Porter
Founders Brewing Company

PorterPorter
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From:
Founders Brewing Company
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
Robust Porter
Ranked #1
ABV:
6.5%
Score:
94
Ranked #1,922
Avg:
4.25 | pDev: 9.41%
Reviews:
1,859
Ratings:
8,056
Status:
Active
Rated:
Saturday at 05:13 PM
Added:
Feb 11, 2003
Wants:
  495
Gots:
  1,915
No absence of hops gives Founders' robust porter the full flavor you deserve and expect.

45 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by beyah:
Photo of beyah
Reviewed by beyah from Maine

4.69/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Appearance: Really dark, dark tan head, less than 1 finger, slight lacing

Smell: Roasted Malts are in the forefront

Taste: A perfect balance between the Chocolate and Roasted Malts, earthy hops are there, but not overpowering, this beer is all about balance

Mouthfeel: Very smooth, only enough carbonation, perfect for the style.

Overall: One of the best Porters out there, a must try, give one to a friend who isn't sure about Porters, they will be presently surprised.
Jan 30, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of Wheataleguy
Reviewed by Wheataleguy from Georgia

4.91/5  rDev +15.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5
So here we go to Michigan and the Founders Brewery. These folks brew some fantastic beers, don't they? I remember the original label, it was beautiful. Something eye-catching about that young lady. Don't know what to think of this new one though. I think they should go back to the original. This one was bottled in December 2023, so fairly fresh for a porter. A moderately aggressive pour, 2-finger dark tan creamy head, dark brown almost black color. Darker than most porters I'm familiar with. Looks really nice. I let her sit for a few minutes, and it might just be me, but the head stayed steady but lightened up just a bit. She smells very nice, oh so very toasty. Scents of espresso, dark chocolate, very espresso forward on the aroma. Some sweetness too, like milk dud malts. But, espresso carries the day on the aroma. More intense than most other porters. So, how does she taste? Oh my. She's full of flavor here, very complex. Let's talk mouthfeel first: She is very, very smooth and silky. Love that feel on the palate. Just wonderful. Full-bodied for sure. I get all the typical notes you get with a stout or porter, with that espresso right up front, just more intense. A bit of hoppy, piney bitterness up front, too. Creamy down the throat with notes of roasted, maybe burnt caramel, that dark chocolate (like the 90% or higher cocoa bars), oh, so nice. Very balanced, full-bodied. SOOOO much flavor. Love this. On the backend you get that hoppy bitterness still, expected from an American porter. Just a very balanced porter. Aftertaste is pleasant to me, again balanced, a bit bitter with a mild sweetness as well. The front label said something about graham cracker sweet but I don't get it. Maybe that mild sweetness on the aftertaste had something there, but to me, not recognizable as a graham cracker. More chocolate sweetness, like a 60-70% cocoa bar. This is an outstanding porter, maybe my new go-to on a chilly winter evening sitting by the crackling fire. Arguably the best porter on the world market. You really should give it a try. Go get ya one!!
Saturday at 05:13 PM
Photo of BloodSoakedAleMug
Reviewed by BloodSoakedAleMug from New York

4.72/5  rDev +11.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
Pours a nice, very dark brown shade of red with a one finger khaki head of foam that laces the glass well.

Aroma of bittersweet dark chocolate, fruity arabica coffee and light notes of toasted hazelnut.

Flavor is very intricate but not overly complex. Initially I get notes of bitter hazelnut and coffee which transition into fruity notes of dark red fruit like cherry and plum. Mid palate, dark chocolate and nutella finishing on malty flavors of mild graham cracker and caramel.

Texture is full bodied, but still refreshing and moderately effervescent, dare I say crisp. Perfect for a porter.

This deserves all the high marks it gets on BA. One of the better no frills porters out there on the market. A textbook, example of the style. In my opinion, porters are a working man's style of beer. They should always be thirst quenching yet still flavorful and not anemic, while still being full bodied yet not "watery" or thin.
Thursday at 05:27 AM
Photo of ManicMadgod
Reviewed by ManicMadgod from Connecticut

3.73/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
I'm surprised at the glowing rating here. I'm a sucker for good porters and so I was very excited to try Founders' Porter. There is some maltiness and the cocoa notes are there, but the finish is way more bitter than advertised. A bit disappointing given its reputation. I'll have to give it another try to see if I'm missing the depth of flavor others are getting from it.

Edit: Okay, I gave this another try and I'm finally understanding the hype. There's a rich complexity of flavor, from the maltiness to the velvety cocoa to the bready graham to the coffee finish. I'm glad I have one more to enjoy.
Mar 05, 2024
 
Rated: 5 by mbrandes62 from Tennessee

Mar 04, 2024
Photo of Cramshawbar
Reviewed by Cramshawbar from Canada (ON)

2.63/5  rDev -38.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Let's get things straight: Founders kicks butt when it comes to CBS and KBS. No one comes really close. But they also make duds and this is one of them.
Its claims of roasted coffee, graham cracker sweetness, mild bitterness all come through as fibs. This is merely a thin porter with some mild coffee aftertaste. It's also mostly a quite bitter malt bomb. Not what I was going for and I don't know what they were aiming at. I bought two of these, but I might dump the second bottle.
Feb 24, 2024
Photo of HardCider
Reviewed by HardCider from Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This beer pours an opaque coffee color withaa large caramel color head. It has a malty, sweet caramel aroma. Although the arome is somewhat vague. The primary taste is coffee with a very nice level of bitterness and sweetness. The texture is smooth and creamy.
Feb 08, 2024
 
Rated: 4.25 by TLA from Pennsylvania

Jan 29, 2024
 
Rated: 4.19 by 1mrbeer from Ohio

Jan 27, 2024
 
Rated: 4.94 by Amboularozzo from Texas

Jan 23, 2024
 
Rated: 4.8 by CarlC from New York

Jan 20, 2024
 
Rated: 3.73 by SeanP99 from North Carolina

Jan 11, 2024
 
Rated: 4.86 by JonnyCastle from Massachusetts

Dec 25, 2023
 
Rated: 4.39 by Bhubbard34 from Pennsylvania

Dec 24, 2023
 
Rated: 3.5 by Birdlegs from Washington

Dec 10, 2023
Photo of PapaGoose03
Rated by PapaGoose03 from Michigan

4.5/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Rich malty character, the best that I've ever had.
Dec 10, 2023
Photo of p-hil
Reviewed by p-hil

4.34/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Appearance - Dark brown, with a light tan head
Smell - Smells like the dark malt as well as a bit of coffee
Taste - Wow. Tastes like coffee and dark chocolate, but the finish is has a tobacco smoke note that lingers for a bit. Its pretty bitter too, much like a black coffee, but still quite smooth.
Feel - medium body and carbonation.
Overall - Really liked this beer and the smokiness was a surprise, but maybe its not hard to please a black coffee drinker
Dec 05, 2023
Photo of SippinMartin92
Reviewed by SippinMartin92 from Illinois

2.61/5  rDev -38.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
I honestly am a little puzzled to Founders tremendous rating on here. I've tried a few of their beers and each one is as boring as the last. And to be frank I am not expecting the most notable flavor to be "bitter" in a beer. I'm fairly new to porters, but I roast my own coffee and have for ages. And this has a beautiful tan head and some black coffee coloration. But that's where the coffee stops and bitter begins. In my eyes your better off just avoiding porters. So much better stuff out lately they need to up their game!
Dec 01, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by Nyoder

Nov 26, 2023
Photo of Jule17
Rated by Jule17 from Ohio

3.59/5  rDev -15.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Not bad, a little bitter
Nov 23, 2023
Porter from Founders Brewing Company
Beer rating: 94 out of 100 with 8056 ratings