Top 100 Beers of 2015 (Issue 22)

World Class (100 to 96)

11.
96
by James Link
Founders Porter
Founders Brewing Co.

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Judge's Second Opinion
from James Link

This is the day of the IPA. All of the styles are packed with hops – double, session, red, white, black, brown, Belgian and, more recently, India Pale Lagers – and often have higher alcoholic levels, much to the detriment of the beer.  Thankfully, Founders Brewing Co. has offered a reprieve from the barrage of hops in the modern craft beer scene, and its name is Founder Porter.

Founders Porter falls into the category of American (Robust) Porter, and it exemplifies the word “robust” to the fullest extent. The rich, aromatic combination of roasted grains is first enjoyed in the bouquet, then again in the flavor as the dark roasted dryness from the kilned grains impart a black hue to the beer and marry nicely with the malty sweetness of the pale malts. Hops make their presence felt yet are not aggressively stated, which allows the malt to balance and define the beer. The finish has a pronounced bitterness without being overly harsh while the body is full and silky smooth.

The porter style originated out of 18^th century England and is historically known as the grandfather of the stout. The first renditions brewed in London were made at higher gravities, resulting in a finished product at 6.5 to 7 percent ABV. Founders has followed these earlier examples of the style when it comes to alcohol strength yet added its own unique touch to the beer as well.

There are approximately 100 breweries in the U.S. today that make porters. In comparison, there were over 12,000 IPAs being produced by U.S. breweries in 2015! Not surprisingly, good porters are hard to find. These dark brown ales took a back seat to paler beers starting in the mid-1800s and going well into the 1900s in the form of pale ales and lagers. Oddly enough, it was homebrewers who started the revival of the style in the 1970s and 80s. I remember trying my first porter at a homebrewers meeting in 1987. Not being familiar with the style, I was surprised and favorably impressed by the pleasant, malty sweetness and full body without the sharpness imparted by unmalted barley, an ingredient generally associated with dry stout. It was one of the first homebrewed beers that I had tried that didn’t taste like kerosene and gave me hope for making my own beer. Those were the days when ingredients for making beer were, in many cases, only available via mail-order. Products used by commercial brewers were not readily available to homebrewers. Fortunately, due to the craft beer movement and fine breweries such as Founders, we can now enjoy all the world’s classic beer styles brewed fresh – right here in the U.S. 

Brewer's Thoughts
from Jeremy Kosmicki

Despite no longer being considered a craft brewer by the Brewers Association (due to a sale of 30 percent of the business to global macrobrewer San Miguel), Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, MI has been home to some of the most sought-after and recognizable brews in the US.

While some of the brewery’s harder-to-obtain beers – such as mythical whales KBS and CBS – grab all the headlines, the brewery’s core lineup of beers contain plenty of pleasures in numerous styles. We reviewed a few of the brewery’s offerings in 2015, and the beer that made the best impression on our judges was Founders Porter.

I spoke to Jeremy Kosmicki, Founders brewmaster, about the dark beer that requires no "dark penance." According to Jeremy, “Founders had a porter in their portfolio when I joined, but it was one of the first recipes that Nate Walser and I changed when it was decided that Founders beer needed to be more ‘extreme.’ We wanted a Porter that was rich and full-bodied enough to satisfy all the dark beer lovers amongst us.”

The flavor profile is certainly dark, but the balance is flawlessly executed. Jeremy elaborated on this point: “I really appreciate the balance of this beer. It can handle the residual sweetness because there’s adequate hop bitterness and flavor. A little bit of burnt flavor from the Black Malt and Roasted Barley helps to balance that sweetness too and keep it from getting too cloying. Also, the rich chocolate flavors are the main characteristics I’m looking to get across with this beer.  That comes not from actual chocolate, but rather Chocolate Malt and lots of it. Chocolate Malt is barley that is roasted just to the point where it gives off those delicious chocolate flavors, without coming across as too burnt.”

Despite many Porters tending to finish a bit thin and watery, according to Jeremy, Founders Porter is rich and thick. “There’s a pretty high proportion of specialty grains contributing to that body – lots of roasted malts, toasted malts, and crystal malts,” Jeremy said.