Like your worst nightmare from a bad 1980's movie, we're baaaaaaaaack. We sure have missed you, and we promise to start working our way through our stash of yummy craft beers. Not that we haven't been drinking good craft beers while we've been on hiatus... I could only let the session IPAs sit for so long before they started to stale! And that, my friends, should be a capital crime. And speaking of 1980's movies, I'm totally loving Throwback Thursday on AMC tonight: Breakfast Club followed by Sixteen Candles? Yes, please (although it would probably be better to watch both on Netflix, so as to avoid commercial interruption)!
Tonight we bring you Founders Dissenter, an Imperial Pale Lager. This is a relatively new style to the craft beer scene, taking a lager and hopping it to IPA proportions. Last Winter, Sam Adams did an IPL, and I believe we picked up one in Illinois that was unavailable here in Ohio. Both were tasty. I love that Founders opted for this style in their Backstage series. I have high expectations from Founders, after all; they are a solid brewery who ranks highly in my top 5. This is especially remarkable considering they haven't made a lager in several years (15, I want to say?). And at 8.7% ABV, this should do the trick... impressive for a lager, even with the Imperial label. Shall we?
This came in a 750 mL bottle, AKA a wine bottle. I like those for sharing, which I sometimes struggle with, as an only child. It pours a beautiful, crystal clear golden color, just a tinge darker than most American fizzy yellow piss lagers. It had about two fingers of bright white foam when I initially poured it and that dissipated very quickly, as you can see from the photo (taken at pouring). Let's get into this aroma, because I'm pretty blown away by the couple of sniffs that I've taken. My olfactory nerves are assaulted with pine, grapefruit (zest especially), a little apricot, a lot of floral and grassy notes. What is really impressing me with this is how bright and fresh the aroma is. There is just a hint of cracker and bread in there, but ever so faint; this is (hopefully) going to be a hop showcase. It reminds me a lot of their All Day IPA, but the cracker/bread notes associated with the malt characteristics are even fainter. As I take my first sip, I'm tantalized by a fantastic lager that has been very well made and thoughtful hop additions that lend so much character to this beer. Now that it has warmed quite a bit, the maltiness of the brew really comes through at first. Initially, I taste a German-style lager, and then the hops start to shine. The same notes attributed to the aroma come through loud and clear on the back end of this. I'm tasting Centennial and Amarillo hops primarily, and I'm certain there are plenty of other hop strains in here. At the very end, there is a little warming, boozy kick to this. It's not remotely off-putting, but rather a welcome addition to my palate. It is perfectly carbonated, and the maltiness leaves a pleasant stickiness on my lips.
Overall, Founders, as usual, knocked this out of the park. Well done, gents, well done.
4.7/5 caps
-Jennie
This has had time to warm up while Jennie took lead on this (and I enjoyed Sixteen Candles). The color is deeper, as Jennie mentioned. At this point, there is just a small ring of white foam, struggling to make its presence known after 'breathing' for a while. The aroma on this beckons Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing while "Cheek to Cheek" plays in the background (opening lyrics of "Heaven, I'm in heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak"). It's a refreshing blast of hops (see above for Jennie's description, because just like a picture on the wall, she nailed it). The aroma makes me drift off into a fantasy world where I'm riding a giant hop that's leaping over fields of grapefruit zest, pine trees, peach/apricot orchards, and the occasional grassy meadow.
But then this flows into the mouth with the greatest pleasure. Oh, Hopsus, thank you for blessing me on this day with this elixir you've graced your presence upon! There's a nice lighter Grape Nuts and biscuit combo for the malt backbone, but it doesn't distract from the glory of the hops. There is so much going on from start to finish, it leaves the mouth longing for more. A blast of apricot initially greets the taste buds, opening the door to the quick rush of friends it has brought along. The pine, grass and lemon flavors rush in, livening up the party. As the party starts to fade, good old grapefruit is there, lingering around until long after the party's over. Much like a good friend, he's there to help you clean up and plan the next one. There is a slight boozy note toward that back end that makes you aware this isn't your typical American piss lager.
This drinks smooth with a bitter, stickiness on the back end, letting you know there are copious amounts of hops used in the brew. With each and every sip, I don't want to put down the glass, in fact, I wish this was a year round brew, as I could see this being a go-to beer.
As I haven't had too many IPLs, this beer saddens me, only because, from here on out, every IPL will be judged against this.
4.85/5 caps
-Nathan-
Food pairing: Burgers, salmon, and corn on the cob on the grill
Cheese pairing: A grassy local farmer's cheese
Music pairing: Bob Marley, "Three Little Birds" -- because every little thing will, indeed, be all right after drinking this.
No comments:
Post a Comment