Founders Brewing Co. Porter
I find it almost impossible to pass up a newly released Founders Brewing Company beer, and so it was only a matter of time after the Porter was released earlier this Spring before I broke down and bought a few bottles of it. The problem was that the beer collection here had grown a bit overly large, and so I really wanted to work through some of that before adding more bottles. But then I had the chance to try the Porter on tap at the Dirty Truth in Northampton and my resolve crumbled.
On tap the Porter was so good. Surprisingly velvety body for a porter, and loads of coffee and chocolate flavors. And so not too long after that I came across a couple of bottles in a shop and snapped them up.
Just to be clear, the Porter is not a new beer from Founders. According to an interview with founder Dave Engbers, they had brewed a porter a while back, but a few years ago when the brewery reached capacity they decided to pull the Porter from their lineup. In 2008 they began brewing it once again, and this Spring released it in bottles for the first time in several years.
I’m not generally a big fan of porters, in most cases I can take ‘em or leave ‘em. But this porter has so much going on, so much going for it, similar to the Mayflower Porter it is hard to not really like this one.
The beer pours thick with a chocolate colored head that falls somewhat quickly. The color is opaque black and ruby-brown at the edges. The nose has is rich and enticing with elements of dark chocolate, roasted malt, rye bread, and a thread of smoke. The palate has flavors of roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate malts, cocoa powder, and a bit of caramel. The texture is soft and velvety, with enough carbonation to really carry the flavors well. The finish is initially bitter with roasted grains, then giving way to dark chocolate and caramel sauce.
I hate to say it because I’m beginning to feel like a cheerleader, but this is another great beer from Founders. In fact, given how much better their porter is than most others I’ve ever tasted, I think this is easily one of their best. In many ways this one bears more resemblance to other breweries’ stouts, which definitely lends it a lot of its robust personality.
If you have a chance to try this, don’t miss it.
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