Founders Porter - Founders Brewing Company

Sixpack595

Michigan

3.23/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Seems a bit one dimensional to me. Lots of bitterness, not unpleasant, just boring. Coffee and burt malt flavors overpower it and cover up everything else. Very slight chocolate flavor sneaks in, buit it's too little too late. Nice looking opaque black body with a thin, fast fading tan head. Medium mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

08-17-2004 07:09:38 | More by Sixpack595

tigg924

Massachusetts

3.23/5  rDev -24.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance: dark brown, small head, medium carbonation

Smell: expresso, some chocolate, malt

Taste: expresso, light chocolate, malt

Mouthfeel: bitter heavy and thick

Drinkability: Not as impressed with this one as some of Founder's other offerings. The bitterness to this porter really struck me. I would have it again if I saw it, but would look for other porters first.

Serving type: bottle

03-27-2009 14:43:16 | More by tigg924

biglite351

Pennsylvania

3.25/5  rDev -24.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - nice and dark but the head vanished quickly.

S - roasted bet a little bitter plus an odd under tone.

T - starts out really nice, but gets a bit too bitter in the after taste.

M - medium tingle all Oct the mouth.

D - the flavor makes you want to drink it, but the bitter finish makes you not want too many.

Serving type: on-tap

03-20-2010 02:05:58 | More by biglite351

palma

New York

3.3/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

small tan head develops on the pour. then fades quickly to a paper thin lace which sustains thoughout the session.

nose is chocolate, and coffee with the coffee dominating.

taste is big time espresso. subtle chocolate notes. slight grassiness also pulls through. a bit acidic. slight sour finish. i would like to see a sweeter milder finish. this was a bit harsh for what i was expecting. but hey it is what it is. this is an american brewed porter.

the beer gets much better after a few sips. much more drinkable. at first sip i thought this would be a chore to finish. turns out it was quite enjoyable in the end.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2009 19:02:33 | More by palma

champ103

Texas

3.3/5  rDev -22.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours an opaque black color. A large tan head rises to two fingers. Good lace is left behind.
S: An odd aroma of roasted malt and oily, bitter hops. Something about the hop character does not mesh with the roasted aroma.
T: Again, and odd mixture of flavors. Roasted malt and oily, grapefruit hops. It does not sit quite right with me.
M/D: A medium body that is crisp. A little watery. The odd malt and hop mixture make this a little harder to drink than I would like.

Not bad, but not the best porter I have tried. It is worth a try, but I probably won't make another purchase of this in the near future.

Serving type: bottle

12-21-2009 22:18:20 | More by champ103

wac9

Pennsylvania

3.31/5  rDev -22.7%
look: 5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

what a beauiful looking beer in a glass great pour great looking beer but its just me that sharpe taste to it its not hoppy which i thought it would be everybody will love this beer and they should but for me it just falls short a good surprise but not enough to like go ahead and enjoy i know you will but i cant

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2013 01:41:57 | More by wac9

jwinship83

Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A- black body with a coffee colored head that became non-existant in a matter of a few minutes. not even a crown

S- roasted malt and alot of chocolate. tons of coffee in the nose also.

T- intensely dark and roasted. lots of chocolate, and a massive blast of coffee at the end.

M- the first thing i noticed about the mouthfeel is how smooth it is. decently thick too. upon the finish, the mouth is left very dry.

D- easy enough to finish. a bit too intense on the coffee to consider having more than one of these right now. im glad to see founders increasing their year round line up.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2009 04:57:23 | More by jwinship83

RussBecker1

3.35/5  rDev -21.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A- Pours a very dark brown almost completely opaque, but does give off a very rich chocolate hue. The head is small but there as it falls between either 1/2 to 1 finger tall. Nice color on the head with a burnt toffee, but the head dissipates quickly leaving the inky body behind. Very carbonated for a porter.

S-Nicely complex. The malts are the first thing that hit you followed by the roasting process. The malts are a but too smokey however as the note is pleasant to begin with, but there does not appear to be enough sweetness in the undertones to cut through. Coffee is strong as well with a bit of tangy molasses to round it out.

M-As mentioned before, the body is very carbonated which I felt took away from a number of the flavors. Certainly this is not a stout, but any sort of body would have been appreciated.

T-The first note that hits the palate are the malts, but as detailed in the nose the smoke proves to be too much. The roast hits the tip of the tongue and proceeds to flow throughout the palate. There are a number of sweet and savory undertones, mostly coffee and \maybe vanilla bean, but having the malts hit the palate first, they mask far too many of the undertones leaving something to be desired.

O-About average to me despite the popularity.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 15:20:25 | More by RussBecker1

berpwillie

Pennsylvania

3.38/5  rDev -21%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

pours an opaque dark brown with spare fizzy tan head, spare lacing and soft to flat carbonation. which was weird because the taste had a bit of a soda like feel to it.nutty roasted coffee like smell with a taste much the same but has a bit of a harsh bitterness to it. medium to full body with a slick oily texture. finish is bitter with a bit of spicyness to it and average flavor duration. not really impressed.

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2010 14:18:29 | More by berpwillie

bobhits

Kentucky

3.38/5  rDev -21%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Black, coffee colored head.

Smokey roasted, burnt dark chocolate, softened by hops.

Sweet up front, the burnt flavor comes next. The hops try to finish but the sweet flavors end it.

Soft drinkable, clean, medium body, marginal carbonation,

Better than average porter, but it's still a porter.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2010 03:00:59 | More by bobhits

wspscott

Kentucky

3.38/5  rDev -21%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle in pint glass
no date, maybe a really old bottle?

A: completely dark with a hint of brown highlights when held up to a light. No head, just a thin film. Not a pretty beer.
S: Roast malts, not much else
T: Roasted malts, a little bit of dark caramel, some graininess, slight astringency, probably from the roasted malts.
M: almost too much carbonation, bordering on tingly, weird for the style. As it warms, it becomes more "creamy" on the tongue, much more style appropriate.
O: A nice porter, but I am not loving it tonight. It seems to have all of the pieces, but something is missing. I think I will have to re-review a different six pack some time. Basically, I neither love nor hate it, I am pretty sure I have had this before and I will definitely give it another try.

Serving type: bottle

11-26-2012 01:27:35 | More by wspscott

marcellaproust

Washington

3.45/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a dense, dark dark brown with a modest tan head that disappears before you have a seat. Smells absolutely delicious: roasted barley, roasted nuts, and milk chocolate. Mouthfeel errs a little on the nearly syrupy smoothness. Tastes exactly like it smells, with the addition of mocha java or some cocoa-coffee blend and malt with a bit of a burnt edge to it. Most interesting aspect of this porter is a consistent bitter silhouette that accompanies the rich flavors from start to finish. Perhaps if the carbonation was elevated and the body reduced, this beer would be even better.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2004 02:50:11 | More by marcellaproust

TheFightfan1

Pennsylvania

3.45/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours opague black with a heavy thick looking coffee colored heading. Leaves some good rings around the glass.

Smell is a bit ridiculous. Holy roasted coffee beans!!! Slight smokiness.

Taste again is insane with roasted coffee beans,again a slight smokiness but this time in the mouth I taste slight chocolate and some wood comes out.

Mouth is full bodied with good carbonation and decent velvet-like texture.Bland taste destroys the palate with coffee beans.

Drink is good. I had my hopes up about this brew but this is simply not to my liking not bad tasting but not great either as I am not a coffee drinker and this tastes exactly the same.

Serving type: bottle

09-06-2009 20:08:35 | More by TheFightfan1

Mister_Falcon

Pennsylvania

3.51/5  rDev -18%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark chocolate color into a pint glass and formed a half inch cocoa-colored head that dissipated over a few seconds.

Smells artificially smokey with some malt hints.

Tastes kinda acrid in it's bitterness with the smokey flavor coming on a little too strong for my tastes.

Crisp yet heavy feeling as it swishes around the palate.

I don't care much for the taste of this one, really smokey and bitter but not in a subtle way.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 03:47:21 | More by Mister_Falcon

luciusgilmer

Michigan

3.53/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A: poured a bottle into a tulip glass; disappointed by the lack of head and generally uniform color

S: decent smell, a coffee or chocolate laced porter

T: tasted a bit thick, like unsweetened chocolate or bitter coffee, but I didn't think it was very subtle.

M: not much carbonation (maybe an older bottle?), but fine

D: I drink porter regularly, but this wouldn't be my first or 2nd choice. It's a quality beer, like all Founder's I've had, but not top notch compared to others, and it didn't make me want to grab another.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2009 18:09:18 | More by luciusgilmer

TuffNut87

Ohio

3.53/5  rDev -17.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This is my first Founders brew. In a pint glass it was obsidian and opaque. The lacing was good and there was a thin cocoa film of head. The taste was good, and it was silky smooth on my palate. The taste was not as complex as I expected, but it left that satisfying bitterness that porter fans love. I will try other porters before returning to this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 03:04:32 | More by TuffNut87

Anthony1

Colorado

3.55/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Dark porter brown body. Light cannot penetrate. Finger of thick, light brown head. Robust roasted malt aromas, light chocolate, and pine/citrus hop bitterness on the nose. A bit like a jacked-up SN porter might be like. Big roasted malt flavors up front. Deliciously appetizing roastiness gives way to smooth, sweet chocolate and woody, peaty flavors. Hop bitterness dominates the finish. Good balance. Medium-full body with a creamy feel.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2009 18:54:19 | More by Anthony1

BuckeyeSlim

Ohio

3.55/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle poured into a New Belgium snifter

A - Thin half-finger head. Light leather brown and dense, but dissipates quickly, leaving a thin ring around the glass. Coffee black and opaque.

S - Roasted malt, dark chocolate cake, subtle grapefruit hops in the background. Really needs to warm up before much aroma presents itself in the glass, and even then it takes work to get a nose.

T - Melted dark chocolate, black coffee, touch of caramel and butterscotch. Hops throw some citrus into the mix, but sweetness, then well-defined chocolate dominate. The roast is also well-defined.

M - Smooth and creamy, little carbonation, thin structure. Decent finish, but it fades more quickly than I've experienced with this style.

D - Tastes more like a chocolate stout than a porter, both in terms of thinness and amount of malt roasting. I understand why a number of people like this beer, but I see getting my porter fix elsewhere. A good example for me of a product with clearly quality ingredients that are put together in a manner I don't find desirable. Back off on the roast, beef up the structure, and bring the caramel more forward and this would be a quite a porter.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2010 06:50:52 | More by BuckeyeSlim

laituegonflable

Australia

3.55/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Dark brown colour, mostly black except at the very edge. Head is beige, thin and dispersed, leaving specks of lace behind. Looks pretty standard, but not bad.

Smells roasty and a bit stouty. Plenty of espresso but a nice sweet edge with unsweetened chocolate providing some balance, and a touch of pecan towards the back. Again fairly pedestrian aromas, but decently put together.

Taste is also fairly nutty, with sweet pecan and hazelnut flavour pervading. Not a lot of roastiness except the sweet and nutty notes are slightly darkened, to an overall fairly chocolatey flavour. Hint of licorice on the back and maybe a whisper of leather. Quite decent porter, but again there's nothing really interesting here, and ultimately it's a bit sweet and a bit bland.

Decent texture for the style, really. Foamy and dries up quite well. Yeah, nice.

A fairly standard effort; could use more oomph from somewhere but it's decent drinking.

Serving type: bottle

01-05-2012 22:12:13 | More by laituegonflable

mdwalsh

Iowa

3.58/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Dark, full bodied looking head. A solid brown color with largish bubbles. 3+ fingers. Can't see any active carb because the beer itself is so dark. Can't really see through, but it has some dark reddish brown in a very few thin spots around the edge. No lacing.

S: Dark fruit, burnt sugar maybe. Some roastyness. No hops. Not very strong overall, but that doesn't bother me because I'm not a big fan of the smell. Too coffee like for something that doesn't claim to be a coffee beer.

T: Similar to the smell, but more mild and yet more present. Less roasted, more dark fruit. Some sweetness. It gets better as I drink more.

M: a little fizzy, but generally smooth

D: Great if you like the taste, ok if not.

Serving type: bottle

07-15-2009 01:03:57 | More by mdwalsh

ash111

Virginia

3.58/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I've been hitting porters now that the weather's turned a little chilly. Founder's was a new one for me, so I thought I would give it a try. Nice dark color with no light coming through. Not much head on the beer and disappeared quickly. Smells of malts, coffee, with a noticeable whiff of alcohol. Taste followed the smell, including the alcohol which was a little potent early in the beer.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2011 19:10:47 | More by ash111

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