Fles uit de lokale Jumbo supermarkt. Donkerbruin tot zwart bier met mooie schuimkraag. Smaak is bitterzoet met iets van chocolade, wat koffie, noten en een beetje karamel. Heel fijn bier.

One of those old Founders beers - and one I apparently have not had before, an American style robust porter. Thick and frothy, densely cobweb-lacing, pale brownish-beige, pillowy head over a misty dark chocolate brown beer (near blackish) with wine red tinge. Aroma of coffee grounds and cold black coffee, unsugared black chocolate, dry leather, espresso, roasted walnuts, fried black olives, salmiak, hard caramel, dried blueberries, black pepper, hints of ground almonds, moist cigars, clay, thyme, dried sage, vague bonfire. Restrained sweetishness in the onset, some dried fig, but more underlying sourishness and surrounding black olive- or dried porcini-like umami, yet none of these flavours dominate and everything remains well in balance, all the while gently carbonated with a smooth, rounded, full mouthfeel; dry hard-caramelly and toasted- bread-like malt body with early and strong roastiness, very black-coffeeish especially in the finish, where the mouth-filling roastiness is joined by a leafy hop bitterness. Roasty, leathery, thinly nutty, bittering but altogether rounded, gentle finish, harbouring some subtle herbal accents of dried sage and thyme. The coffeeish roasted bitterness dominates here, however, to such a degree that this could just as well pass as a (double or dry) stout... Being familiar with Founders' achievements in the field of (American) stout, I can only imagine that KBS and the like exert a slight background influence here. Needs less roasted bitterness and more caramelly smoothness to fully qualify as a porter, but who am I to criticize an American porter that has been around for so long - and has in itself probably been influenced by Sierra Nevada Porter, with which it shares its roasty profile... A throwback to the days when concepts like "robust porter", "brown ale", "American barleywine" or "West Coast IPA" were about the most exciting things we could get from the U.S. craft brewing scene here in Europe - and how excited we were. Old-fashioned, this stout-ish porter, but all the more lovable for it. How I miss those early days of exploration sometimes... Well, this brew conveys the sentiment, so have a point for that - and perhaps another one for restoring my faith in Founders, who did let me down on several occasions (I am still trying to ignore their attempts at kettle sour styles). Great porter, mouth-filling, warming and layered while still easily drinkable, deserving of its high score here, in its particular style at least.

Bottle. Pours pitch black with a medium brown head. Aromas of milk chocolate, some roast, malt, savory notes. Taste is chocolate, some coffee, soy, savory notes, bitter chocolate.