Sweet Repute Bourbon Barrel Aged Wheat Wine Style Ale with Maple Syrup

Review Date 11/9/2023 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Wheat Wine   Brewery: Founders   Country: USA   State: Michigan   $ Per OZ: $1.36 (B)   ABV: 12.8%

I was browsing the beer list at my local Taco Mac in the Brewniversity app when I came across a must-have: Founders Sweet Repute Bourbon Barrel Aged Wheat Wine Style Ale with Maple Syrup. The name. like the beer, is a mouthful, but that wasn’t why I simply had to have this beer. It was because it’s a wheat wine, a style I adore but rarely see. Wheat wines are a lot like barleywines. A portion of the barley is replaced in the mash with wheat to lighten, but to reach barleywine strength (or higher) they often add adjuncts like honey. Founders uses maple syrup.

As I said, I rarely see this style. Two of my favorite versions are Smuttynose Wheat Wine Ale and Terrapin Gamma Ray Wheat Wine. Unlike those beers, however, Founders Sweet Repute is barrel aged. That intrigued me even more.

Founders says:

Sweet Repute’s intricate layers of wheat, barley, and caramel malts and clean, fragrant hops elevate our take on a Wheat-Wine-Style-Ale to the next, blissful level. Blended from beer housed in both classic and maple syrup bourbon barrels, the resulting liquid pours a warm russet with an ivory head and a sweet aroma. Take your time and allow the layers to unfold-it only gets better from here.

A few points worth noting here. First, Founders says this is a January release, so my draft glass comes off a slightly aged keg. Bonus! In my excitement to try this beer, I just ordered it without regard to the price, which I did not look at. When I got my check at night’s end, I was a little surprised to see it was $15 for an 11-ounce glass. That’s a bit more than I expected, but to be honest, had I known ahead of time I still would have ordered it. The beer has an alcohol content of 12.8% by volume with 25 IBUs.

My glass of Founders Sweet Repute Bourbon Barrel Aged Wheat Wine Style Ale with Maple Syrup arrived a murky ruby color with no head and a nose of rich caramel, wheat, and boozy bourbon. Taking a sip, the beer is rich and caramelly up front; indeed it’s a liquid Werther’s candy. The wheat attenuates that slightly, and a hint of the maple syrup comes through. Moreso, though, the boozy bourbon, which permeats, especially in the finish. A warming alcohol finish rounds the beer out wonderfully.

This is a wonderfully complex brew, and as it warmed, I got more of the maple syrup notes and wheaty tartness. It became more boozy and I simply loved it, enjoying gentle sips for quite some time. An excellent beer indeed that I would absolutely buy again if I saw it in the bottle.

Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??