I’m at Fat Jack’s in Bloomington, IL tonight for a meeting about our homebrew club’s For What it’s Wort competition. I was looking at the beer list, and hadn’t heard of this beer from Founders Brewing. They make some pretty good beers, so I didn’t think it was much of a risk to give this one a try. Some quick research on my phone told me it’s a hoppy, flavorful lager, so I was eager to give it a try.
Location: Poured into a pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 8.7% ABV, 70 IBUs, ~260 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s bright gold in color and very clear with a decent head that’s a bit soapy looking. The head left some nice lacing and revealed a piney, lightly floral hop aroma.
Taste & Feel: The body was solidly medium and the mouthfeel was crisp from the hops. The flavors up front were a sweet honey malt, and a bit of piney hop juiciness. In the middle, the bitterness comes in a little bit, and both the bitterness and piney hop flavors meet each other in the finish. There’s a nice, clean piney flavor in the aftertaste that lasts for a brief time.
Food Pairing: There’s a little bit of sweet maltiness in this beer, but it’s mostly clean piney hop flavors. I think it’s light enough that it could go with a pork dish – like pork chops or tenderloin – or could go with an Asian stir fry mix of veggies.
Overall Impression: I enjoyed the hop flavors in this beer, and especially the mix of honey malt and hop juiciness up front. It had a good mix of piney flavors and bitterness, and the clean finish and aftertaste was nice. Overall, I thought the description of an IPL fit the taste and feel nicely, and I enjoyed it.
My Rating: 
Reader Ratings[five-star-rating]
