Brewers are not more competent now, per se, but they are much more attuned to the market, such that it is rare to have a truly horrible beer. This one is barely an IPA and tastes like tea but has a nice clean flavor.
However, would I reach for this again? Not “hell no,” but “probably not,” mainly because despite the weird tea overtones, it is boring: it tastes like Heineken and Michelob had an IPA baby that is designed for, you guessed it, all-day drinking while you tinker with your lawnmower.
That being said, there is nothing unique about this experience that I want. Women buy this beer because they want the husband to avoid getting so drunk he sets the backyard on fire (again). But it misses the IPA zing and feels like a PTA meeting.
Tags: beer, founders brewing company, IPA
If I’m gonna drink beer, it’s gonna be a northern European import because most everything else sucks or an arrogant bastard because you get drunk fast.
Zywiec Baltic porter used to be my go-to ten years ago before the global economy seemingly disappeared. Big bottle, was less than two bucks, and 9% abv, or maybe 9.5. I even disabled my thumb by falling into a bunch of the bottles, cutting a nerve.
I like that stuff. I guess I can’t fault the central Europeans either; I’ve drank plenty of Czech and Polish stuff. And Belgian too of course, if we’re deviating from Germany and Denmark. But once you get into the Mediterranean and beyond into Asia and Africa and the Pacific islands, it’s only any good because the weather’s too hot to pass up a beer.