Founders Frangelic Mountain Brown - Founders Brewing Company

warnerry

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours clear mahogany with one and a half fingers of creamy, persistent tan head. Leaves small spots of lacing throughout.

S - Huge hazelnut coffee nose. Really don't get much else, but it smells delicious. Maybe just a hint of alcohol and brown sugar.

T - Taste has more elements than the smell, and is more clearly a brown ale, though hazelnut coffee still dominates. More roasted malt with a bit of char, some slightly sweet and bready malts. More complex, but not quite as enjoyable as the smell.

M - After it warms up a bit, the mouthfeel has a nice creaminess to it, along with some bitter roastiness.

O - This is a very tasty imperial brown ale. Being part of the Founders Backstage series may raise some expectations that this doesn't quite live up to, but still a good and interesting beer.

Serving type: growler

07-04-2012 21:20:11 | More by warnerry

TATURBO

Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +16.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

From Growler purchased at KBS Day 2012. 8.1%

A: Light brown with minimal head.

S: Nutty, Coffee. Making my nose excited for the taste!

T: Coffee, but way different than the norm for most coffee beers I've tried. Strong Nutty flavor with Cashew/Pecan leading the way.

M: Lightly carbonated (From Growler after nearly 2 weeks though)

O: This is an awesome coffee beer with a sweet nuttiness. Glad I was able to score some to bring home and can't wait for the Backstage release, Just hoping I can score some then.
Way to Go Founder's! GREAT STUFF!

Serving type: growler

05-31-2012 19:10:47 | More by TATURBO

hmbrewer336

4.18/5  rDev +5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The appearance is medium brown is a little clarity. Nice slight tan head. Smell has little hop aroma and a strong hazelnut presence. A slight coffee and malt flavor. Some bitterness. The flavor of Hazelnut dominates the entire beer. Very nice mouth feel. Perfect carbonation level. I would highly recommend serving this cold as you can get it to help balance the flavors. Very nice beer overall and it is exactly what founder's brewed it to be.

Serving type: growler

04-06-2012 12:33:14 | More by hmbrewer336

hansgruber

Indiana

4.2/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Growler from KBS day. Drank about ten days later

Dark brown body with a small head. The last couple pours yielded a nice big head though.

Strong hazelnut nose with a malty and coffee presence too. 

Taste is strong hazelnut and a bit of a coffee flavor. Slightly sweet. Just like the nose. Medium bodied. 

Overall a one sided beer but it's very good. 

Serving type: growler

03-24-2012 04:04:41 | More by hansgruber

bashiba

Iowa

4.53/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured a nice clear deep walnut color with a thin tan head.

Had a great smell, big hazelnut coffee aroma.

The flavor is a nice mix of deep roasty malts, bits of smoke, and freshly brewed hazlenut coffee. Just a bit of earthy hops to balance it out.

The mouthfeel is zippy with a bit of slickness.

Very good brown, supremely drinkable.

Serving type: growler

03-18-2012 00:00:31 | More by bashiba

dar482

New York

4.29/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I had this 5/24/13 despite it only being brewed once and over a year old.

The color is a cloudy brown, light white white head.

The aroma has hazelnut coffee, sweet caramel, and vanilla. It really pushes the suggestion of what it's to be, hazelnut coffee.

The flavor is at first just huge caramel. Then there's mostly caramel and big roast flavors that you wouldn't get from most brown ales. There's a light coffee flavor. The big roast flavor is huge and at 9% ABV this is a dangerous beer with the mouthfeel.

There is a slight bitter finish so the hops show, despite the age.

With comparison, this has a lot of similarities obviously with Rogue Hazelnut Brown, but with more coffee and a much bigger roasted malt. It's one of the best brown ales I've had. How wonderful tasting.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2013 05:38:57 | More by dar482

scottfrie

California

4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

750ml bottle into large snifter. Thanks jbck109!

A: Pours a deep nutty caramel brown with a thin, bubbly, light tan head that faded into a thick collar leaving wisps of soapy lace down the glass.
S: Rich and sweet notes of hazelnut and buttery nuts dominate followed by light hints of light roasted coffee and roasted malt.
T: More buttery greasy nutty taste, hazelnut, light roast, milk chocolate, and a hint of raisin and vanilla.
The finish is slightly bitter with lingering flavors of hazelnuts and caramel, and the aftertaste is full of coffee, brown sugar and vanilla.
M: Full bodied, slick, greasy and smooth mouthfeel, with low carbonation.
O: I love that the hazelnut overpowers the coffee. A great example of hazelnut in beer. Very delicious, thanks Jay!

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2013 00:02:02 | More by scottfrie

brentk56

North Carolina

4.04/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: Pours an ice tea brown color with a rather modest head that fritters away rather quickly though it leaves a scattering of dots all around the glass

Smell: Hazelnut coffee, with undertones of toffee and vanilla

Taste : Hazelnut coffee with bitterness in the background from both the coffee and nutskin elements; in the middle, the vanilla and toffee sweetness builds but never becomes overwhelming; the finish is nicely balanced - not too sweet but filled with the flavor

Mouthfeel: Medium to full body with low to moderate carbonation

Overall: The ratings have built for this beer over time as I recall when I first bought the bottle the ratings were terrible; not sure whether the beer has developed that much since it was bottled but I rather enjoyed the beer though it is not something I would likely seek out again

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 22:15:47 | More by brentk56

CMUbrew

Michigan

3.9/5  rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Review from Fall 2012
750 mL bottle poured into a Founders snifter

A: Nut brown in color with ruby highlights. Looks quite oily.

S: Hazelnut coffee. It's that simple. If you're expecting anything else you're out of luck.

T: Most definitely hazelnut coffee. Thats about all I get. Coffee is slightly tannic. I would not consider the pure hazelnut coffee flavor that bad as that is what Founers was going for, although I would have liked it to be sweeter. Flavors became slightly less pleasing as the beer warmed although not terribly so.

M: Slick, oily, and slightly viscous.

O: This had potential to be a top favorite of mine in the brown ale style as well as beer in general. I love hazelnut coffee, but I needed this one to be sweeter (you won't hear too many people say that).

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 20:26:56 | More by CMUbrew

Joethebeerpro

Georgia

4.49/5  rDev +12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Frangelic Mountain Brown is the quintessential taproom “one-off” beer: Founders’ brewers created the Mountain Brown series for their taproom in Grand Rapids in 2007. Frangelic Mountain Brown is the 16th iteration in the series of popular brown ales—and it likely won’t be the last. The singular characteristic of this beer comes from the use of hazelnut coffees in the brewing process. The beer has distinct aromatics with sweet and nutty flavors beautifully balanced. Founders is known for its beers made with coffee (i.e., the Breakfast Stout series), but this is both the brewery’s first brown ale and its first beer brewed with hazelnut coffees to be bottled. It clocks in at 9% ABV.
It's amazing with brownies!

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 05:47:42 | More by Joethebeerpro

SHODriver

California

3.8/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A: pours a deep brown with ruby edges with a small off white head that quickly fades to a collar into a snifter
S: some brown sugar, hazelnut coffee and some lightly roasted malt
T: hazelnuts and coffee up front and throughout the drink, lightly roasted malt struggles to make its presence felt and there's a bit of caramelly sweetness at times. swallow is more hazelnut coffee and a bit more caramel
M: medium in the mouth with slightly prickly carbonation. decent finish
O: the hazelnut coffee kinda dominates the beer. I wish it would have played less of a leading role. Not a bad beer but it's almost like drinking watered down coffee. Interesting beer though

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 04:41:11 | More by SHODriver

Shhhhhhh

Michigan

4.74/5  rDev +19.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

its a dangerous combination beer and coffee. well hazelnut coffee. its is one of my favorites. me and my mom drink it all the time i got her hook but it will be soon gone. : ( but overall tasty tasty tasty!! go out and find u some. or ask nicely lol well have a good one

Serving type: bottle

03-31-2013 23:44:01 | More by Shhhhhhh

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

4.24/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

22oz bottle at a recent tasting, reviewed from notes.

So here's the thing about this beer. If you like sweet hazelnut, you're laughing. If not, you are out of luck. Simple as that. Let's press on.

Pours a nice chestnut hue, a bit hazy, with a sturdy crown of foam that holds its own quite well.

This brew has an unmistakable nose of sweet hazelnut, coffee and chocolate. In fact, I would go so far to say as this brew smells like a fresh batch of hazelnut roasted coffee. For me, this is a blessing, but for a few others at the tasting, this was a bit of a curse.

Taste is quite similar - vanilla, hazelnut coffee, with sweet brown sugar and a roasted malt. Cream, caramel and other sweet goodies in the mix. A very tasty brown, but the sweetness does get to you after a while. Medium to thicker bodied, very drinkable.

I liked this brew a great deal because I'm a sucker for hazelnut anything. Would be an excellent after dinner brew to be sure.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 22:55:23 | More by JohnnyBarman

alexgash

Connecticut

4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 ml bottle.

Garnet-tinged chestnut brown. Clear. Finger and a half of thick, creamy, light khaki head. Great lacing. Lots of hazelnut on the nose. The label does not lie. The hazelnut blends in nicely with some roasted coffee. Also some caramel, brown sugar, and molasses. Nice.

Roasted coffee up front (city plus roast). Brown sugar and caramel malt sweetness follow on its heels. Kind of mocha-y, but with lots of hazelnuts! They come on strong in the latter half of the palate. Sweetness stays throughout with added complexity of rummy fruit and even a little bitter orange peel. Finishes with lots of lingering brown sugar, coffee bitterness, and, of course, hazelnuts. Medium bodied with a slick feel. An interesting, well-made beer, but not one I would drink very often.

Serving type: bottle

03-17-2013 19:27:10 | More by alexgash

Thickfreakness

New York

4.69/5  rDev +17.8%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A- Chestnut brown with some ruby tinged highlights. A decently thick head that disappears very quickly. Leaves some nice thick lacing and a nice thick coating of oily legs dripping down.

S- Big notes of vanilla and toasted hazelnuts. Marshmallows, sweet latte, bitter chocolate, medium roasted coffee, crumb cake, angelfood cake with brown sugar/maple frosting. This gets so amazing as it warms up. Unlike anything I've ever drank or smelled. Extremely unique.

T- I really wish I woulda taken this out of the fridge an hour or so before I poured it. This one would be perfect going from the cellar to the glass. Tastes like a perfect cup vanilla hazelnut coffee. Little hints of cocoa, cream, and brown sugar. Very nutty, semi-sweet, and completely delicious.

M- Way thicker than I expected for a coffee beer. WOW! Really glides down your tongue. Sticky with brown sugar, hazelnut candy, mocha, marshmallow. One of the best Brown Ale's I've ever had.

O- This one has to be in my top five Brown Ales. Tons of flavor and body. I could smell this all damn day! I wish they'd get rid of FBS and make this every year.

Serving type: bottle

03-01-2013 02:21:27 | More by Thickfreakness

rfgetz

New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a light brown with copper highlights, moderate tan lacing, decent retention. Hazelnut right upfront on the nose, notes of clean, french pressed medium roast coffee, brown sugar, vanilla and cream round out the nose. Hazelnut hits the tongue first, big and strong but milds out until the medium roast coffee with light cocoa notes hits, some mor enutty qualities, vanilla and brown sugar join the mix. Full side of medium, creamy and smooth. Fantastic nose and flavor, maybe a bit too much for some to enjoy as I did.

Serving type: on-tap

02-25-2013 15:30:08 | More by rfgetz

DrinkSlurm

Connecticut

4.23/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

POured from bottle into tulip at lazy boy, white plains, ny. Pours a syrupy brown with a cloudy haze and a bit of off whote foam. Great coffee, sweet malt, nutty aroma...really nice. Super smooth sweet nutty malty glavor with a nice dose of fresh coffee. So easy to drink and just lots of flavor; its very nutty meets coffee...
I cant believe the reviews on this arent better. A really great brew for sure.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 20:31:13 | More by DrinkSlurm

beerdrifter

Germany

4.04/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up from a great trade with Evan! Beautiful clear mahogany pour with a one finger off-white head with minimal retention and nice lacing. The nose is huge and totally dominated by the hazelnut coffee along with hints of brown sugar, maple, butterscotch, caramel, and vanilla. The taste follows suit with the hazelnut once again the star. Also getting hints of maple, vanilla, mocha, molasses, and brown sugar. The mouthfeel is rich and creamy and smooth as silk with moderate carbonation and a bit of a syrupy finish. Overall, this was better than I had expected. I didn't get the artificial hazelnut or coffee creamer feel that others did. I'm not a big fan of hazelnut, but thought this was rather tasty, albeit a tad bit too sweet for my taste.

Serving type: bottle

02-14-2013 22:22:52 | More by beerdrifter

thedoubler55

New Jersey

4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A: A nice light brown color, transparent. A nice light fluffy off white head at the top that takes a while to go away, the lacing is present as well as you drink this oune.

S: Hazelnut all over this nose, with slight hints of brown sugar, some sweet bread and caramel and chocolate on the tail end.

T: This is just like the nose, hazelnut is all over the place, and the other notes accompany it as well, very balanced.

M: Medium bodied very smooth, not a lot of carbonation maybe mid level.

O: I love hazelnut anything so this brew was pretty darn good, I enjoyed it but I think something was missing But I still cant figure it out, overall not bad at all.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2013 18:57:47 | More by thedoubler55

nlmartin

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

People seem to love this beer or hate it. I split this bottle and a chocolate bar with my wife. The beer was chilled and served in a tulip.

A- The body of the beer is chestnut brown with mahogany high lights. A thick 1.5 inch head light tan in appearance crest the beer. Nice head retention and loads of sticky lacing marking the beers passage.

S- This beer delivers a lightly roasted coffe aroma. The coffee aroma supports a pleasing cocoa and hazelnut aroma.

T- The flavors of the beer deliver cocoa, medium roasted coffee that keeps the beers sweetness in check. This beer is about coffee loving. The hazelnuts are present in a syrupy sort of way. Not too shabby but wanted a more natural hazelnut flavor.

M- The body of the beer is medium and moderately carbonated. A slightly acidic finish from the coffee noted. No alcohol heat noted.

O- I really dig the coffee and overall maltyness of this beer. A nice treat to drink one and definately done.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2013 01:52:57 | More by nlmartin

greenmonstah

New Hampshire

4.03/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Writing a review from memory, but since Hads count for realsies now, even a bad review from memory is better than nothing. On tap at Prohibition Pig a while back.

A - Deep brown with a tan head.

S - Massive coffee and hazelnut aromas, really attractive. Throw in some cocoa, too.

T - Follows the nose, it's like a fresh cuppa hazelnut coffee.

M - Medium-full body that goes will with the rest of the beer.

O - Overall a great specialty brown ale, with a tasty combination of coffee and hazelnut.

Serving type: on-tap

01-29-2013 02:13:52 | More by greenmonstah

ryan1788a5

Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle poured into a large snifter.

A: Deep brown on the pour with burnt sienna highlights. Good clarity. The sand colored head settles pretty quickly, and even swirling of the glass won't revive it. Small, spotty lacing.

S: Huge aroma of freshly brewed coffee. It's uncanny, actually. This smells just like a freshly brewed cup of hazelnut coffee. Fruity notes of raspberry underneath. Toast with jam. Hazelnut chocolate. Slightly woody. A highly aromatic and memorable nose.

T: The dominant coffee taste comes as no surprise. Freshly brewed hazelnut coffee with rich earthy and nutty tastes. Light acidity. Creamy hazelnut chocolate. Hints of underlying raspberry fruitiness, sharp hop interjection reminiscent of orange marmalade. Strong, eternal finish of rich hazelnut coffee.

M: Thick body, full, rich, and creamy. Chewy. Slight scrubbing carbonation. Well-hidden alcohol warmth. Sinfully smooth. A luscious, decadent, and dessert-like mouthfeel.

O: Coffee, coffee, coffee. A fairly straightforward beer by Founder's standards, but they do it damn well. The coffee flavors are bold, rich, and authentic. The body/mouthfeel supports the strong flavors at work and even adds to the decadence. A stellar brew, and one of the most memorable coffee beers I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 02:03:49 | More by ryan1788a5

AlexFields

Tennessee

3.71/5  rDev -6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Smells sweet and mainly of hazelnut, even the coffee notes are restrained compared to the hazelnut.

Taste is pretty similar, very sweet, lots of hazelnut, some subtle coffee.

This is a good beer, not amazing but perfectly drinkable. I don't see why everyone has been shitting on this beer so much.

7.3/10

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 22:47:36 | More by AlexFields

SportsandJorts

Michigan

3.54/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Type: 750 bottle
Glass: snifter
From: Tippins Market in Ann Arbor
Price: $15

Appearance: a slightly reddish brown. almost opaque. a fingers worth of head that quickly fades to a slight side lacing

smell: nutty, coffee, some creaminess

Taste: hazelnut coffee, milk sugar, not much else as i have trouble picking subtleties with coffee. a pretty sweet taste overall

Mouthfeel: light, which is weird for something that tastes a little like coffee. creamy as well. feels very pleasant

overall: it looks and feels good but not my type of beer. i must say it is the best coffee tasting beer i have had.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 06:57:08 | More by SportsandJorts

sevenarts

New York

3.16/5  rDev -20.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: Clear ruby/cola brown color, modest off-white head with not much retention and a little lacing.

S: Lots of hazelnut, as promised. Nutty and sweet, with a bit of vanilla and subtle roasted malts beneath the creamy nuttiness.

T/M: Well, it is what it's supposed to be, heavy on the sweet hazelnut. That hazelnut coffee creamer flavor dominates, with a heavy milky sweetness to every sip. The initial sweetness and nuttiness is eventually joined by a roasted malt flavor, adding just a touch of much-needed bitterness to this syrupy brew, but never enough to truly offset the sweet hazelnut. Mouthfeel is medium, tending towards light and thin.

O: I'm not sure what I expected, but this is way too sweet and one-dimensional for me, especially since I've got a whole bomber sitting here. It definitely should have been in 20 oz. bottles, but even then it's just not a successful experiment. I like sweet beers generally, but this is too much with not enough extra character to balance it.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2013 23:04:00 | More by sevenarts