Review 197
1/6/14
Founders
Sweet Repute: 12.6% abv
Background: We
should all be familiar with Founders at this point, being one of the more
prolific breweries in Michigan. Founders has had major success with their
Backstage Series, which is a series of experimental beers which have been
bottled in 750 mL bottles for public consumption. This is a great way to
promote new beers and experimental styles. The last review we did of an
experimental beer was Bolt Cutter, Founders’ 15th Anniversary
Barleywine. This time around, we are reviewing Sweet Repute, a wheatwine aged
in ex-bourbon ex-maple syrup barrels. That sentence alone should raise your
eyebrows. Needless to say, the combination sounds like a recipe for syrupy
sweet disaster. There is only one way to find out!
Nose: The
nose starts off with a strong presence of wheat, oak, and bourbon. That does a
pretty good job of describing this beer. This definitely has some notes of
fruitiness, with sweet orange citrus, melon, and tropical fruits right off the
bat. There is a subtlety of raisons that comes across, with an even more
compelling sense of dry vermouth. The nose is rather tangy. There was
noticeable pineapple, with some hoppy bitterness as well. Honey adds some
sweetness to the nose. As the beer warms up, the yeasty, bready character
becomes more dominant. Overall, the nose is dominantly sweet and fruity, with a
definite callout to its grassroots.
Arrival: The
arrival is a great introduction into this beer, with a mixture of flavors which
play as montage to the aforementioned nose. There is a large number of
different sensations, including the bready, wheat-like character, along with a
complex fruitiness as well. The arrival shows off a unique taste of lemon-lime
soda, with a crisp refreshing mouth-feel.
Body: The
body has a thicker mouth-feel, with a sense of honey and fruits dominating the
body. The bourbon oak really comes through here. There is a lot of honey and
sweetness in the body, in a very sugary, syrupy texture. There is a substantial
amount of malt in the body as well.
Finish: The
finish concludes with multiple complexities. There is a dry hoppiness that
dominates, with a sweet bourbon and honey in the finish. There is a little bit
maple in the finish, but it really doesn’t shine through, which we feel is a
good thing. Instead, there is slightly more molasses to be found in the finish.
There is a good amount of fruitiness in the finish, but it does not
over-dominate the beer. There is also a strange taste of bubble gum noticeable
from the body into the finish.
Final Comments: Sweet Repute dances a line of sweetness and
complexity, offering a ton of full, thick flavors, but never providing an
over-dominance of sweet flavors. Between the wheat malt, the maple/bourbon
barrels, and the high proof, it seemed inevitable that this would be
overbearingly sweet. Instead, it mixes thick, sweet flavors with a balanced,
interesting hoppiness and dryness. Don’t get us wrong, this is no IPA. It just
handles itself in a very composed manner. KCM thoroughly enjoyed this beer,
even though the maple got lost in the cluster of flavors for most of the event.
It is also worth mentioning that although this and New Holland Pilgrim’s Dole
(R #7) are distinctively different, you would not lose much by going with New
Holland’s wheatwine.
Why you’d buy it: You
like limited release beers of a sweeter style and high proof.
Why you wouldn’t: You
can’t find it, and it is more expensive than Pilgrim’s Dole.
Score: 9.25/10
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