Founders Keepers

Friday night is a tough night to go out as a family man since it’s the end of a work week for both the kids and Jenn.  It would be a little presumptuous to assume that I can just say, “See ya!” to go out to get a beer.  But if you are sweet, and ask permission in advance (and if you have the right story), you are rewarded with the opportunity to participate in something special.  So when I asked in advance Jenn gave the okay to going to Founders night at the Ruck (http://getrucked.com/site/).  The Ruck is a college dive bar with a great selection of beer, voted as one of the best in the Northeast by www.craftbeer.com (although only 30K votes were cast nationwide, and 5K of them probably came from nearby RPI).

Why did I care about a Founders night? Founders (http://foundersbrewing.com/) has a huge cult following, having 9 beers in Beer Advocate’s top 250, including their Breakfast Stouts;  #3 Canadian Breakfast Stout, #5 Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS), and #14 Breakfast Stout.  Beer geeks (not unlike myself) have been known to follow the Founders beer trucks to their destination so that they can buy up their products, and the current favorite is KBS.  A keg of KBS was the center piece of the event, and I got there early enough to grab a corner at the bar to help ensure I got mine.  I didn’t bring my IPAD (not the best area of town), but I texted friends while enjoying a Founders Dry-Hopped Pale ale.  The bartender took care of me, and I scored the first 10oz snifter provided to customers (strategic bar location, stunning story telling ability, and a hefty tip on the Pale ale all helped).

I love this beer, an imperial stout brewed with a tons of coffee and chocolates, cave-aged (for a natural consistent temperature) in oak bourbon barrels for an entire year.  I even have a friend at work that asks me each day if I’ve found any.  I got to describe it to some folks who were unsure about its strength (11.2% ABV), and sold them on giving it a try.  The nose on this beer is awesome, and I loved sipping the brew and talking with others.  I even got to chat with owner and staff of the Ruck who weren’t on duty (told you it was a strategic location at the bar.  Knowing it was their only keg of KBS, I didn’t get greedy with a second glass.  Instead, I was able to try a couple 5oz drafts of their Backstage series (I personally loved their Mango Magnifico, brewed with Habanero peppers, last month) beers on draft.  First was their Bolt Colter, a big and bold 15% Barleywine that had portions aged in bourbon and some in maple syrup barrels.  This one knocks your socks off (glad I stayed with the 5 oz).  Next was their Doom, a 10% ABV Imperial IPA aged in bourbon barrels which gives this top notch hoppy classic a whole range of new flavors.  Both were delicious; I can’t wait search for their next edition when Founders releases Sweet Repute (an aged wheatwine) next month.

It was a great night, one that I really enjoyed.  I always love marking off rare, hard to fine beers on my beer list. – 6327/14865

 
“In my opinion, most of the great men of the past were only there for the beer.” – AJ P. Taylor, British Historian