Founders Barrel Aged Spite Poblano - Founders Brewing Company

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.98/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This brew was served on tap at the Founders Brewing Company taproom in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It arrived in a generic snifter, glowing a soft golden orange coloring. It held a quick film of a head composed of soapy white bubbles. This left spotty lacing around the glass as the liquid disappeared. A chill haze was noted, with no sediment seen. Carbonation appeared to be lighter. The aroma was simultaneously fresh and dank. The former came from cucumber skins and poblano pepper flesh, with vegetal seediness and light green grassiness. The balancing depth came from the barrels which gave light smokiness, dust, big and clean oakiness, moss, boozy vanillas, and general dirty earthiness. The malts were pale and sweet, with light lactics adding a twinge of sourness on the far back with warmth. Our first impression was that the flavoring was fresh with peppers and heat, with nicely sweet blending from the vanilla and oak. As we sipped, the taste opened up with spicy and oily pepper seed hotness. This didn’t burn you down quite as irreversibly as the habanero version, but rather blended evenly with the paler malt base, and initially soft earthy woodiness from the barrels. The middle came to a peak simply, with bittering grassy hops, peppery booze, and continued heat and flesh of the poblanos. Moving through the finish was heat, light florals nectars, gravel, mineral water, sweeter honey tea, gritty pale malt bitterness, and massive earthiness of cave aging. The aftertaste breathed of smoke ribs, vegetal flesh, dried straw, juicy baker’s yeast, oily pepper spiciness, alcohol, strong oaky depth, and mildly blistering heat. The body was medium, and the carbonation was light to medium. Each sip gave nice slurp, smack, cream, and froth, with excellent pop on the back. The mouth was coated with oily slickness that, no matter what you tried to wash with, slowly burned away. The abv was appropriate, and the beer drank very nicely.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this beer was its nice blend through the flavoring. As with the habanero version, the barreling could theoretically be washed away in the inherent heat of the style. Here, however, the barreling did nothing but add depth, balance, and complexity with the highly oppositional flavors of chili pepper, wood, and vanilla becoming one. The wood here, again in comparison, gave much, much more earthiness through both the nose and the taste, as there wasn’t as much heat to mask it. The pepper was authentic and just hot enough to be independently recognizable, without being overly powerful or gimmicky. This is a tasty, genuine, and highly functional chili beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-18-2013 21:03:11 | More by TheBrewo

kylehay2004

Florida

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear and yellow with amber hues. No lacing or head to speak of. Aroma is mostly. Hole and jalapeño. More of the same in the taste. As compared to other chile beers, this one is fairly drinkable though I admit I am not a fan of hot things and this not this genre. However objectively it seems like a standard child beer. Light to medium body and mild carbonation.

Serving type: on-tap

11-25-2011 21:36:16 | More by kylehay2004