Founders Curmudgeon's Better Half - Founders Brewing Company

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BA SCORE
96
world-class
-
737 Ratings

rAvg: 4.33
pDev: 10.85%
Reviews: 207
Hads: 530

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Brewed by:
Founders Brewing Company

Michigan, United States

Style | ABV
Old Ale | 11.90% ABV

Availability: Rotating. bottle (174), on-tap (32), growler (1).

Notes:
This beer is retired; no longer brewed.

Old ale aged in bourbon barrels previously used for Michigan maple syrup.

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Reviews

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Reviews by tectactoe:

tectactoe

Michigan

4.24/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

One year old, bottled Feb 2012, enjoyed Feb 2013 amongst a tasting group. Pours a copper-ish, deep amber color with very nice clarity. An almost light-yellow, eggshell like head tops this one off and leaves tiny bits of lacing along the sides of the glass.

The nose on this one is heavy and full of many different things; bourbon, oak, light vanilla, light black licorice, sweet and juicy dark fruits, boozy figs, dates, and raisins, sweet toffee and caramel, and a very faint maple aroma that comes out more and more as time goes on. I'd like to believe the maple was much heavier when fresh, but it's still hidden and can be found even a year after bottling. Sweet and boozy all around.

Curmudgeon's Better Half doesn't waste any time getting down to business. It hits the palate with a heavy mix of bourbon, oak, licorice, caramel and sweet fruits. More figs, raisins, and dates that have been soaked in bourbon, and dipped in a brown sugar bath. No surprises here - the malt is heavy and gives off a huge molasses and caramel sweetness, sugary and sticky like syrup. Oak flavors are a touch mellow, but definitely there, along with the maple syrup which seems to kind of just blend into the background with everything else.

The booze is strong on this one, especially when you consider the fact that it's one-year old and only 11.9% ABV. Feels much closer to the 15% range. The maple characteristic is strongest in the aftertaste, which is also full of more oak, sweet bread, over-ripe dark fruits, and more bourbon. Thick and almost chewy body, sticky and syrupy, low-medium amount of carbonation.

Surprisingly bourbon heavy and almost even "hot" for being a 11.9% ABV year-old ale, but still pretty drinkable and definitely full of flavor. Lots of sweetness and oak flavors, along with a very, very mild maple characteristic. Was this one worth the price? Probably not, but it was still pretty damn good. I enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

02-10-2013 20:46:33 | More by tectactoe

More User Reviews:

bkonk10

Indiana

5/5 rDev +15.5%

05-22-2013 01:54:22 | More by bkonk10

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

4.25/5 rDev -1.8%

05-22-2013 00:56:09 | More by mikeincharleston

dcloeren

Texas

4.5/5 rDev +3.9%

05-21-2013 21:32:35 | More by dcloeren

Chugger

New York

4.5/5 rDev +3.9%

05-21-2013 03:24:48 | More by Chugger

ackeeper

Illinois

4.25/5 rDev -1.8%

05-21-2013 02:01:08 | More by ackeeper

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4.25/5 rDev -1.8%

05-20-2013 14:29:45 | More by InspectorBob

kbuzz

Pennsylvania

4.5/5 rDev +3.9%

05-19-2013 01:24:37 | More by kbuzz

Photekut

Azerbaijan

4.25/5 rDev -1.8%

05-19-2013 00:38:51 | More by Photekut

itsthepleats

Ohio

4/5 rDev -7.6%

05-18-2013 18:23:12 | More by itsthepleats

myersk27

Indiana

3.75/5 rDev -13.4%

05-17-2013 03:44:03 | More by myersk27

gueuzegossage

California

4.25/5 rDev -1.8%

05-15-2013 05:08:27 | More by gueuzegossage

BMart

Pennsylvania

4.5/5 rDev +3.9%

05-13-2013 17:01:51 | More by BMart

IMSPEAKNOENGLISH

Illinois

4.25/5 rDev -1.8%

05-13-2013 03:06:35 | More by IMSPEAKNOENGLISH

yadehtsiyadot

Pennsylvania

4.95/5 rDev +14.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

This forest is immensely dense. Foilage brushes against my legs as I make my way inward. I am at peace in this place. Light from beyond gleams through the trees, enveloping every blade of grass and every loose stick.

"This way", I hear a voice from the distance. Following it, I come across a great old maple tree. "What do you wish of me?" I question. "Share what I create by drinking from me", the old tree replies.

Reaching into my boot, I extract my pocket knife. Gently impaling the bark of the living wood, I open a prosperous floodgate. Scents of bourbon and maple encompass the forest. Pouring from the puncture is a beautiful, brown liquid.

"What is this?", I ponder. Reading my thoughts, the great maple replies, "This is you". "But I am me", I argue. "How can this be?" The old tree continues, "You are everything. But you divide yourself. You cut yourself in half, then quarters, then eigths, sixteenths, etc...forgetting what you truly are".

Confused, I bend down and take a gulp of the nectar. Everything is understood. This is me. This is my Better Half.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 04:43:51 | More by yadehtsiyadot