Since their 1997 debut, Founders has grown to
demonstrate their seriousness about brewing first-class beer, as seen in the
brewery’s rising status on BeerAdvocate and Ratebeer. Indeed, I have yet to encounter
a Founders beer that says anything otherwise. All told, their Grand Rapids
brewery crafts about five year-round products and eight or so seasonal and
specialty brews. And Founder’s Centennial IPA is, without a doubt, one of the
best IPAs around.
Life outside the bottle begins with a huge creamy
slightly off-white head and a translucent orange color – a perfect representation of what an IPA
should look like. The lacing clings to the side of the glass long after the beer
has vanished. Powerful and faithful to the style, Centennial’s aroma comes with
the predictable pine, flowers, and citrus fruit notes, along with definite hint
of malts that nicely compliments the hoppy nose. The carbonation is robust,
with a medium body. Not surprisingly, the taste is hop forward. However, generous
support is provided by some of noticeable malty notes that trade in some of the
bitterness for complexity. Citrusy flavors dominate, followed by some grainy,
earthy, and bready tones. The finish delivers a lasting bitter punch, but
overall, this is an amazingly well-balanced and easy to approach IPA. And the
7.2 percent ABV speaks volumes about Centennial’s seriousness.
So, if you have the chance to sample this, I’d definitely
go with it, even if IPAs are not your favorite style. It’s well balanced and
far more complex than many IPAs out there, but with a bit less of bite as well.
Links
Founders, Centennial IPA: http://www.foundersbrewing.com/the-lineup/centennial-ipa
Image credits
Founders Brewing: http://www.foundersbrewing.com/
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