Founders Curmudgeon
It seems like 2009 was the year of Founders in my household with four new beers from the brewery showing up in my local shop. It also appears as though the trend will continue into 2010 with Curmudgeon Old Ale and Backwoods Bastard (review coming soon). Not that I’m complaining or anything, I’ve loved just about everything that I’ve gotten my hands on from them.
Curmudgeon is no exception. As far as old ales go, it’s one of the hoppiest versions of this style that I have ever had — and that’s not a bad thing.
Appearance
This old ale pours a reddish orange in color with a light tan head that faded slowly.
Aroma
Wow. You can smell this one a mile away with a decent hop and pine notes. A toffee/caramel presence is also in there, as well. It smells quite sweet with a little cereal malt.
Taste
Wow, again. The hoppy nature of this beer was quite a surprise. It’s got a pile of hops thrown in for an old ale. There’s also sweet, bready malts. The 9% ABV is very present adding a warming and boozy nature to the brew. This one is certainly a sipper.
Overall
Aside from North Coast’s Old Ale, I think this hoppier take on the style could very well be one of my favorites. It’s a full flavored brew that warms the body through and through. I’ve also put a couple of bottles away to see how they turn out after a little aging to mellow the heat in the brew.
Rating: 3.5/5