Founders Pale Ale | Founders Brewing Company
Brewed by:
Founders Brewing Company
Michigan, United States
foundersbrewing.com
Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 5.40%
Availability: Year-round
Notes / Commercial Description:
100% Cascade hops.
35 IBU
Added by BeerAdvocate on 06-10-2002
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 2,778 | Reviews: 837
Reviews by stouty1:
More User Reviews:
2.95/5 rDev -20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
I've had many dry hopped APAs and IPAs, and this was my least enjoyable. The nose is decent with a floral, slightly citrus aroma. You can taste a hint of malt, grains, orange and lemon but all are eventually overwhelmed by a dry, slightly chewy citrus flavor that almost tastes like a powder. Couldn't finish the bottle.
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look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
I've had many dry hopped APAs and IPAs, and this was my least enjoyable. The nose is decent with a floral, slightly citrus aroma. You can taste a hint of malt, grains, orange and lemon but all are eventually overwhelmed by a dry, slightly chewy citrus flavor that almost tastes like a powder. Couldn't finish the bottle.
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4.25/5 rDev +14.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Surprisingly clean, crisp, and refreshing. Akin to a German pilsner. Very drinkable. Much lighter in flavor than a typical APA. Overall, a surprising find and very enjoyable beer.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Surprisingly clean, crisp, and refreshing. Akin to a German pilsner. Very drinkable. Much lighter in flavor than a typical APA. Overall, a surprising find and very enjoyable beer.
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4.15/5 rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Hazy orange-amber with an impressive amount of yeast in suspended animation. The cap is small, even after a pretty aggressive pour, and is bone white in color. It persists nicely, though, eventually falling to a thick film and leaving a moderate amount of lace in tries-to-be-rings.
The aroma is surprisingly citrus zest hoppy, approaching an IPA in terms of character and intensity. I like the flavor quite a bit. Like the nose, it's definitely on the hoppy end of the pale ale scale. The grapefruitiness of the Cascade hops is dominant and adds a resinous, medium strength bitterness.
Founders Pale Ale is a 'tweener' and would be a good bridging beer to move people from pale ales to more strongly hopped IPAs. There's a solid pale malt presence, but it's easily overshadowed by the hops. The finish is extended, allowing the lupulins to shine for as long as possible. The mouthfeel is more than solid and edges into mini-IPA territory.
This is immensely enjoyable and drinkable beer. I also have a few Centennial IPAs in my beer fridge. They should be a real treat after tasting what Founders has done with Pale Ale. Thanks to deejaydan for the bottles.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Hazy orange-amber with an impressive amount of yeast in suspended animation. The cap is small, even after a pretty aggressive pour, and is bone white in color. It persists nicely, though, eventually falling to a thick film and leaving a moderate amount of lace in tries-to-be-rings.
The aroma is surprisingly citrus zest hoppy, approaching an IPA in terms of character and intensity. I like the flavor quite a bit. Like the nose, it's definitely on the hoppy end of the pale ale scale. The grapefruitiness of the Cascade hops is dominant and adds a resinous, medium strength bitterness.
Founders Pale Ale is a 'tweener' and would be a good bridging beer to move people from pale ales to more strongly hopped IPAs. There's a solid pale malt presence, but it's easily overshadowed by the hops. The finish is extended, allowing the lupulins to shine for as long as possible. The mouthfeel is more than solid and edges into mini-IPA territory.
This is immensely enjoyable and drinkable beer. I also have a few Centennial IPAs in my beer fridge. They should be a real treat after tasting what Founders has done with Pale Ale. Thanks to deejaydan for the bottles.
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4/5 rDev +8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at Slow's BBQ in Detroit,poured a hazed light copper with a orange hue a small but well retained white head.There was a dose of American hops in this brew you could tell right off the bat in the nose quite piney and citrusy but there was a very noticable sweet caramel aroma that nearly matched the healthy dose of hops.Very well balanced with a real American character piney and citrusy and very crisp over top of a firm slightly sweet doughy malt backbone.Solid what else to say about this beer,very food friendly with good bbq cutting power with those hops.
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at Slow's BBQ in Detroit,poured a hazed light copper with a orange hue a small but well retained white head.There was a dose of American hops in this brew you could tell right off the bat in the nose quite piney and citrusy but there was a very noticable sweet caramel aroma that nearly matched the healthy dose of hops.Very well balanced with a real American character piney and citrusy and very crisp over top of a firm slightly sweet doughy malt backbone.Solid what else to say about this beer,very food friendly with good bbq cutting power with those hops.
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3.91/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5
Appearance – This is a gorgeous, hazy orange in color with a foamy, white, pillowy head that showed great retention.
Smell – The nose is balanced between light citrus hopping and quality grain. No sense reallly of the dry-hopping.
Taste – This is a balanced ale. The grain is bigger here and very nice. The hops again are mild and well-proportioned.
Mouthfeel – This is just shy of medium-bodied and well-balanced in the mouth.
Drinkability – Definitely a session ale, this Founders’ offering shows off some high-quality ingredients as well as an expert’s touch by the brewmaster. One of the most quaffble APAs I’ve ever had.
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look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 5
Appearance – This is a gorgeous, hazy orange in color with a foamy, white, pillowy head that showed great retention.
Smell – The nose is balanced between light citrus hopping and quality grain. No sense reallly of the dry-hopping.
Taste – This is a balanced ale. The grain is bigger here and very nice. The hops again are mild and well-proportioned.
Mouthfeel – This is just shy of medium-bodied and well-balanced in the mouth.
Drinkability – Definitely a session ale, this Founders’ offering shows off some high-quality ingredients as well as an expert’s touch by the brewmaster. One of the most quaffble APAs I’ve ever had.
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3.66/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pours a burnt amber color with hints of orange and copper, moderate hazy in the body; very small, wispy white head that dissipates quickly but leaves some noticeable lacing in its wake. Aroma is quite nice - the main component here is fruit; citrus, grapefruit, orange zest, lemon rinds. A slight hint of pine and leaf on the nose, very mild when compared to the citrus. The taste does a little bit of a switcheroo in the sense that the citrus flavors are toned down quite a bit on the palate. They play more of a background part, secondary to the emerging, bitter hop flavors; resinous pines and leafy, floral hop flavors explode with the lemon, citrus, and grapefruit sweetness around to balance things out a bit. A little more bitter than expected from the aroma (not a bad thing, however), this is approaching IPA level hop addition. Of course the malts are there, but it's really hard to pick out any distinct malt flavors. Maybe some simple white bread flavors, but the malts are light and somewhat pushed to the side by the hops. Medium-high amount of carbonation with a medium body, quite crisp and clean on the finish.
Founder's take on the classic Pale Ale is a pretty good one. Quite strong in hop character, but simply so, and not too overbearing for those not exactly looking for an IPA. This would be a good transition from APAs to IPAs for someone who is afraid to make the leap.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pours a burnt amber color with hints of orange and copper, moderate hazy in the body; very small, wispy white head that dissipates quickly but leaves some noticeable lacing in its wake. Aroma is quite nice - the main component here is fruit; citrus, grapefruit, orange zest, lemon rinds. A slight hint of pine and leaf on the nose, very mild when compared to the citrus. The taste does a little bit of a switcheroo in the sense that the citrus flavors are toned down quite a bit on the palate. They play more of a background part, secondary to the emerging, bitter hop flavors; resinous pines and leafy, floral hop flavors explode with the lemon, citrus, and grapefruit sweetness around to balance things out a bit. A little more bitter than expected from the aroma (not a bad thing, however), this is approaching IPA level hop addition. Of course the malts are there, but it's really hard to pick out any distinct malt flavors. Maybe some simple white bread flavors, but the malts are light and somewhat pushed to the side by the hops. Medium-high amount of carbonation with a medium body, quite crisp and clean on the finish.
Founder's take on the classic Pale Ale is a pretty good one. Quite strong in hop character, but simply so, and not too overbearing for those not exactly looking for an IPA. This would be a good transition from APAs to IPAs for someone who is afraid to make the leap.
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3.72/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
This one has leafy, herbal hop aroma with some pine, mint, and soft grains. American all the way.
The taste is fresh, leafy hop resins without much malt complexity and a long, dry finish. I could have used a little more of a malt profile in this.
It's not bad, but there are a lot better choices out there right now. I don't factor in price when reviewing, but there are better values.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
This one has leafy, herbal hop aroma with some pine, mint, and soft grains. American all the way.
The taste is fresh, leafy hop resins without much malt complexity and a long, dry finish. I could have used a little more of a malt profile in this.
It's not bad, but there are a lot better choices out there right now. I don't factor in price when reviewing, but there are better values.
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2.86/5 rDev -22.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
Revisiting this one courtesy of kmpitz2. Pours a golden yellow orange with a big cragly two finger head on top. Strong aromas of floral hops that actually smelly soapy. A hint of citrus is there as well...but the odd soapy fragarance is just off putting to me.
First sip brings a nice pale, bready maltiness along with a very floral, citrusy dirty hoppiness. The floral aspect is overpowering and again reminds me of soap..something I'd rather not have in my beer. An interesting pale ale that really doesn't do anything for me.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied with strong carbonation. This is easy to drink but the particular flavor profile doesn't have me going back for more. The first Founders offering that I've been less than pleased with.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5
Revisiting this one courtesy of kmpitz2. Pours a golden yellow orange with a big cragly two finger head on top. Strong aromas of floral hops that actually smelly soapy. A hint of citrus is there as well...but the odd soapy fragarance is just off putting to me.
First sip brings a nice pale, bready maltiness along with a very floral, citrusy dirty hoppiness. The floral aspect is overpowering and again reminds me of soap..something I'd rather not have in my beer. An interesting pale ale that really doesn't do anything for me.
Mouthfeel is medium bodied with strong carbonation. This is easy to drink but the particular flavor profile doesn't have me going back for more. The first Founders offering that I've been less than pleased with.
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3.6/5 rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Another treat from a non BA trade, ahh the wonders of beer trading...
Damn explosive head on this one. Granted it did take an hour and a half ride up to my new apartment before opening it, but others seem to have seen a lot of head from this one as well. It did reduce rather quickly though to almost nothing leaving some nice lacing behind from its initial off white frothyness. Clear body with some perfectly suspended particles.
Bottle says dry hopped, but I might beg to differ. I actually don't pick up much hops in the nose of this one. Comes across mostly as malts with some caramel sweetness to them. There is a little bit of hops, some light straw, grass varieties.
Taste is hit with a sharpness, probably due to the carbonation. Finishes with a slight resin bitterness. Sweet malts round it out making this one pretty balanced. I seem to pick up some soapiness though, which adds an "off" touch to the middle range of this beer. It does disappear though and offers room for a clean finish with a bit of bitterness.
Thinish, light mouthfeel. Might receive a higher rating if the carbonation was reduced a bit to "thicken" the feel up and uncover some of the flavors. Still drinkable though. I feel my scores undermind this brew a bit, but I dont know what to change...
1,289 characters
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Another treat from a non BA trade, ahh the wonders of beer trading...
Damn explosive head on this one. Granted it did take an hour and a half ride up to my new apartment before opening it, but others seem to have seen a lot of head from this one as well. It did reduce rather quickly though to almost nothing leaving some nice lacing behind from its initial off white frothyness. Clear body with some perfectly suspended particles.
Bottle says dry hopped, but I might beg to differ. I actually don't pick up much hops in the nose of this one. Comes across mostly as malts with some caramel sweetness to them. There is a little bit of hops, some light straw, grass varieties.
Taste is hit with a sharpness, probably due to the carbonation. Finishes with a slight resin bitterness. Sweet malts round it out making this one pretty balanced. I seem to pick up some soapiness though, which adds an "off" touch to the middle range of this beer. It does disappear though and offers room for a clean finish with a bit of bitterness.
Thinish, light mouthfeel. Might receive a higher rating if the carbonation was reduced a bit to "thicken" the feel up and uncover some of the flavors. Still drinkable though. I feel my scores undermind this brew a bit, but I dont know what to change...
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4.03/5 rDev +8.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A_Pours hazy orange with a bone white head.Thick,sticky lacing coats the glass nicely.
S_Grassy,earth hops.
T_Surprised too see only 35 IBU's. Crisp and bitter. Grassy floral hops up front. Slightly sweet finish.
M_Light but full bodied. Crisp finish.
D_Great beer for hot weather.Great flavor and easy to drink.
Great example of a "boring" style that I think is often over looked. (Myself included.)
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A_Pours hazy orange with a bone white head.Thick,sticky lacing coats the glass nicely.
S_Grassy,earth hops.
T_Surprised too see only 35 IBU's. Crisp and bitter. Grassy floral hops up front. Slightly sweet finish.
M_Light but full bodied. Crisp finish.
D_Great beer for hot weather.Great flavor and easy to drink.
Great example of a "boring" style that I think is often over looked. (Myself included.)
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Founders Pale Ale from Founders Brewing Company
3.7
out of 5
based on 2,778 ratings.
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
A: Poured with a nice two finger head which laced around rim with a sticky membrane. Light hazy golden, pilsner like.
S: Sweet citrus fruit and grassy hops.
T: Peppery hops with a light citrus fruit. Finished with a bitey hops and bittery aftertaste.
M: Fizzy, sweet, and bitter. Easy to drink. These could sneal up on me after a couple. More than two would be a waste of hops on a shattered pallete.
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