Newcastle Founders' Ale - The Caledonian Brewery Company Limited

BucannonXC5

California

3.55/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Type: 12-oz. bottle
Glass: Pint glass
From: VONS in Grantville (San Diego, Calif.)
Price: $8.49 for a 6-pack
Purchased: Feb. 7, 2013
Consumed: Feb. 7. 2013
Misc.: N/A

Poured a caramel amber clear color with about one finger of bubbly off-white head that dissipated very fast. Minimal lacing on the sides. Very bad retention.

Smelled skunky malts up front. Also bread, hay, cereal, honey and light lemon grass. Some amber-like malts come in late.

Tasted much better than the smell. Got honey, light lemon, cereal, hay bread and a metallic finish.

Light-to-medium body. Thin texture. Average-to-lively (above average) carbonation. Abrupt finish. Somewhat refreshing.

Decent beer. Nothing to great, nothing too bad.

Serving type: bottle

02-08-2013 06:27:06 | More by BucannonXC5

yodagruv

Texas

3.1/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A: coppery amber, pretty clear, head was less than 1/4", don't know if it was a little old or if that's just its style.

S: biscuity, malty, less intense than Newkie Brown.

T: malty, earthy, simple, drinkable, biscuity at the end, slightly dry finish.

M: A little heavier than a tea, slippery

O: May be a bit easier on the American drinker than the Brown offering. I read that the original Newcastle Brown was considered a failure by the formulator because he he'd been attempting to recreate Bass Pale Ale. This is much closer to Bass but I'd say a smidge mellower.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 04:38:59 | More by yodagruv

gregu2

North Carolina

3.5/5  rDev +7%

05-19-2013 00:33:44 | More by gregu2

hackmann

Michigan

2.9/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

On the bottle: “Founders’ is a pale ale with a dry hoppy flavour and aroma. It is sweet rather than bitter, with a clean short finish.”

Appearance: shiny crystal copper body with a thin eggshell colored head that leaves very little lacing

Aroma: clean aroma, dry white toast, not much else

Flavors: okay, I’ll buy their description ‘dry hoppy flavour’ – a light grassy dry hops, light caramel, toasted white bread

Mouthfeel: Yes it is clean and short on the aftertaste, moderate carbonation,

To the Point: they are correct and honest in their description. How many times a company says, ‘full bodied, big time hops or malts, triple hopped’ … sure, sure, sure … you buy it and try it and it tastes light bodied and thin on the flavor side.

If you want simple, fairly clean, light on the flavors, easy to drink, and personally it is not that bad tasting.

Serving type: bottle

05-17-2013 20:59:37 | More by hackmann

Slay40

Michigan

2.75/5  rDev -15.9%

05-17-2013 00:26:39 | More by Slay40

Omnium

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev +8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Bottle > Winter Lager Glass

A - Pours a dark gold/light amber color, with half a finger of head, medium lacing.
S - Some baking flour, lager yeast, floral hops, and a little fresh cut grass.
T - This tastes and drinks much more like a lager than a pale ale, with just a few more hops, and some light fresh baked bread kinda malt.
M - Clean and smooth, nice finish for refreshment.
O - While not the worst, this is decently sessionable with some moderate flavors that make for a good hoppy lager, but its far off from a pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 22:10:54 | More by Omnium

Fatehunter

Oregon

3.13/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured a half finger of head on a clear, dark copper colored body.
The aroma is a good, if faint, grain and malt smell.
The taste is fairly bland. A touch of sweetness.
The texture is too fizzy with a crisp texture.
At 4.8% and no real flavor you could go to town on these and not be offended.

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 06:17:45 | More by Fatehunter

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.44/5  rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Light copper color. Beautifully crystal. Hefty bone collar of a finger and a half. Laces with oily foam stick.

Lightly toasty and very floral. Some harvest fruit and an ester reminiscent of tutti frutti. Fresh and minty nose. The hops that carry that are of that disposition.

Weaker in the flavor, after a very mild aroma. Steeped grains gather some sweeter notes alongside that light toast. A little soapy, too. Herbal hops have a spearmint freshness. Almost a note of cilantro. Somewhat grassy. Faint artificial peach.

Lightly carbonated. Hard to conjure up a burp. Reasonably easy to take down. The body is not particularly smooth, but it's at the right viscosity.

Newcastle is not where to turn for an authentic and delicious session pale. Look elsewhere. This one misses the mark.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 13:33:52 | More by thecheapies

Bill235

Ohio

3.25/5  rDev -0.6%

05-09-2013 13:56:07 | More by Bill235

Kpitevl

Missouri

3.5/5  rDev +7%

05-09-2013 02:50:54 | More by Kpitevl

Tavo2311

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev +7%

05-08-2013 00:47:38 | More by Tavo2311

dalepryor

Kentucky

2.75/5  rDev -15.9%

05-07-2013 21:12:08 | More by dalepryor

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.36/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

Served on-tap at The Tap in Boston, MA

A: Pours a crystal clear medium copper in color with moderate amounts of visible carbonation and some light amber highlights. The beer has a finger tall frothy off-white head that reduces to a thin film covering the entire surface of the beer with a slightly thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Light to moderate aromas of pale and biscuit malts along with a lightly fruity yeast and just a touch teas leaves.

T: Upfront there are light to moderate flavors of biscuit malts with just a hint of the pale malts. Light notes of fruity yeasts and hints of tea leaves (likely from an herbal/earthy hop). Light amounts of bitterness which fades quickly.

M: Just heavier than light bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly thin/watery.

O: Very easy to drink and definitely one that could be a session beer - reminds me of afternoons in pubs when visiting London. Not one I would go out of my way to find again but certainly one I would enjoy if I came across it in a bar again.

Serving type: on-tap

05-06-2013 18:06:07 | More by dbrauneis

h4ger

Connecticut

3/5  rDev -8.3%

05-05-2013 00:05:15 | More by h4ger

RedneckBeerz

North Carolina

3.75/5  rDev +14.7%

05-03-2013 20:14:24 | More by RedneckBeerz

gshackles

New York

3.25/5  rDev -0.6%

05-02-2013 02:07:42 | More by gshackles

uno99

Ontario (Canada)

3.18/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

A blighty good brew the bottle says... Well its certainly an "ok" one...

Appearance: Quite bright, almost florescent straw color with a hint of caramel. Not much head going on but there seems to be some nice lacing an a halo of foam around the meniscus.

Smell: Straight forward, simple and understated. Gently hopped with what I presume is traditional English bittering hops. Good malt balance. Slight metallic note but nothing truly off putting.

Taste: Pretty well balanced but unremarkable. No off flavours really. This would be very drinkable stuff.

Mouthfeel: Nicely carbonated, and nice bitter finish

Overall: Not great, but decent. A good addition to their excellent and world famous brown ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 01:37:11 | More by uno99

MarshMan71

Illinois

3.25/5  rDev -0.6%

04-28-2013 20:22:56 | More by MarshMan71

Damian74Shensky

South Carolina

3/5  rDev -8.3%

04-27-2013 18:53:35 | More by Damian74Shensky

DirtyPenny

Massachusetts

3.25/5  rDev -0.6%

04-25-2013 22:49:15 | More by DirtyPenny

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.24/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

Not expecting much from this one... indiscernible dating code on it

Pours an effervescent amber with a thumb+ of cream colored head. Good lacing & head retention

S: Pears & jammy notes,

T: Follows the nose,a touch of diacetyl & faint leafy hops. Slight sulphuric notes mix in with ever so faint leafy & mineral hoppyness, plus cardboard & a wisp of pear flavor as this warms. Finishes dry, fruitty & sulphury; finished stronger than it started

MF: Light bodied, fairly firm carbonation, gets even thinner as this warms

An average example of the style, muted hop profile, alright drinkability. Got better as it warmed past cellar temp, but not enough to redeem it

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 02:32:14 | More by russpowell

BuddyE

Louisiana

3/5  rDev -8.3%

04-23-2013 05:27:53 | More by BuddyE

Bighorn

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev +7%

04-22-2013 23:43:02 | More by Bighorn

Bowers-Brew

Illinois

2.25/5  rDev -31.2%

04-21-2013 21:42:03 | More by Bowers-Brew

smiga

New Jersey

2.96/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Like other reviewers this beer gets slightly better as it warms. And even with one glass tasting notes could be all over the map but never up and to the right.

A- Nice color, but the head doesn't last. 2nd try did lace well. Lots of large bubbles in fast fade head. Lots of bubbles in the body.

S- Smells sweet and malty. Not much going on. A little industrial stink, a touch staleness.

T- Thin. Better taste than smell. changes over time and temperature. Malt mostly, a bit of tingle, feel the bubbles, but not much hops. Better than their brown ale, but I am not a Newcastle fan. I am not a Scotch Ale fan. Stick to whiskey mates! With the better scotch ales, they need to breathe and warm.

M- Feel is refreshing. OK in a pinch. Lots of bubbles. Easy going.

This ale is not exciting. OK / average. No real subtlety or hop flavor, no big flavor arc as with a real pale ale like Oskar Blues Dales Pale Ale. Would drink only if everything else was bud.

Serving type: bottle

04-20-2013 00:53:51 | More by smiga