Founders Dank Wood

Founders Dank Wood Imperial Red IPA Aged in Bourbon Barrels. 12 % ABV. 65 IBU. Founders Brewing, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Dark reddish brown coloring, large, fuzzy, cream-toned head. Very appealing appearance.

In the nose: Dank? Yeah. Sticky-icky, for sure. Rich and resinous. Caramel and toffee creeps in. Lots of fruit pops in against the dark malt and bourbon barrel-ousness, grapes, cherries, raisins.

In the mouth: Thick and fruity. More than an IPA, nearly a barley-wine. Big from the barrel, big from the booze, and bursting with hops. Rich with malt. Huge. This is a big, crazy mess and so outsized and flavorful that I love it.

Hangs hard on the palate, this one. Stays thick, sticky, juicy-oosy. It's expensive, but I like it. And I'm glad I spent the dough to give these 4 bottles a try.

What do you get when a big, bold imperial red IPA meets an oak bourbon barrel? A palate stunner that’ll send your senses spinning or, as we like to call it, Dankwood. Rich caramel notes emerge from the depths of the IPA, highlighting strong malt character while the bourbon barrel-aging develops the complexity. A dank, sticky and slightly sweet sipper, Dankwood is the perfect alchemy of wood and hops.

LynLake Brewery Windburn Red Ale

LynLake Windburn Imperial Red Ale. 6.8% ABV, 77 IBU.
LynLake Brewery, Minnepolis, MN.

Clear, deep crimson, large and lasting cream-toned head atop, leaving some lace.

In the nose: sweet malt, fruity hops, moderate bitterness. Fine and mellow.

In the mouth: Again, the bitterness is fairly mild, kept firmly in check by a firm malt content. Bitterness grows in time and blesses the palate with hoppitude, but never going too far. Good balance in this big-ish beer. Medium-bodied, full-flavored. Caramel malt flavor coming through and blending well with the fruit and the hops. Long-lasting hoppiness, lingering finish. Tasty one, here. I could drink this again and again. (In fact, I finished the whole growler in one sitting.)

Candy sweetness meets strong fruit and citrus hop flavor in this gorgeous ruby pint. The use of 100% Falconer's Flight 7 C's hops creates a complex bitterness. Inspired by the red cheeks of winter biking, here's to a hoppy spring.

That's odd, they didn't have this on last time I was there, and I've never actually seen it on tap before. It's not a left-over spring ale, or is it? Or just back by popular demand?

Fulton Barrel-aged Libertine

Fulton Barrel-aged Libertine Imperial Red Ale. 3770 of 4000.  8.5% acl. by vol. 45 IBU. Fulton Beer, Minneapolis, MN.

Dark, plum-like reddish brown coloring, slim coat of foam above.

Aromatics: Dark fruits, rich malts, some cocoa, toffee, a little vanilla. Lots of bourbon barrel aspects masking the original Libertine, which is a big, flavorful one to begin with. Deep and complex.

In the mouth: Big, bold, rich and delicious. Dark fruits, flashes of cherries and plums, deep malts, nicely balanced, staying well away from sweetness, but giving off immense amounts of flavor. All the notes from the nose come and play on the palate. The bourbon barrel enhances the Libertine, and covers, if not smothers, the base elements of the beer. But, it's a great transformation, for sure.

More sensations at play, more sweetness, more chocolate and vanilla against the fruits and the hops. So very nice. One of my favorite beers in a long, long time.

Sisyphus Commie Calvin Imperial Red Ale

Named for the taproom's socialist bartender, the irascible Calvin. Just kidding. He's all mutter. I've never got into politics with him. I leave that out of respectable tavern talk.

7.3% ABV. 43 IBU.

Clear, bright crimson coloring, lush, off-white head. Looking good.

Aroma: fruity, earthy, rustic. Malty. And highly hoppy. Grassy. Ah...

In the mouth: fierce bitterness, sweet malt. Crazy tasty. Medium bodied, with intense flavors.  Pretty smooth, actually. Yum. I like it.

Maybe one of my favorites from Sisyphus. No, definitely. And I like this trend of naming the beers, especially moving away from the joke names.

Founders ReDankulous Imperial Red India Pale Ale

Founders Redankulous. Imperial Red IPA. Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan. 9.5% alc. by vol, 90 IBUs.

Clearish, bright crimson coloring, large, creamy, off-white head, lasting long and leaving lace. Looks great.

Aroma is piney, citrusy, fruity, and, yeah, that most hated of words, to me,..."dank"...I should just give in, right? It's funky stuff, for sure. I like it.

In the mouth: Boom, boom, boom, boom. Big and full and fresh and vibrant. Everything at once, while being easily drinkable, but for the high alcohol. And that is looming large. Big malt, big hops, big everything. Whoa, this is serious. And I'm digging it. It's tasty as they get.

So rich and malty, so well-balanced, so thick with the dank (I hate myself for writing that)...this is a beer to be experienced. Once in a while. Nice one, Founders.

Town Hall Life Imperial Red Ale

This week at Town Hall, there are three new beers themed for the 4th of July. Wait, did I say "new"? It seems that they did this 10 years ago, and the beers are the same. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. and red, a white, and a blue(berry ale). While I drink down a mini-growler, let's look back on my notes from July, 2005:

The name reminds me of a Sly & the Family Stone song, of the same name..."you don't have to die, before you live." How wise, Mr. Stewart... 

Only served in 10 ounce pours at the pub, somehow I have a whole 64 ounces at my disposal...goodness gracious! 

Dark crimson color, and clear, with a decent, long-lasting cap of off-whitish foam. 

Aroma is lush malt, tidy hops, fuzzy, warm, and strength peeks through and invigorates the overall feel. Ahhh!!! 

Taste: yes, let's! Huge fruit, fat malt, minimal hops, fierce alcohol...very warm...but it gets bigger and more complex as we sip it. We like it more...is it casting a spell on us, making us want it more? What is this beer doing? 

Cherries and berries are at large, grapes and melons...and booze, too. 

This is a lush and tasty thing...rather wise that they limit it to such a small serving at the establishment...who knows what chaos would ensue were we to toss back a pint of this in one sitting?

This is a tasty, tasty ale, with enough of a potent sting to slay the demons of the day and let one relax in forgetting those torments. It's good like that. And so is Life, when we have a beer like this at our disposal.