founders brewing dry hopped pale ale
October 20th, 2007 by don
Founders Brewing Company is a microbrewery from Grand Rapids, Michigan that takes pride in their claim of avoiding the mainstream. And by mainstream, they don’t just mean the big, corporate breweries, but also the mainstream craft breweries. They focus on brewing unique beers even if they tend to break away from what a particular style is supposed to be.
This dry hopped pale ale is the first Founders brew I’ve tried, but I’m not sure how unique it is. That however, is due to my inexperience with dry-hopped beers. I believe this is the first dry-hopped beer I’ve ever tried, so I really don’t have a good point of reference for comparison. Dry hopping is the practice of adding hops after the boiled wort has cooled. They can be added during fermentation, or even directly to the finished beer in the keg. The additional hops don’t add bitterness, but they do add flavor.
My Founders Dry Hopped Pale Ale poured a clear amber color with a half-inch thick tan head. It had a very spicy, hoppy aroma. The spicy, slightly viney flavor of the hops is evident right up front, then it fades a little, and then the normal bitter finish surfaces. If you like the flavor of hops (not just the bitterness), then this would probably be a good beer for you.
