Rating 94
Style Barrel-Aged Ale
Produced In Grand Rapids, Michigan
United States
ABV 12.7%
Availability Limited
Reviewed By
Reviewed 2018-09-27

Perfect For

Cold Weather Hibernation, End of Day Sipping, Sweet Tooth Cravings, Treat Yo'self, Wine And Cheese Night

Review: Founders Curmudgeon's Better Half Review

Barrels that once held bourbon, then maple syrup, then finally, ale could be considered the matchmakers for this beer and your palate. Curmudgeon's Better Half is an old ale — a term used to describe English-style dark beers that lean boozy and sweet — brewed with molasses and aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels. In this mahogany-tinted tropical storm of aromas and flavors, dextrous dextrin takes center stage. Notes of brandy-washed cheese, salted caramel, pumpernickel, and German chocolate cake swim together, lightly funky, umami, and brown sugar-sweet. Herbal notes, perhaps from the Kent Golding hops, cut what might become saccharine, as this beer closes with a pleasant period of bitterness at the end of a slow, syrupy sentence. This close-to-13 percent ABV brew leaves the lips sticky sweet, a sensual companion for any curmudgeon, be they at a campfire or on a couch. Wherever you are when you sip this beer, take it slow; and be ready to let your ire melt away.

94
POINTS
Review: Founders Curmudgeon's Better Half
Barrels that once held bourbon, then maple syrup, then finally, ale could be considered the matchmakers for this beer and your palate. Curmudgeon's Better Half is an old ale — a term used to describe English-style dark beers that lean boozy and sweet — brewed with molasses and aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels. In this mahogany-tinted tropical storm of aromas and flavors, dextrous dextrin takes center stage. Notes of brandy-washed cheese, salted caramel, pumpernickel, and German chocolate cake swim together, lightly funky, umami, and brown sugar-sweet. Herbal notes, perhaps from the Kent Golding hops, cut what might become saccharine, as this beer closes with a pleasant period of bitterness at the end of a slow, syrupy sentence. This close-to-13 percent ABV brew leaves the lips sticky sweet, a sensual companion for any curmudgeon, be they at a campfire or on a couch. Wherever you are when you sip this beer, take it slow; and be ready to let your ire melt away.

Reviewed On: 09-27-2018
94
POINTS
Review: Founders Curmudgeon's Better Half
Barrels that once held bourbon, then maple syrup, then finally, ale could be considered the matchmakers for this beer and your palate. Curmudgeon's Better Half is an old ale — a term used to describe English-style dark beers that lean boozy and sweet — brewed with molasses and aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels. In this mahogany-tinted tropical storm of aromas and flavors, dextrous dextrin takes center stage. Notes of brandy-washed cheese, salted caramel, pumpernickel, and German chocolate cake swim together, lightly funky, umami, and brown sugar-sweet. Herbal notes, perhaps from the Kent Golding hops, cut what might become saccharine, as this beer closes with a pleasant period of bitterness at the end of a slow, syrupy sentence. This close-to-13 percent ABV brew leaves the lips sticky sweet, a sensual companion for any curmudgeon, be they at a campfire or on a couch. Wherever you are when you sip this beer, take it slow; and be ready to let your ire melt away.

Reviewed On: 09-27-2018