Hello Fellow Beer Enthusiasts. We have quite the lineup this week, as Tyler alluded to with his Pint Night Post. This is the first of two days of ratings that will be posted. This one poses mostly beers that have never appeared on our tap wall before, and all delightful. John Bernedo happened to stop by, and so I added a third member to our tasting team this week. Come and check these beers out on Friday!
Boulder A Honey of a Saison
This is one heck of a strong Saison. In fact, you could label it as a Belgian Strong Ale as it comes in at a whopping 11.5% ABV. The nose has subtle aromas of sour peaches, applesauce, creamed honey, and hay. It definitely smells like Spring or Summer, even though this Saison is released in February. The flavor is immediately tart with flavors of raspberries and orange juice right off the bat. The finish is just as tart as the opening, but brings in a plethora of flavors to delight your taste buds. Watermelon, applesauce, cardamom, coriander, and wheat made for a very tasty finish on this brew. However, that 11.5% ABV rears its ugly head with an alcohol burn after the finish. Other than that, this is a good Saison.
Mike, Tyler, and John's Rating - 8.5/10
Founders Rübæus Raspberry Ale
Some of you all might remember Founders Cerise, a Cherry Ale from last year, that was a wonderfully crafted brew. This year we have Rübæus which trades in the cherries for raspberries. However, the quality is still there. The nose gives off strong hints of raspberries (what a surprise!), cream, cough syrup, and grape kool-aid. The taste is silky smooth with flavors of raspberry cobbler, raspberry yogurt, and hay up front. Those raspberry flavors slowly dissipate as the finish rushes forward. That finish displays silky smooth and malty flavors of oats, honeycomb, hay, and pie crust. It makes for a delectable beer that will mix well with any of our stouts or ciders.
Mike, Tyler, and John's Rating - 9/10
Founders Double Trouble Double IPA
Double Trouble is one of the most easily recognizable Imperial IPA's on the market, and for good reason. Each keg is positively delicious, with few exceptions. This one is not that exception. The nose has pungent aromas of cinnamon, citrus, pine, grapefruit, armpit, and cologne. It makes for a very potent aroma. The taste is quite bitter up front and displays flavors of pine, lemon pith, lemon zest, and toasted rye. The finish is dry and bitter but still displays cloying flavors of perfume and resin. However, all of these flavors blend together to form one of the more intense and flavorful Double IPA's that you will find on tap this Summer.
Mike, Tyler, and John's Rating - 9.5/10
Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA
No, that isn't a misprint. I said Triple IPA. This label is applied to very few beers, and this one is no exception. 2 months of age has taken some of the bang from it, but this beer is still the hoppiest beer we have on tap by far. It has a huge malt build to balance out the insane amount of Alpha hops that went into this behemoth. On top of that, Founders dry hops it for over 3 weeks after it is made (or so I hear). After pouring this beautiful beer, the nose displayed a plethora of hop aromas like mango, grapefruit, orange, pine, and plenty of earth notes. Hints of caramel and brown sugar showed off the high malt content. The taste smacks you in the face with bitterness up front before you get flavors of grapefruit, pine resin, unsweetened cocoa, and earthiness. The finish continues that bitter trend with flavors of toast, lemon pith, and cilantro. Come and grab a pint of this 12% ABV beer if you so dare.
Mike, Tyler, and John's Rating - 9.75/10
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