Underground Mountain Brown
Founders Brewing Company

Appearance: Dark brown, small head.

Smell: Mostly barrel at this point, wood, booze, chocolate.

Taste: Starts with some chocolate, then moves to booze from the barrel. Some wood, more booze. Body seems kind of light for an 11% beer.

Overall: Beer from the Green Bay Blast, this bottle is from 2019. I think it shows the effects of age, not very exciting, just a kind of bland boozy beer. Some chocolate and vanilla, but mostly booze. I have to assume it's past its prime, though I never had it fresh.

 

 

 

Copenhagen 17/9 2021. 35,5 cl bottle from Meny, Rotunden, Hellerup. Drawing of dark caves and what looks like some sort of planks on the label.

Pours opaque, dark brown with a small off-white head. Stable. Settles as thin, patchy, layer of foam unable of covering the surface of the beer. Moderate lacing.

Aroma is fairly intense with a sweet odor of dark malts mingling with a prominent scent of potent coffee. Brown sugar and dark fruits like plums and raisins. bitter coffee.

Medium strong carbonation. Slightly thick, oily, soft, smooth, lightly tingling texture.

Flavor is intense with a medium strong sweetness followed by a strong coffee bitterness. Aftertaste is bitter and a bit unforgiving. Lingering. Finish is quite dry.

Quite the coffee bruiser with enough flavor to hide the not negligible ABV.

Dark brown colour. Dark brown reflections visible at the base of the glass. Light brown tall foam with a moderately long reduction time. Melts to a layer of half a centimetre and stays that way almost until the end of the tasting. Beautifully paints circles on the glass.
The aroma is strongly roasted, coffee, caramel, sweetly chocolatey with distinct, strong Bourbon accents. It is seductively sweet and inviting to taste.
The taste is generally sweet and chocolatey with a bitterness that gently turns up the character of the beer. The bitterness is roasted but at the same time reminiscent of the bitterness of cocoa, or dark chocolate.
Alcohol perfectly hidden, its presence is recalled by a slight warming in the oesophagus. Medium saturation downwards. Texture smooth, oily, soft, a delicately sweet "film" forms on the lips. Body high, full. Aftertaste long, sweet with a dry background.

 

Review: 2147
Name: Underground Mountain Brown
Brewery: Founders Brewing
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Style: Barrel Aged Brown Ale
ABV: 11.9%
Date: 2019
My exploration of Founders Brewing's collection leads me to the intriguing Underground Mountain, a 2019 masterpiece. Served in a tulip glass at 48 degrees, the pour unveils a frothy and creamy two-fingered head with average retention. The dark brown SRM 26 color, primarily opaque, presents an average appearance for a brown ale. This barrel-aged brown ale promises a unique and thrilling experience I eagerly anticipate.
A symphony of aromas unfolds as I bring the glass to my nose. The robust scent of coffee, brown sugar, and bourbon notes fills the air. The medium-roasted coffee aroma blends tobacco, floral, a hint of bitterness and nutty, woody, and earthy notes. The brown sugar note is reminiscent of treacle, with a syrupy texture and hints of caramel, toffee, and butterscotch. The barrel-aging process infuses the beer with extensive wood aromas, bourbon, and char. The malt complex is doughy and chocolate, with lightly roasted cereal and a touch of biscuit. A faint hop and yeast profile adds a hint of pharmaceutical and floral blossom. The beer is pleasantly sweet, with no noticeable oxidation.
The influence of Sumatra coffee is unmistakable in this beer; I taste mossy, dark-roasted characters, white pepper, and earthy notes that are characteristic of this particular coffee variety. The malt profile is firm with biscuit flavors, toasted bread crust, lightly toasted cereal grains, and a touch of a roasted character. Surprisingly, the hop profile adds to the depth and complexity of the beer with floral blossoms and light herbal notes. Other flavors are leather, oak, bourbon, chocolate, char, a whiff of smoke, a faint note of Maillard, toffee, figs, caramel, and some nuttiness.
The mouthfeel is warming with an astringent finish. The body, which I describe as medium-plus, has a substantial but not overwhelming weight on the palate, and the carbonation, which I rate as medium, provides a pleasant effervescence.
The coffee flavors in this beer surpassed my expectations. The cellaring process added a delightful complexity to the beer, with a note of leather at the end, and I did detect this slight oxidation flavor. I repeatedly disengaged from this beer when it came up for review. The beer's name, sounding ominous, led me to expect the worst. However, as a seasoned reviewer of Founders' offerings, I've learned to expect the unexpected. And this beer was a delightful surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and any slight oxidation is entirely my fault.

 

 

Not sure how I dont have this one rated. Having a 2019 vintage in 2023. Definitely fallen off but a once very nice beer.

 

12 oz bottle
Bottled On Date: 08.08.2019
Consumed on: 30 Apr, 2023
Glass: Snifter
ABV: 11.9%
Serving Temp: room temp


Look:
Opaque black with a 2+ finger creamy dark khaki head. The head slowly dissipates to 1 finger high and then to a thick ring and thin cover. Lacing is excellent.

Smell:
Coffee with some Bittersweet chocolate. Also brown sugar and vanilla. More than a touch of bourbon.

Taste:
Sweetened coffee with a hint of cream starts the sip off. These are joined by notes of anise/black licorice fairly quickly. Some char then shows up and the coffee becomes more prominent. Bourbon notes underlie the entire sip. The sip finishes a bit boozy with coffee and bittersweet chocolate. There is also a slight sting at the end and some warmth from the alcohol.

Feel:
Smooth and mouth-coating. Very noticeable warmth and a sting from the alcohol. The body is medium-light.

Overall:
A quite tasty and complex brew. It is a nice companion to a rainy, slightly chilly spring evening. The beer has held up quite well over for being 3.75 years old. The coffee has (if I recall fresh samples correctly) faded during that time, but it is still very present.

Bottled on 7.29.19

Poured into the ol' weizen glass at fridge temp.

Onto this however; pours a deep dark hickory with a fairly impressive head that left some consistent and sticky lacing and settled into a 1/4 finger ring. 4.25

Strong brown sugar,medium roast-esque coffee, and robust chocolate. Hints of bourbon-like vanilla and caramel. Sweet but not at all overwhelming and I'm really digging it. 4.25

At fridge temp I get medium coffee again, some lighter chocolate, and just a bit of bourbon vanilla and caramel.
Warmed up the coffee almost fades away to leave behind the bourbon and some more noticeable booze. 4.25

Body is surprisingly drinkable and a tad heavier than light, and lighter than moderate. Very drinkable for a higher abv, which again is a win in my book. Hint of booze, but not lingering. Warming for just a minute or so before fading. 4.75 damn I wanna give this a 5 really bad I enjoyed it that much.

Overall definitely the most approachable and not overwhelming bigger beer I've consumed to date. Flavors were dynamic, and brilliant in a way I don't usually see in the style. This took them all and perfectly balanced them. 4.5

Best before July 18, 2020. I'm not ok with that! Absolutely perfect beer 3 years later.

The beer pours deep brown - mahogony colored beer with a beige head.
A lot of lacing on the glass that stays forever!

Nose: Caramel, oak, Bourbon barrels, hazelnut, vanilla, almond, roasted malt and coffee.
Taste: Barrels, vanilla, oak, hazelnut, coffee, caramel malt, roasted malt notes, bourbon, cinnamon, chocolate and toffee.
mouth: Full body. Low ans smooth carbonation. Dry and sweet. Light bitter ending.

Absolutely AMAZING! Love this beer!

 

pours a dark brown with a tan head that poofs. nose; coffee, roasted malt, cocoa, & vanilla. taste; the nose all comes through on the tongue wrapped in oak bourbon barrel notes. some ethanol, but very well controlled for 12%. medium mouthfeel & heavy carbonation. quite an easy drinker at this abv. founders knows how to do beer!

 

 

2019 version poured from a 12oz. bottle into a beer can shaped glass. Coffee is up front. I didn't care for this is much as I'd hoped.