Kurt Otter

Canadian Breakfast Stout (CBS) (2023) Otter

Great start to Mitten Fest 2024. Glad Founders brought this back. This vintage seems more coffee forward than the maple forward ones I remember. Still awesome.

Vino De Naranja Barrel-Aged Dubbel Otter

This was a complete surprise. Dubbels are always a good start. I never heard of orange wine before, but it added a lot of pleasant flavor & nose. Smooth & malty. Definitely will do a Founders Advent calendar again.

Brandy Barrel-Aged Big Luscious Otter

A Founders Advent calendar exclusive. Unique, & very good. The only thing holding back my rating is the conflict between the tart raspberries & the sweet brandy barrel aging.

Curmudgeon's Better Half Otter

There's nothing overpowering in this, but a lot of little things make for a stunning result. An average old ale is transformed by a touch of molasses, a maple soak, & a trip through a bourbon barrel. The result is a yummy & unique medium thick ale.

Call Your Mom Otter

Best brown ale to date for me. The malty, bready, consistency, combined with the maple reminds me of cinnamon french toast. Surprising flavor for such a mediocre ABV. Now hoping for a strong finish to this year's Advent.

Belgian Twist Otter

For Day 18, I was excited to see Belgian in the title. But the I saw that agave was the twist. I just haven't liked many of Founder's tequila offerings recently. I think it detracted, rather than complimented, a normally good Belgian tripel.

Más Agave Prickly Pear Otter

Day 17 of the Founders Advent calendar & my 3rd version of Mas Agave. This Prickly Pear version is better than Lime, but not as good as Grapefruit. It has a beautiful & unique color. The power of tequila just isn't balanced well with sweet Prickly Pear.

Más Agave Grapefruit Otter

This is much better than the previously reviewed lime version. The tequila aging had the same effect, but the tangyness of the grapefruit makes all the difference.

Blushing Claus Otter

Day 13 is surprising & complex. The base of Blushing Padre is good, but the added tartness from the cranberries, & it's trip through the tequila barrel was a definite bonus. Founders seldom disappoints.

Canadian Breakfast Stout (CBS) (2019) Otter

The only loss between 2019 & it's inclusion in the Advent calendar is carbonation. The head disappeared quickly after pour. Who cares? It's still stunning!

Más Agave Otter

The 11th day of Advent is a margarita inspired BA gose. It's good, & tastes surprisingly like a margarita. However, I bought a beer Advent calendar.

Mothership Series Barrel Aged Nemesis Otter

A bitter too much hoppy bitterness for my liking. Expected smooth, malty goodness, & this was a fair less than that. It just wasn't on par w/ my Founders expectations.

Backwoods Bastard Otter

It's everything you'd expect from a Founders BA scotch ale. The sweet malty goodness of wee heavy mellowed by the remnants of bourbon on oak. Word to the wise: It doesn't taste like 11%, but it doesn't take long to feel like 11%! On to Advent day 9.

KBS Espresso Otter

The Founders Advent calendar got back on track in a big way for Pearl Harbor day. Coffee & bourbon topped off with espresso beans makes for one of their better offerings. The ABV is considerable, but not overpowering.

Bottle Shop Series: Mango Magnifico Otter

First off, I'm not a fan of peppers in beer. I can't smell or taste them in this offering, but it's noticeable in the burn on your lips, tongue, & throat. The sweet mango is there on the front side in both taste & nose. My least favorite Founders to date.

KBS Otter

The choice for Advent day 5 shouldn't have been unexpected after day 4. Still all the coffee flavor on offer in the Breakfast Stout, w/ the added punch of bourbon. This has a chocolaty taste isn't apparent in the regular Breakfast Stout.

Breakfast Stout Otter

Meeting an old friend for day 4 of Advent. Smooth, medium viscosity stout chuck full of coffee flavor. We might not get more done, but our demeanor would certainly improve if we started our days with this.

Ultimate Oktoberfest Otter

Unique take on a marzen. Retains the malty, caramel, traditional taste, but is noticeably thinner with more bite. My favorite Octoberfest to date, even though I wouldn't be able to drink it all day. Also, an interesting choice for an Advent calendar.

Barrel Aged Peanut Butter Stout (Mothership Series) Otter

Right off the bat, probably better than anything from last year's German Advent beer calendar. Nice sweet peanut butter taste & nose. Pleasant & not overpowering 10% ABV. A fair amount of sediment in the bottle that I would have agitated, had I known.

Sweet Repute Otter

Sweet and powerful. The time in the maple bourbon barrel led to a more honey-like flavor than maple.

Bottle Shop Series Highball Drifter Otter

Love the cherry color. Smooth and boozy. Flavors perceive are caramel, vanilla, & cherry. Thankfully absent are bitters & orange zest.

French Toast Bastard Otter

Simply stunning! Maple syrup's good. Scotch ale's good. This combo is my favorite beer. The French Toast flavor is complimented by the burn of barrel aging. Love it.

KBS Maple Mackinac Fudge Otter

Fabulous deep chocolate fudge flavor. The maple is lingering at the back the whole time. Boozy enough, but not overbearing. Not nearly as thick as expected. Perfectly balanced and yummy.

KBS Hazelnut (2022) Otter

Representative example of KBS. Surprisingly strong nutty flavor. Very good unique version of a classic. It is better on the colder side.

Oktoberfest Otter

Smooth & easy drinking marzen. I'm starting to notice that my preferred Octoberfests are darker in color, & more malty, than this example.

Porter Otter

It's a porter that's not remarkably better than most other porters. Chocolaty, malty flavor.

Blushing Monk Otter

Has true fresh raspberry flavor, not somebody's idea of what raspberries taste like. Taste is consistent regardless of temperature, and the relatively high ABV is not apparent. A lot of tasty sediment in the bottom of a bottle, so make sure you get it.

KBS Cinnamon Vanilla Cocoa (2021) Otter

Tried it a week ago and didn’t get the expected flavor profile, nor my expectations of Founders. So I didn't check in. Drank it again tonight, with similar results. Nose of cinnamon and cacao are apparent. Unfortunately the taste just isn't there.

Velvet Rush Otter

All advertised flavors present. Noticeably high ABV. Apparently I'm just not a porter fan.