Founders Barrel Runner

I picked up a 4 pack as I am a fan of barrel aged beers. For me it was one of the most unbalanced beers I have ever tried. It was rum rum rum. I drank it because I will drink anything especially after I paid for it. But....I could had purchased a 5th of rum and had the same experience. To me it tasted like an accident. I cannot imagine going through all the trouble to brew something so rum forward on purpose. Someone at the brewery needs to have their butt kicked for letting this happen.,

 

No one needs their butt kicked on this, but perhaps an award for achieving greatness. I couldn't have been more pleased with this beer and I rated it a 5 out of 5 because it's perfect. All these bad reviews makes me want to buy another 4 pack. I really would like Founders to make this a yearly tradition.

 

I don't love this beer, but I do like it. Have already worked my way through two 4-packs, and still have one more to go. I think it's a well-executed beer - I can taste the IPA, I can taste the rum, and the two seem to meld well with eachother. Basically, it's exactly what I thought the beer would be when it was announced.

By the way, are you guys drinking this one warm or cold? Like most barrel aged beers (especially the ones made by Founders) it is a totally different experience drinking it warm as opposed to fridge temp. Also, I would not recommend letting this one sit around. I fear once the hops fade it will become much more 1-dimensional... and not in a good way.

 

I picked up a single of this one… Split with three people and I was the only one that really didn’t like it. I love Rum, but this just tasted so strange to me. Not necessarily bad, but it was so unique/different it’s hard to compare with anything. Wouldn’t pick up another bottle, but wouldn’t call it the worst thing I’ve had. It just has a very specific, potent flavor profile that reminded me more of hard liquor than beer.

 

Tried this, and found it decent for what it is. I think I prefer rum stouts more, but I did enjoy the sweetness and sugarcane notes. Maybe some aging would mellow this out.

 

I don't care for it. It's just way, way too boozy and rum-forward. I can barely even taste the malt and hops. It's like drinking straight rum. It's not terrible for what it is, but it's not really my cup of...rum.

 

It reminds me more of a cocktail, like a Hurricane or something.

 

I really can't stand hoppy barrel aged beers. I think the last one I had was Doom and it was pretty awful, IMO.

 

There have been a bunch of reports of Dankwood selling for as little as $5.99 / 4 pack in western Michigan as stores try to get the excess off the shelf.

While I'd buy the crap out of Dankwood at that price, I wouldn't even consider it for Barrel Runner.

 

Glad I only got a single of this one. It definitely had rum going on but I didn’t really enjoy beer as a whole. My least favorite of any Founders beer I’ve had.

 

I'd like the complete opposite. $6 Barrel Runner sign me up. I wouldn't take Dankwood for free. And that is because I could taste rum in my Barrel Runner whereas I couldn't taste anything but hints of stale, cheap bourbon in Dankwood.

 

Barrel Runner is a slow mover at my Binny’s in suburban Chicago. So much so, that they just dropped the price from 14.99 / 4 pack to 9.99. I was tempted, but am not a usually a fan of barrel aged IPA.
I’ll grab a single if I see one.

Binny’s still has plenty of Dankwood as well, but they have not reduced the price.

I’m kinda tired of all the focus on making the next barreled aged (fill in the blank). I wish they would just bring back Imperial Stout and a classic like Nemesis.

Now that Backwoods is year round, which I love, and the fact that KBS is still available around here, I don’t really need any more barrel aged beers from Founders.

 

I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. It's a little bit to rum forward in my opinion. The malts seem to get drowned out. You do get some citrus, and tropical fruit notes from the hops, but the coconut flavors from the rum barrel overpower them as well. I liked it, don't get me wrong. I just had hopes for something a little more balanced and nuanced.