M - Medium bodied, medium carbonation, not sticky on the palate.

D - Easy drinker, low ABV. Little to much on the oaky/java side of things for me.

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2009 01:35:35 | More by Yesac

samie85

Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A-Pours an oil slick black with a two finger, dark brown head. Leaves behind nice lacing.

S-Smells of sweet coffee and chocolate malt.

T-Roasty coffee upfront with chocolate malt. it finishes dry, bitter with a hint of alcohol.

M-Smooth and medium bodied with a dry slightly prickly mouthfeel. Not a lot of carbonation here, which isn't a bad thing.

D-Pretty easy drinking, solid porter. Not the best porter I've had but I could see picking this up in the future.

Serving type: bottle

04-09-2010 01:51:46 | More by samie85

AtLagerHeads

Ohio

3.68/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A decent porter from a good brewery. This little porter has a deep brown to black body and a nice tan head that creates lace down most of the glass.

The nose is malty with a good portion of coffee to add interest. In the flavor we also get a few choclate notes that liven the overall experience. The feel is exceptional for a porter with more than a little body. The drinkability is good since the flavor and body are nicely matched.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2004 05:22:22 | More by AtLagerHeads

Greggy

Minnesota

3.68/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- Pours a pitch black color with 1 finger tan head that recedes into a small cap with minimal lacing after a minute or two.

S- Chocolate, coffee, green apple (odd?) and some cream

T- Starts out with an almost boozy character, with bits of caramel, chocolate, hints of dark fruits. The finish is mostly some deep caramel notes although dry.

M- Low carbonation. nice feel for a beer of this ABV

D- Overall, kind of a dissapointing offering. I expected quite a bit more from founders.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2009 03:40:53 | More by Greggy

CuriousMonk

Virginia

3.68/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 12 oz bottle into a tulip glass. Black pour. Big tightly, beaded head with a lovely creamy foam atop. Clingy lace. Great aroma of a mixture of roast and hops with underlying cocoa and vanilla. Light, oily texture. Very creamy. Upfront a good mixture of chocolate malt and hops. Tasteful roastiness,and more slick malts follow. Finish is sweet,with roasty notes, then lingering hop, chocolate, and mocha notes. Little under mid glass this has lost a little body. Overall though, a great mixture of hop, chocolate, and mocha flavors. Loses some points as the sweet taste was not there to complement the sweet aroma I picked up. Nice spotty lace all over the empty glass. Tasty stuff.

Serving type: bottle

01-28-2011 03:37:21 | More by CuriousMonk

MikieV

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -14%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From bottle, poured into my beer bug very dark, almost black. Very thin tan head. Pronounced coffee scent. Not at all unpleasant. Mine left no lacing.

Taste is similar to scent. Roasted coffee and roasted malts dominate the flavor. If that's what you are looking for, you'll find it here in abundance. Very smooth mouth feel. Actually felt thinner than it looked like it would be. Bitter aftertaste makes you thirsty for another drink.

This was not a bad porter by any means, but it wasn't necessarily what I was expecting .

Serving type: bottle

05-05-2011 04:22:23 | More by MikieV

Sean9689

Illinois

3.65/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours black with very little head, tan in color, into my nonic. Coffee, dark chocolate, and roasted nuts on the nose. Tastes of coffee, bitter chocolate, with a very faint kick of hops. Mouthfeel is medium, very nice rich/think, a nice and enjoyable feel. A good porter that I would drink again and could probably have a couple more after the first.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2009 23:40:19 | More by Sean9689

Shrews

3.65/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Served - Bottle poured into a Stein

Appearance
Dark pour with a slight 1/8 inch head that tapered off 15 seconds after pouring. Just a small amount of head remains on side of glass as you drink.

Smell
Rich, molasses, malty, almondy scent.

Taste
Can taste the molasses, coffee, chocolate, and malt flavor very well, however the taste of carbonation makes it seem a little flat.

Mouthfeel
Rich presence in your mouth. A nice warm feeling as you swallow. Slight carbonation.

Overall
A little bit underwhelming taste after a great smell. Not as rich as I had figured it would be. The chocolate after taste is excellent, however mine did seem a little flat.

Serving type: bottle

05-06-2012 00:08:24 | More by Shrews

Homebrew35

Connecticut

3.65/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours 2 fingers worth of a mocha head. Mostly black body, some mahagney around the edges. Good retention and lacing.

Sweet bready maltiness, toffee, light coffee and roast

Chocolate milk, coffee, light roast, toffee. A firm astringency come through, a dryness and twinge of mouth puckering tea bag like flavor.

Medium bodies, medium carbing. Fairly creamy that transitions into a dry astringency. I may not be describing this very good but this is my impression.

Overall this is good. Good look, smell and the base flavors are there and pleasant. It's this dry tea bag like astringency that detracts from the overall picture. I'd try this again, maybe it's a process issue.
$1.80 a single

Serving type: bottle

06-01-2012 17:21:27 | More by Homebrew35

IsaacmanTX

3.65/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This a fairley pretty black (not quite a dark black), with good lacing for a 4oz taster. I very much enjoyed the chocolate foresmell/foretaste with a light vanilla/coffee bean taste. The hops are a little overpowering though. I would have expected a more balanced flavor, even with the prominent hop smells. Not a beer I would order after tasting, but decent none the less.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 01:55:15 | More by IsaacmanTX

kojevergas

California

3.65/5  rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

$2.29 at the Four Firkins. 12 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap served into a shitty hotel highball glass in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Reviewed live. Expectations are through the roof. I love this brewery.

Served after a warming period following its removal from the refrigerator. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a one finger beautiful tan colour head of very nice luscious cream, great thickness, and good retention for the relatively high ABV. Colour is a solid nontransparent black. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show.

Sm: Assertive coffee, coffee bitterness, dark malts, cream, and caramel. Minimal detectable hops. A strong assertive aroma. Biting bitterness. No yeast or alcohol is detectable.

T: Strong assertive coffee bitterness, a dark malt foundation, cream up front, caramel, dark chocolate, mild hop bitterness (but in a balanced sense), and more of that chilled strong coffee. A well balanced if overly assertive flavour profile. I like it. One of the ballsier porters I've had in a long time.

Mf: Smooth, wet, a touch thin. Good if understated carbonation. Suits the flavours well.

Dr: A good beer for iced coffee lovers. And it's a porter for a reason; it doesn't drink like a senselessly smooth wannabe stout. Another solid brew from Founder's, and definitely one I'd have again - especially on draught. Well priced for the high quality. That said, Founders has better beers at this price point (namely Breakfast Stout).

I wouldn't age this. Drink fresh or fairly fresh.

Would pair well with bitter chocolate or mild nuts.

B

*I've adjusted the overall score to get the letter grade I want in order to keep my reviews fair and consistent. Please see my profile for more information.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 02:06:53 | More by kojevergas

jsolack

Michigan

3.63/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Appearance:
Very dark brown... almost like chocolate syrup. Pours thick and head is a heavy dark tan.

Smell:
Smooth and creamy scent. Has a nice sweet smell.

Taste:
A rich and flavorful beer. A bit bitter in the finish. A hint of spice and a dark coffee flavor.

Mouthfeel:
Not as thick in mouth as I would expect but still a good feel.

Drinkability:
A full bodied beer. Strong flavor and bitter coffee like aftertaste is a little much for me.

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2004 04:03:15 | More by jsolack

Shumista

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 2 | overall: 4

Found one of these hiding in the back of my fridge from a while ago. Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into my pilsener glass

A- Founders Porter pours a pitch black with a small frothy brown head. Tons of lacing is left on the sides of the glass after each sip.
S- Lots of chocolate and roasted malt.
T- chocolate coffee and malts, with a light bitterness in the background. Nothing groundbreaking but very solid flavors.
M- I ranked this as a two, not because the mouthfeel is unpleasant or bad, but because for a porter it is way to heavy and thick I think. This beer looks, tastes and feels more like a stout to me.
D- I could drink a few more. The low abv is nice considering all the flavor that is here.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2009 07:09:27 | More by Shumista

jfmorey

Virginia

3.63/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into stemware glass.

Appearance: Head disappeared quickly; almost black in color.

Smell: roasted malts nice but faint.

Taste: Not bad, but I like a porter with a little hop crispness at the end, which I did not get here. This is more like a stout.

Mouthfeel: A bit thin , low on carbonation.

Drinkability: If the goal was to create a good "session" porter then this just right.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2009 21:38:30 | More by jfmorey

StoutishDan

Georgia

3.63/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Picked this up for just around $1.79 at Total Wine in Marietta, Ga. Definitely cheaper than I had anticipated, after hearing so much good stuff about this beer.

A - Super dar, stout like pour. I put a flashlight up to and saw a little bit of mahogany color. Very pretty, actually.

S - Picking up some roasted (almost burnt) malt notes. Slightly metallic and also rubbery. Maybe this one's getting old or something, the date...well crap, the date on the bottle is from about 2 months ago. Not sure if that makes a difference. Smells kind of like a bon fire.

T - Bitter hops up front tag-teaming with the molasses-like malt flavors. I'm eating a fire, here and someone dropped some bacon in there. Not as sweet as I'd hoped, actually has a slight salty taste.

O - It's definitely not one of those lagers or brown ales where you could down 3 or 4 of them. Unlike Chad from "Chad'z Beer Reviews" I could not drink too many of these. Maybe I'm just a sissy, calling myself "Stoutish Dan" and all. Psh! Pozer!

Serving type: bottle

08-03-2011 16:37:52 | More by StoutishDan

Jeffo

Netherlands

3.63/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bought a bottle of this at the De Molen beer shop a while back and it ended up being badly infected. Scored it a 1.45. This one came from Premiere Gourmet in Buffalo.

From a bottle into a snifter
IBU: 45
Bottled on 29 May 2012
Label says it's "Dark, Rich and Sexy..."

APPEARANCE: A dark brown pour yields a small, medium looking, light tan head with decent retention. Head fades quickly to a splotchy wisp and bubbly ring. Opaque black body with medium carbonation evident. A swirly wisp and ring remain until the end leaving touches of lacing down the glass.

SMELL: Dark malts, dark chocolate, caramel, and light cream notes. Cocoa powder is there as well, combining nicely with the vanilla cream notes. Medium strength.

TASTE: Dark malts and caramel sweetness up front, with bitter floral hops at the swallow. Medium but lingering finish of dark chocolate, bitter coffee notes, piney hops and some roasted touches. Pretty flavorful and enjoyable for sure.

PALATE: Medium body and medium carbonation. Pretty creamy smooth on the palate, goes down smooth and finishes a touch mouth-coating.

OVERALL: Very good porter. A little more boldness on the nose and some more weight one the palate would help perhaps, but this is a solid offering for the style. In any case, this was way better than the infected bottle. Recommended. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2012 15:22:22 | More by Jeffo

Bierguy5

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark brown liquid with no highlights. Thick, tan creamy, fluffy head that stayed for a while and left some nice lace work on the glass. Smells of mocha, slight roast coffee. Taste is a rich, roasty flavor with a moderate amount of bitterness. Coffe-like in the finish, which was just a bit harsh. Mouthfeel was very creamy, medium body with low carbonation. Something about the creamy feel did not sit well with me. Overall, a decent porter, with some good characteristics.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2004 02:56:41 | More by Bierguy5

donteatpoop

Ohio

3.6/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours dark brown/black, the little tan head that capped it faded quickly away.

The scent of coffee blends and faint chocolate notes hit the nose.

Taste was good. Dark roasted malts, coffee and chocolate. Creamy, thick, silky smooth mouthfeel.

This was a very solid porter, but I'm a little surprised to see this at A- on here; especially with most people drinking it out of the bottle. I had this on tap and it wasn't all that amazing.

Serving type: on-tap

04-12-2009 22:42:27 | More by donteatpoop

mtnbikerpa

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass. Dark, no light is going to penetrate this brew. Somewhat boozey notes in the smell. Solid flavors of sweet chocolate, roasted malts. Mouthfeel is somewhat watery. I would drink a second one of there with pleasure.

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2010 19:02:06 | More by mtnbikerpa

mothman

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -15.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours 1/2 finger of tan head. Fades down. Color is a deep brown, nearing black.

Aroma: A bit roasted malt profile. Coffee, chocolate, and cocoa. It also has a slight grassy bitterness.

Taste: Bitter coffee, chocolate, and cocoa. Grassy hops. Very roasted. Lots of malts.

Mouthfeel: Roasted and bitter. Medium bodied with a good amount of carbonation. Ends dry and roasted (big surprise).

Overall, this was a solid porter, but a bit too roasty for me. Easy drinking however and a quality product.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2011 00:53:27 | More by mothman