Founders Porter

Review Date 6/28/2010  Last Updated 2/13/2022 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Porter   Brewery: Founders   Country: USA   State: Michigan   $ Per OZ: $.14 (B)   ABV: 6.5%

I had heard so many good things about the Founders Brewing Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan that I was beginning to despair of ever latching on to any of their beer. But then the good news came, and I received an e-mail from Green's in downtown Atlanta that Founders beers had indeed arrived in Georgia.

Being the porter freak that I am, the first Founders beer to pass my lips was their Porter. No fancy schmancy name for this one, my friends; Founders Porter seems to suffice quite nicely for the brewery. As with all Founders beers, it was a bit pricey at $9.99 for a six-pack, but in the end it proved to be worth every penny. Then too, I was glad that it's sold in six-packs at all, since many of Founders beers only come in four-packs.

This is a well-hopped porter at 45 IBUs, but it's quite a roasty beer as well. Alcohol is a bit higher than average for the style at 6.5% by volume. But lets get down to brass tacks, shall we, and try a bottle.

Founders Porter pours to a jet black color with a towering head formation of thick, rocky tan foam. A thick layer of Brussels lace clings to the sides of my glass as the liquid descends. I take a sip, and pow! This one smacks you in the face with chocolate: smooth creamy cocoa at first, I think, then bittersweet chocolate next up. There's a hint of coffee, licorice, fruity green olive and roasty dark malt that intensifies in the finish, which is more roasty than hoppy. A hint of grassy hop aroma pokes through all the same.

There are different types of porter, of course, robust and brown being the two main sub-styles of top-fermented porter. Founders Porter is definitely in the robust camp, and is almost stout-like in intensity. It's so packed with flavor, so thick and luxuriant in texture as to almost defy description. This is one you really need to taste to believe, and it's quickly become one of my very favorite porters in the world.

This one seems a natural as a dessert beer, and a glass made a fine accompaniment to a thick slice of Black Forest cake. The chocolate and coffee notes of the beer accented the rich frit and bittersweet chocolate of the cake wonderfully.

For a special treat, mix three-quarters of a bottle of Founders Porter with a quarter bottle of their Cerise Cherry Ale and make your own version of a liquid Black Forest cake. The results may well astound you.

Update 2/13/2022: Founders beers are featured as Beer of the Month at Taco Mac, and I ordered up a brimming 23-ounce mug for $7.51. It is rich and roasty, full bodied but smooth as is appropriate to the style. The roasted malt and a bit of hops shine through at the last. Delicious.

Glad I tried it?  T