Founders Bolt Cutter - Founders Brewing Company

tectactoe

Michigan

4.08/5  rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours an amber-copper color, sort of cloudy and hazy with an off-white head that settles quickly after a hard pour, no real lacing to mention. Aroma is heavy and thick; sweet toffee, burnt sugar, rosey fruits, plums, figs, juicy dates soaked in booze, light vanilla, oak, a touch of wood. Taste hits hard up front with sweet, burnt brown sugar, booze drenched raisins, figs, plums, some backwards woodiness. Creme brulee comes to mind with the burnt sugar and slight vanilla hints. Butterscotch in the background maybe, too. Hop profile is a bit ashy and dry with a light perfume aroma to them, adding a reasonable amount of bitterness to make sure the sweetness isn't cloying (which it's not). The booze profile is mostly reminiscent of bourbon-whiskey; it's warming and relevant and noticeable, slightly warm and a little more so as the beer approaches room temp, but it's never too hot to drink. I would imagine this would mellow out a bit and become excellent with some more time on it. Thick, sticky, heavy body, low carbonation.

Surprised by how good this was, reviews were pretty mixed so I didn't know what to expect. While it was pretty tasty, I think it might mellow out a bit more with some age. Unfortunately, the price tag on this one is a little much for what you're getting.

Serving type: bottle

12-31-2012 22:19:50 | More by tectactoe

tomholland

Washington

3.5/5  rDev -13.8%

05-23-2013 03:39:05 | More by tomholland

Bigtwin

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

05-22-2013 16:34:06 | More by Bigtwin

mikeincharleston

South Carolina

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-22-2013 00:58:16 | More by mikeincharleston

dcloeren

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

05-21-2013 21:29:05 | More by dcloeren

ackeeper

Illinois

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-21-2013 01:50:11 | More by ackeeper

StoutHunter

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

05-21-2013 01:48:49 | More by StoutHunter

AL89BR

New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

05-20-2013 14:55:46 | More by AL89BR

InspectorBob

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-20-2013 14:28:45 | More by InspectorBob

twiggamortis420

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

750 mL bottle pours a lightly hazed copper color with a surprisingly delicate head that sticks around a good while...nice lace too.

Nose is almost all caramel...wow, like a boardwalk candy shop! Little bit of toffee and toast, smooth nose - that’s fo sho.

Taste is understatedly hoppy! Mashes sweetness, toast and caramel just about as well as any beer I have ever had. Alcohol is ridiculously smooth for a 13%'er...Impressive. I really like it. Mouthfeel is a tad less creamy than I expected, but that is a minor complaint. Founder’s can do some amazing beers and Bolt Cutter fits their profile well, though it is almost a disappointment if one of their beers fails to rock your socks off! That can be both a blessing and a curse, in this case I think Bolt Cutter is a very good Barleywine, but never quite reaches the ‘epic’ status that many of their beers seem to effortlessly obtain.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2013 01:11:43 | More by twiggamortis420

Alextricity

Michigan

3.45/5  rDev -15%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

To my surprise, I saw this at the World Expo of Beer in Frankenmuth, Michigan and decided to try it out. I hope you're all ready to roll your eyes at this review and spit on your screen!

Appearance: A nice ruby-like color. No head to speak of, and no lacing either .... which I guess is to be expected.

Smell: Honestly smelled like a chlorine pool to me, for the most part ... after awhile that note seemed to fade and I just got a really odd mix of super sweet malt with hops. Unusual.

Taste: It's a barleywine. It's 15%. In the words of Ralph Wiggum, "It tastes like burning." The beer isn't overly bitter, but it burns quite a lot with a lot of alcohol in the flavor. I found that I was mainly concentrating on getting all of it down, rather than trying to pick up on flavors. I could finish my 4oz sample, but I'm not convinced I could have much more.

It's too big for me. Sweet, heavy, and copious amounts of alcohol in the flavor. Could definitely benefit by mellowing out over the course of a year or so.

Serving type: on-tap

05-19-2013 16:50:01 | More by Alextricity

Benny3000

Michigan

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

05-19-2013 13:47:51 | More by Benny3000

NeutroMan

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

05-18-2013 22:20:10 | More by NeutroMan

BUNZILLA

Indiana

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

05-18-2013 00:59:45 | More by BUNZILLA

smartassboiler

Illinois

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-17-2013 14:19:24 | More by smartassboiler

dan027

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -1.5%

05-17-2013 02:51:26 | More by dan027

Dan3279

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

05-17-2013 00:20:40 | More by Dan3279

iHeartMNBeer

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

05-16-2013 20:21:27 | More by iHeartMNBeer

acc88

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

05-16-2013 07:09:34 | More by acc88

standardcherry

Massachusetts

3.94/5  rDev -3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

22oz bottle.

A: Pours a slightly hazy dark orange/golden color with a big, creamy looking tan head.
S: Hoppy citrus aroma, sweet malts, caramel, brown sugar, woody scent. There's a sweet, almost bubblegum-like aroma at the end. Strange, but not bad.
T: Smooth malty flavor, followed by maple and a ton of citrusy/earthy hops bitterness. Fruity flavors (pineapple and citrus) mixed with caramel, maple, oak and booze. A hint of vanilla as well, but the hoppy bitterness dominates. It's ok, but I'd definitely let it mellow a bit if I had another bottle.
M: Surprisingly drinkable for a barleywine this huge. Full bodied with a sticky mouthfeel. Great carbonation for the style.
O: Glad I got to try this beer but I wouldn't buy it again. If I had another bottle I'd let it hang out for another year or two to let the hops mellow more.

Serving type: bottle

05-16-2013 05:44:08 | More by standardcherry

twkirkby

Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +10.8%

05-15-2013 10:09:36 | More by twkirkby

HarmonMW

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -20%

05-13-2013 21:40:36 | More by HarmonMW

davesway10

Iowa

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%

05-13-2013 20:35:49 | More by davesway10

hogansct

Connecticut

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

05-13-2013 18:33:40 | More by hogansct

vrbulldog22

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +4.7%

05-13-2013 18:23:20 | More by vrbulldog22