Newcastle Founders' Ale - The Caledonian Brewery Company Limited

Darkmagus82

Montana

3.25/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Served on tap in a pint glass

Appearance – Served a medium amber colored brew with a one finger white head. The head fades relatively quickly leaving only a lighter level of lace on the sides of the glass

Smell - The aroma is mainly of a malty and bready aroma. Mixed with these are some sweeter caramel as well as some lighter fruit notes of apple.

Taste – The taste begins with a bready and biscuit malt flavor mixed with a sweet caramel flavor upfront. Some light roasted malt flavors develop more toward the middle, only to fade more toward the end. As the light roasted flavors come and go so too comes some fruity flavor of an apple and pear taste. These stay very light and only aid in enhancing the bready and biscuit flavors and serve as a backdrop to the caramel. In the end a light herbal hop flavor comes to the tongue, leaving a rather crisp and smooth flavor on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is rather crisp and on thinner side with a medium to slightly lower level of carbonation. A bit more carbonation may have been slightly better for accentuating the crisp taste of the brew, but overall it was a decent feel as the thinner body made it quite refreshing.

Overall – Rather crisp and refreshing. Quite easy to drink but nothing too exceptional.

Serving type: on-tap

05-22-2013 00:20:54 | More by Darkmagus82

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

FosterJM

California

2.98/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

1330th Review on BA
Draft to Pint
12oz

@TGI Friday's, Orleans Hotel, Las Vegas

App- A very dark rust color with some falling orange at the bottom of the glass. Not sure then tender knew how to pour but only got maybe a 1/8" ring of bubbles. No cling or lace either.

Smell- Damp earthy malts with a small bitter note. Really wasnt a whole lot there. Eh.

Taste- A small english pale is correct. I guess taking my misconception of a pale ale, I would say this is a average beer. A little bitter. A little malty. Semi-tasty. Wasnt mad for a $3 pint.

Mouth- A lighter medium body with a low-medium carbonation. Really lacking some pop or bubbles.

Drink- Just average. Lacking carbonation and flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

06-05-2012 02:47:38 | More by FosterJM

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.53/5  rDev +8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On-tap 5/1/2012 at Doherty’s East Ave Irish Pub, in Pawtucket, RI served in a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a deep gold color with a large off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick on the glass.

S: The aroma contains light caramelized malts, honey and some hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of caramel and honey. Then a hearty but not too heavy malt character comes in. The hops presence is very mild but brings some balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet and slightly bready.

M: Crisp and a little smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sweet.

O: A little tasty, goes down easily, not too filling, mild kick, good representation of style, it’s a solid beer but there are others that are better in the style.

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2012 04:20:35 | More by TheManiacalOne

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.63/5  rDev +11%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear, dark amber with not much head - but the latter may be an artifact of the pour. Malty aroma has a fruity undertone and is not strong, but still invites a taste. Flavor - whoa, now that is good flavor. Malty core, apple plus more than a hint of pear, hint of horehound. Smooth and somewhat fizzy texture has more than average body. If this is not outstanding, it is still worthy of a try.

Serving type: on-tap

03-11-2012 02:11:48 | More by Cyberkedi

BlurryVisi0n

New York

3.3/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Served unto a Newcastle signature glass (Wellington).

Appearance: Straight amber with a 1/8" white head, turns to nothing before it hits the lips.

Smell: Light hops, like real light....really if it wants to smell it wasn't made for it.

Taste: creamy almost like a marzen vanilla bean but slight bitterness to it and quite honestly it is pretty impressive.

Mouth: medium might come off light but smooth incredibly smooth

Overall: well crafted, just enough to be a regular back to back at the bar. Unfortunately this is a limited release and get it while you can. Salud!

Serving type: on-tap

02-06-2012 05:31:37 | More by BlurryVisi0n

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.43/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

16 ounce pint - $6.00 at Taco Mac in Canton, Georgia.

Appearance: Pours out a crystal clear, dark amber body with nearly a half inch of near white fizz.

Smell: Minor notes of toast, nutty caramel with a layering of dried herb hops.

Taste: Crisped sugar flecks atop a very lightly toasted bready malt base. Light berry-esque quality. Leafy, herbal hops with a medium-low bitterness. Dry, bready, leafy finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-thin body. Medium-light carbonation.

Overall: While not a beer to be celebrated, it is okay, it is drinkable, and a far sight better than some of their other seasonal offerings.

Serving type: on-tap

02-01-2012 19:37:09 | More by ChainGangGuy

Crundy

Ohio

3.88/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: very clear, dark mahogany color, no lacing, white head

S: Smell was not very strong but I did get some banana, and caramel malt, and a subtle nut aroma

T: Very similar to the nose, Caramel roasted malt, distinct nut flavor, and banana and maybe clove flavors

M: light medium bodied, creamy and smooth with just enough bite to keep it interesting and a bittersweet aftertaste

O: Very good beer, good balance of sweet and malt bitterness, this must be a relatively new beer but its a nice EPA.

Serving type: on-tap

01-21-2012 16:56:17 | More by Crundy

flagmantho

Washington

3.78/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

Appearance: rich golden hue with a haze-free body and a pretty strong effervescence. Head is a half-finger of creamy ivory foam. Not bad!

Smell: subdued malty aroma with a fair helping of caramel character. A bit light, but nice.

Taste: nice caramel-malt flavor with a light but present bitterness; it's definitely tipped more to the malty side of the spectrum. This beer is almost a caramel mild in its lightness and balance. Still, the overall effect is working for me.

Mouthfeel: light body with a big carbonation and a unexpectedly robust and satisfying creaminess. I'm quite pleasantly surprised!

Overall: this beer just rubs me the right way. It's light but balanced, sweet but not cloying, and really quite satisfying. I would be glad to quaff gobs of it.

Serving type: bottle

05-19-2013 19:03:57 | More by flagmantho

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

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

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

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

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

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

tr9871

Mississippi

3.33/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I tasted this beer previously at a much colder temperature and found that I did not care for it very much. This time I waited until it warmed to around 52-54 degrees and was pleased to find that characteristics were a bit more appealing.

A- The color is a very nice dark copper color, perfectly clear with large bubbles in the head. It seems a bit dark for a pale ale on first glance. The small head did not last long and disappeared very quickly. Left no lacing.

S- Not much going on here, some toasted malt smells and a very faint hop aroma. Smells sweet.

T- Same as the smell really. Not much going on. Mostly a sweet malty beer with barely any bitterness or hop character. Not too sweet however, with just barely enough dryness coming through to make it palatable.

M- This is where this beer comes through and shares similarities with the more widely enjoyed Newcastle Brown Ale. It has about the same mouthfeel- delightfully thin and easy to drink with not too much or too little carbonation. Could be quite refreshing on a hot day.

Overall, this beer is not bad, its just nothing exciting. It is a bit unbalanced for the style, with too much sweetness and not enough hops to counteract the malts. I will be able to finish the six pack, but won't seek this one out in the future.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2013 01:47:51 | More by tr9871

BlackHaddock

United Kingdom (England)

3.88/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

355ml Bottle: best before 30 Apr 2013, opened on 12 Apr 2013 and poured into an Abbot Ale glass tankard.

Looked good, light amber going onto copper in body colour, on top a full head of white crowned it off nicely.

I thought this had a malt bias throughout: something I like. The nose had a mild caramel hint within the aroma and that followed along within the mouth flavours. Hops are around giving the beer a balanced feel but this is a semi-sweet brew which fits my taste profile very nicely.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2013 06:19:25 | More by BlackHaddock

SometimesIfart

Michigan

2.71/5  rDev -17.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Pours a clear copper with a one finger moderately disappating white head. Left no lacing.

S - Some odd honey malt and hay with a bit of slight bubblegum. Smells kind of like a weak trippel.

T - Creamed corn and skunk, followed by a moderate amount of malt. Very grassy finish.

M - Medium bodied with medium carbonation.

O - Overall, It was a slightly glorified AAL. I'd have again at a party but that's about it.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 06:36:30 | More by SometimesIfart

FlyingBull

California

3.04/5  rDev -7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Purchased this brew in a 6 pack at a local grocery. I really like Newcastle Brown, so I was interested in trying this.

Into a traditional pint glass, this brew poured a crystal clear dark yellow to amber. It had a small white head that dissipated rather quickly leaving some lacing down the glass sides. Carbonation looked to be on the "average" or "medium" side.

The initial aromas seemed to be dominated by cider, some sulfur, mild flowery/citrus hops, and very little malt. Initial taste was dominated by sweet malt up front, followed by a cider taste (...to me), ending with some mild hop bitterness. Mouth feel was on the medium side balanced nicely by the carbonation.

Overall, this beer seemed odd to me. I think it's the cider smell and taste that is throwing me off. 5 more bottles to go - we'll see how it "drinks" out.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 04:26:54 | More by FlyingBull

MikeAAL

Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +22.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This is the best Newcastle product I've had.

White head with a copper body. Very nice lacing on it.

Strong smell of hops and citrus.

The first thing I taste is a strong hops flavor with a crisp citrus taste at the end.

Medium carbonation with a clean, crisp, dry and refreshing finish.

Definately a good Pale Ale.

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 18:48:14 | More by MikeAAL

jazzyjeff13

United Kingdom (England)

2.96/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A 355ml bottle with a BB of April 2013. Picked up a while back from Tesco. Brewed in Tadcaster (presumably at the John Smith's brewery). This is the first time I've come across a beer from the Newcastle brewery that wasn't the Brown. The blurb on the back label goes on about commemorating Archie Jones, one of the creators of Newcastle Brown.

Poured into a straight pint glass. A clear orange-amber colour with decent carbonation. Forms a large head of white foam that lasts for a few minutes before settling as a thin surface layer. Aroma of light caramel malt, mild fruity ale yeast, faint grain and weak stewed leaves. Not much going on.

Tastes of mild caramel malt with a dry finish. Notes of fruity ale yeast, vague caramel, subtle grain and stewed leaves. A rather harsh cardboard hint in the background. Dry, with a slight bitterness upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is smooth and tingly, with pleasant carbonation but a somewhat thin body. Rather astringent, with an aftertaste of ale yeast, cardboard and faint caramel malt.

Meh - dull and unimaginitive. Average flavour and aroma, with some off-notes lurking behind the scenes. Doesn't do anything for me; just another lacklustre also-ran. Give it a miss and buy something decent instead.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 21:53:46 | More by jazzyjeff13

M_C_Hampton

Georgia

3.38/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

A: poured from a 12 oz bottle into a pub pint glass, copper colored with a small white head that dissipates leaving little lacing, clear

S: light hop smells with a light sulfur mineral smell, caramel malt

T: malt profile up front, toasty bread, cereal grain

M: thinner side of medium with a drier finish

O: drinkable but not really noteworthy, nice toast flavor

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 01:13:40 | More by M_C_Hampton

JMad

Texas

3.21/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

It pours a dark orange color with a lofty off white head that left some nice lacing on the glass. Not much on the nose, it's kind of macro tasting with scents of metal, sweet malt and grain. It tastes like it smells but with a little more to it, I detected some grass, bread and more metal. It has a light body with very little carbonation. I probably won't drink this again, I don't really know where they were going with this one.

Serving type: bottle

03-30-2013 23:01:11 | More by JMad