Curmudgeon's Better Half
Founders Brewing Company

Curmudgeon's Better HalfCurmudgeon's Better Half
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From:
Founders Brewing Company
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
Old Ale
Ranked #5
ABV:
12.7%
Score:
95
Ranked #1,274
Avg:
4.3 | pDev: 9.77%
Reviews:
539
Ratings:
1,833
Status:
Active
Rated:
Feb 28, 2023
Added:
Jul 10, 2010
Wants:
  447
Gots:
  500
Old ale aged in bourbon barrels previously used for Michigan maple syrup.

Formerly known as Kaiser Curmudgeon.

What tames an Old Ale like Curmudgeons? 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 aging spent aging in bourbon barrels that have previously held maple syrup. Because all counterpart should be sweet. Rich and utterly delicious.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by kingcrowing:
Photo of kingcrowing
Reviewed by kingcrowing from Vermont

4.17/5  rDev -3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750ml bottle poured into a hill farmstead tulip.

Pours a deep hazy amber brown with a very small and thin light brown head. Nose is malty, sweet, a bit of maple, well balanced.

Taste is awesome, old ales are generally a fairly dull style for me but these magic barrels really take it up a notch, mellow and sweet with a good amount of maple and bourbon. Not quite up to CBS but the character of the barrels still comes through. Mouthfeel is full and a bit syrupy with a crisp finish. Little bit of booze as well but it's far from overwhelming.
Feb 18, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.38 by BradtheGreat7 from Ohio

Feb 28, 2023
 
Rated: 4.15 by dms1767 from Nebraska

Oct 19, 2022
 
Rated: 4.26 by 2beerdogs from California

Jul 31, 2022
Photo of Curt2969
Reviewed by Curt2969 from Ohio

4.56/5  rDev +6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75
2018.
Appears copperish brown color with obvious light sediment and thin to medium lacing - beautiful. Smell reminds me of a boozy maple syrup, not overly pronounced, but certainly not hiding the booze. Taste is fantastic. Smooth sipper for sure. It's not my favorite style (stouts), but it's certainly really close. Fairly easy drinking considering the ABV. The mouthfeel is good for the style. I was hoping for chewier, but again, I love stouts. Overall, this is a sensational brew. One that I will certainly have again!
Thanks to my brother for giving me this wonderful beer!
Jun 20, 2022
Photo of NCSapiens
Reviewed by NCSapiens from Indiana

4.34/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
I had the 2017 on draft poured in a chimay glass. The aging really mellowed this out and turned a good beer into something truly interesting. The molasses compliments the ale quite nicely. The oak taste is significantly subdued upon aging but is still detectable. Likewise the bourbon elements. Maple is there but plays second fiddle to the molasses. Gorgeous ruby brown color with resplendent white foam and lacing. Chewy but medium thick and mild carbonation.
Jun 04, 2022
Photo of Orca
Reviewed by Orca from Washington

4.24/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
750mL (2018 release) into a tulip. Pours a clear deep honey with a velvety layer of soft foam across the top.

Aroma is sticky and sweet, classic malt-heavy English barley wine/old ale. My search for notes of maple on the nose goes unrewarded, just tons of heavy, malty sweetness.

Taste reveals the maple I was seeking on the nose. Sugary sweet, chewy, thick, heavy. Superlatives fail. Along with the maple there’s plenty of fermenting fruit here—peaches, apricots, figs, dates—and unrelenting sugar. Vanilla, an indiscernible liqueur, dry oak. Some degree of bitterness, presumably from a nominal amount of hopping, counters all the sweetness, but sugary matinees dominates here.

Mouthfeel is likewise heavy and chewy, thick. Lingers on the palate, goes down not unlike cough syrup, with far better flavor.

Overall a very nice dessert beer, clearly meant to be shared. This is a true sipper and, since I am tackling this bottle alone, I’m thankful I started early.
May 20, 2022
Photo of PapaGoose03
Reviewed by PapaGoose03 from Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
This is a bottle from the 2018 release. Memory tells me that it tastes like the fresh beer did in 2018 with the exception that a slight sherry-like flavor is present. That's a flavor that I don't like in aged stouts, but in this Old Ale it is heavenly and adds to the complexity.
Feb 21, 2022
Photo of elNopalero
Reviewed by elNopalero from Michigan

4.41/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Pours a clear, tan brown color. The booze hits up front, bourbon barrel goodness. Warming, with lots of oak. A little rough around the edges but some age will mellow that out.
Feb 02, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by TMoney2591 from Illinois

Jan 21, 2022
 
Rated: 4.38 by TP2MSU from Michigan

Jan 15, 2022
Photo of mschrei
Reviewed by mschrei from Illinois

4.59/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Bottled 8/15/18. Smooth, syrupy, sweet and subtle. Ruby colored with a lot of particulates. Scents of maple and wooden bourbon barrel. Taste is sweet syrup and bourbon, but neither are overly so. The best thing about the feel is it’s boozy but not hot. Maybe aging it a few years helped. Medium bodied, not thick or oily. A beer that works all the way around, especially with some age on it.
Jan 06, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by BigIronH from Michigan

Jan 02, 2022
 
Rated: 4.5 by Luckydog91 from Texas

Dec 17, 2021
 
Rated: 5 by enzotheMFbaker from Washington

Dec 15, 2021
 
Rated: 4.27 by QuakeAttack from California

Oct 01, 2021
 
Rated: 4.37 by Taenim from Maine

Sep 20, 2021
 
Rated: 4.24 by SViterileroux74 from Texas

Aug 15, 2021
Photo of Pegasus
Reviewed by Pegasus from Texas

4.5/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Hazy amber brown in color, with some light passing through, with no notable sediment or particulate. The body is crowned by a massive, dense tan head with outstanding persistence. The lacing is fine-beaded, dense and coats the glass in an unbroken sheet.

Aroma: A rich aroma of caramel, molasses, and maple syrup presents. Bourbon, as well, comes to mind, with its beguiling complexity. There is also a note of wood, possibly oak and soft vanilla. The alcohol is conspicuously absent, interesting in light of the considerable ABV of 12.7%.

Taste: The taste begins with caramel, molasses, and smoky maple syrup. Soon after, there are wood and strong, but gracious bourbon notes. An undercurrent of brown sugar and wood runs throughout the taste. Later in the taste, the alcohol presents, spicy and slightly vinous and moderately warming. The finish is dominated by oak, burnt caramel, a surprisng note of fresh butter, and a mild, lingering herbal bitterness.

Mouth feel: The feel is extraordinary, not merely thick, but actually syrupy, but in a very pleasant way. There is just the barest hint of carbonation. It is fair to say that this is velvety on the palate.

Drinkability/notes: Without qualification, this is superb and yes as some say: "boozy", but in a pleasing way. It strikes me as a dessert beer, but would also pair very well with a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. It would also be a wonderful accompaniment, if poured over a premium vanilla ice cream. The bottling date was 08/28/2018, with proper cellaring, there are many good years left.

Presentation: Packaged in a stubby twelve-ounce brown glass bottle with a pry-off crown, served in a South American-style Pilsener glass.1807:08042021
Aug 05, 2021
Photo of chitoryu12
Reviewed by chitoryu12 from Florida

3.91/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Look: Dark, chocolate brown. Half a finger of off-white head that quickly dissipates.

Smell: Sweet bourbon. A little sugary but the closest I've seen a beer smell to an actual glass of bourbon whiskey.

Taste: Like the smell, very metallic/coppery bourbon and maple syrup. Not particularly sweet. The extreme copper flavor throws it off.

Mouthfeel: Full and smooth, with mild carbonation.

Overall: A beer that reaches for greatness but has something quite off.
Jul 11, 2021
Curmudgeon's Better Half from Founders Brewing Company
Beer rating: 95 out of 100 with 1833 ratings