Founders Backwoods Bastard
Presentation: 12oz brown pop top, imaginative label, bottled 10-08-10. Poured into a New Belgium globe Appearance: Pours a sienna hue, with tons of tiny sediment in suspension, topped with a nice sandy tan cap which shows pretty nice retention. Smell: Here we get back on track. It's like liquid, slightly boozy, sticky toffee pudding, full of tons of dark, burnt caramel and toffee and dark, date-like fruitiness. As this approaches cellar and then room temperature, I'm also getting mild hints of bourbon-soaked cherries. At room temp, nice tobacco and vanilla extract notes emerge as well. Taste: Definitely more booze in the flavor than in the aromas. This is fairly sweet (which I like), with a booziness that is half-way between warming/enjoyable and intrusive. The alcoholic esters come across in a dark fruity sort of way. It's sweet, with some toffee and dark caramel notes, but not much malt depth, which is really a bit disappointing. Mouthfeel: Slick, pleasantly boozy, medium side of full-bodied. Overall: This is a tasty beer, no doubt. With almost a year on it, it's a pleasantly (for the most part) boozy cold-weather-appropriate sipper that's stays relatively close to the British style of Wee Heavy. Yet, for about $12 a 4-pk, it doesn't have quite the depth or complexity I'd need for it to become a regular seasonal purchase.