Ginger, Spice, Barreled and Nice
Founders Brewing Company

 

Pours a bright, clear, copper color with a few beasties and light foam that leaves the barest of lacing. Smell is ginger and molasses with enough cloves to balance. Taste starts with whisky, followed by brown sugar and then very warm spice, lots of ginger and cinnamon. Flavor finishes with cloves, nutmeg a little honey and more whisky. As it warms, the whisky and sugar mellow, bringing the spices more to the fore. Mouthfeel is very smooth, fairly heavy, unsurprising with the sugar and barrel aging, but well balanced. Overall, the beer serves as a backbone for sugar, spice and everything barrel-aged, but is does it well. This is very much a beer of winter, but it's very tasty and a nice change of pace for that season.

 

 

 

Single 12 ounce bottle from Premier Gourmet in Buffalo,NY - bottled Sept 23/24. Split two ways.
Pours a slightly hazy orange bronze colour with half finger of off white head.
Big hit of spice on the nose - evoking spice cake from my childhood - ginger, nutmeg, clove (heavy on the ginger) along with some brown sugar and vanilla and an obligatory boozy note that 12.8% will give.
Taste is up front sweet and spicy with a massive ginger kick, again nutmeg and clove with vanilla, dark brown sugar and bourbon, but with an intermittent medicinal note that detracts. Certainly improved as warmed.
Sticky sweet and boozy full mouthfeel, perhaps a little overpowering lingering spice mix.
I would call this a rare miss from Founders Barrel Aged Series.

Pours a striking autumnal copper color with over a finger of head. The nose has notes of ginger upfront. There aren't really any barrel aromas apparent. The ginger notes are also quite potent upfront in the flavor profile. The finish has a healthy dose of cinnamon.

The spices in this offering really overwhelm the qualities of the base beer. I am hoping that some aging will improve this spice bomb.

Update October 2025: Almost one year of age and the ginger notes are still strong. I'm going to give this another six months to see if it calms down enough for me to get something other than a mouthful of ginger and cinnamon.

Update January 2026: After more than 15 months, the ginger spice is finally starting to calm down. There's still too much spice to really taste the base beer properly. However, I am starting to wonder if that's more of a weakness in the base beer than anything other factor.

This festive holiday brew leads with ginger for sure - it wafts up assertively as soon as it’s uncapped, and ginger continues throughout to be the predominant flavor note. However I was somewhat pleasantly surprised to find a good deal of complexity beneath it, with mitigated sweetness levels. There is some smooth caramel
Present, as well as brown sugar and
Suggestions of honey, but there is also bitterness sustaining across the long and lingering finish. Has a pleasantly creamy medium bodied feel and its quite drinkable in spite of compounding ginger heat as one proceeds along. I enjoyed this but can’t see reaching for another unless I’m really in the mood for this very, very specific flavor profile. Could see serving this alongside a slice of thanksgiving pumpkin pie!

Approachable barrel aged brew for most with well hidden booze. I do get all the notes: ginger, cinnamon, clove, some vanilla and light bourbon from the barrel. This is a nice palate cleanser after a day of hops and also a well done ginger beer overall. Personally, I use fresh ginger in every cup of tea I make, so this is right up my alley. Rating subjectively, this does everything it should based on the label. Nice dessert beer or holiday celebrator

 

12oz bottled 9/19/23 (7 months ago) poured into a tulip glass at fridge temp 12.8% ABV. The beer pours murky pale amber with chunks suspended and light beige colored head. The head recedes to an irregular ring and single layer of bubbles. The aroma is mild, but strongly reminds me of gingerbread. The taste is sweet liquid gingerbread with a hint of bourbon on the finish. No real bitterness with the ginger, clove and bourbon working together to balance the sugar and doing a decent job. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied (I'm trying to block out the chunky floaters) with less than average carbonation and a semi dry finish. Overall, unique.

 

 

L - brown/amber with a light tan head that dissipates quickly, leaving behind a thin cap and some lacing
S - ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves dominate, with rich malt, and sweet bourbon
T - Follows the nose - ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves up front and throughout intermixed well with sweet bourbon, malt, and vanilla
F - medium, leaning on full bodied with light to moderate carbonation. Smooth, yet crisp
O - a ginger bomb, but a very well done BBA holiday ale, if maybe a little overdone

Murky opaque medium brown with a tan head. Ginger nose with barley and clove, kind of offputting as a combo. Taste adds the cinnamon, bourbon, and a whisper of vanillins. Feel is spiced, light yet never thin, booze is light, not a lot of depth or complexity. Xmas time for sure, more barrel here is needed across the board though

Pours pure gold, with a nicely developed head of foam and good carbonation. Aroma is immediately ginger and cloves. Another sniff brings vanilla and cinnamon. Quite unique and very nice. Taste is filled with spice, lots of cloves and cinnamon, ginger is a large player with vanilla as well. This is a beautifully aromatic beer and quite unique! Very highly recommended.

 

 

 

Poured into a snifter: color is copper, head is light tan with fine bubbles, head presents 1/4 inch thick, then dissipates to thin top, no lacing on glass sides.

Smell is ginger, cinnamon, clove with ginger heavy, notes of booze, barrel, and barley malt.

Taste is more ginger, cinnamon, clove, booziness, barley malt with light caramel, some barrel, honey, biscuit and hint of citrus.

Mouthfeel is moderate carbonation, moderate sweetness, drying finish with aged bitterness.

Overall a big boozy spiced beer that is not terrible, but really just want the barleywine base.