Beer Review: Dank Wood by Founders Brewing
This is a beer I have kind of been wondering about until @cryptictruth posted about it and said it was worth a try. Reason I was wondering is for the simple reason, it is a red IPA but it is also barrel aged in bourbon barrels. So on one hand, IPA, ugh, on the other hand, BBA. Worth a try. I will try IPAs, don't get me wrong, I just typically don't favor them. But here is my review.
Founders Brewing - Dank Wood Imperial Red India Pale Ale
Stats
- Brewery: Founders Brewing Company - Grand Rapids, Michigam
- Alcohol Content: 12.2% (YOWSA!)
- IBUs: 65
- Company Description: What do you get when a big, bold imperial red IPA meets an oak bourbon barrel? A palate stunner that’ll send your senses spinning or, as we like to call it, Dankwood. Rich caramel notes emerge from the depths of the IPA, highlighting strong malt character while the bourbon barrel-aging develops the complexity. A dank, sticky and slightly sweet sipper, Dankwood is the perfect alchemy of wood and hops.
<b.The Bottle
The beer came in a 12 oz dark brown bottle but it is also available in 22 oz and on tap. It has a main body front and back label and a neck label, all with a aged wood looking theme. The beer name is prominently displayed in the front with Founders logo name above, as well as on the neck label. The rear label contains a nice description of the beer (see above) and the required warnings and such. Founders does a great job with they label art and the Founders name is always there but the labels differ considerably, so the shelf recognition is not instant.
The Beer
- Appearance: On the pour, this beer is a dark, dank reddish color, murky also. Dank wood indeed! A nice light reddish brown foam head which left some nice lacing.
- Aroma: I noticed the hops and the booze on the aroma. Also a slight piney odor.
- Taste/Mouthfeel: Slightly carbonated, with a piney taste, minor hoppiness and the boozy taste from the barrel aging. The nice thing about bourbon barrel aging is it seems to mellow out hoppiness, which is always a plus for me but there is an almost harsh finish on the back of my throat.
- Drinkability: You have to realize this is a really high abv (12.2 for crying out loud) and boozy, so it is a beer you sip and savor in my opinion.
Rating and Final Thoughts
I gave this beer a rating of 4.00 on Untappd, where several friends rated it an average of 4.31 and it's oveall rating with 10k ratings is 3.95. Again, Founders has mastered the bourbon barrel aging and produced a highly popular beer. I have not tried their regular IPAs but the other Founders beers I have had have been top notch with several being amongst the highest rated beers for me. Again, realize this was an IPA, imperial to boot, but I still rated it at a 4/5, so that says something for me to rate an IPA that high.
4.00/5.0
I'm going to sneak this beer into #beersaturday Week 53 since it is Saturday and I am drinking it. Feel free to head over and upvote me to help my chances of winning the best contest on Steemit!
That looks ace, I was wondering if it was going to be any good because sometimes I get the heebs when they do things like mixing Red and IPA
Lol, at the ABV, thats massive
yeah massive abv for sure. I am feeling it as we speak. one 12 oz beer gave me a bit of a buzz. a lot of red ales tend to be hoppy so not a big surprise on this being an IPA I guess. Irish reds are not hoppy though.
Hehe, a good start then!
might be, still 4:27 here and on my second beer, wife is our of town and I am alone. could get ugly! ;)
Lol, I suspect they might!
since you are really the only steemite I know who might know the answer to this. I just had 4 random steem members donate Steem to me in random amounts. Any idea why this might have happened? Kind of odd if you ask me.
Hehe, thats alright. Thats steem you have bought. It's the way it shows up as the order being filled. But I presume you have bought some SP with SBD?
yeah, I did put in an order to buy steem but in the past it has never been allocated that way?? seems odd,
I will look for that, but interesting beer is often hard to find here. We started a little brewery to satisfy our needs. The brewer has a couple of bourbon barrels. One of the best beers he has made was a Snickerdoodle Stout aged in a bourbon barrel. It went from 6% ABV to 9% from the leftover bourbon in the wood.
Founders had a pretty wide distribution, we are in Montana. Founders is in Michigan, closer to you than me. If you do have access to Founders, for sure try their KBS and other dark beers. they make some really good beers. What is the name of your brewery? Sounds really good!
Founders is distributed here - All Day IPA is in the local grocery stores. We just have to drive about an hour to get to a city with a specialty beer shop. I can find almost anything eventually, it just takes a while.
Our brewery is 3rd Street Brewing in Farmville VA. We don't distribute, so you won't find our beer in MT. Let me know if you ever come East. I will do a flight with you.
I hear you on finding beer. we do have one beer/wine store in my town but it is getting stale, Ive drank most of the beers they have and they are not great about getting new stuff in. There are better places in Montana but most are over a hundred miles away.
Cool, not sure if I will ever get to Virginia but if I do I will hold you to your offer! :)
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