Beer Description

Founders has released a series of bourbon barrel aged beers in the last few years and 2017/18 has seen an explosion of new flavors to try.

Froot Wood
KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout)
Doom
DKML
Backwoods Bastard
CBS (Canadian Breakfast Stout)
Dank Wood
Barrel Runner
Curmudgeon’s Better Half

The beer is best described by the brewer, so I won’t take his or her job.

What tames an old ale like Curmudgeon? The tender embrace of oak and sweet maple, that’s what. The result is Curmudgeon’s Better Half, a harmonious matrimony of our deceptively smooth old ale brewed with molasses and time spent aging in bourbon barrels that have previously held maple syrup. Because all counterparts should be sweet, rich and utterly delicious. (Founder’s description)

ABV: 12.7%
IBU: 35
Best Served: Goblet or snifter.

Beer Review

I’ve almost never had a Founder’s beer that I did not like. Curmudgeon’s Better Half is no exception. In fact, it might be my new favorite beer for 2018. This beer tastes exactly how the label looks. My first sip took me back to a pancake breakfast in a cabin somewhere in the woods. I was transported. It was magical. The taste is unlike anything I’ve had in this category. It’s breakfast in a bottle.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: The aroma smells of bourbon barrel and butter. There is some old style ale aroma as well.

Taste: The taste a very sweet red ale with very little bittering and a serious note of maple and pancakes. The flavor starts out ale and ends with a sweet butter milk.

Texture: The texture is slightly thicker than a regular red ale but not chewy like a thick stout. The head is white and sticks to the side of the glass and carbonation is abundant but not like a shandy or summer time drink

Finish: The finish is buttermilk pancakes. The last bit on the tongue makes me want another sip right away.

Comparisons: None yet but I would say that Old Stock Ale would be in the same family, minus the frills.