NOTES: Bottle @ Eulogy Belgian Tavern in Philly
STYLE: Wee Heavy
ABV: 8.3%
APPEARANCE: Tawny brown, cloudy
HEAD: Walnut-colored, rich, dense, and creamy, eternal
LACING: Ridiculous. Sticks to the glass in clumps.
NOSE: Malt malt malt. Roasted. Toasted. Caramel. Not sugary sweet, but no question this is a barley-heavy brew. A touch of peat, but not the same overwhelming smokiness you sometimes get from other Scotch Ales.
TASTE: Really nice. Not cloyingly sweet at all. A touch of bitterness from hops and alcohol are present and wend and wind their way through the malt labyrinth. A little bit of sour fruit adds an interesting undercurrent, but it’s 90% roasted grain and coffee/toffee overtones. A fine Wee Heavy.
MOUTHFEEL: Thick, lush, and rich. Full-bodied with excellent carbonation.
DRINKABILITY: Wee Heavies aren’t exactly drinkable, but this is a well-balanced version of the style. I’m heavily biased towards Founders, but I think this is as drinkable as the style gets.
RATING: 3.5 Hops
Founders…Is there anything they can’t do? I’ve yet to come across anything from them that isn’t at least 4 steps beyond average and the Dirty Bastard is no different. Even their Cerise (Cherry beer) is highly drinkable and that’s probably the “Worst” beer they put out. I’ll still stand behind my statement from a few months ago – Founders Centennial IPA is the best beer around.
They had it on draft at my local watering hole on Friday night. Agree with everything Brother Barley says – just a solid, solid offering. Having 4 of them, on the other hand, probably not my best idea.
I brewed a clone of this beer a few years ago. It was pretty cool to compare our beer to the original. We didn’t get it quite right (I’m guessing lack of control over fermentation temperature), but it was still probably the best homebrew I’ve ever made. And yes, Magnus, four is not the best idea. Somehow, I keep doing it though…