Hats and Drinks - A Match Made in Heaven

[Hurricane Jack]

Any of you fans of Founders Brewing Co tried their Curmudgeon's Better Half Old Ale? Said to be an old recipe brewed with molasses then aged in Bourbon casks for 254 days, & finished in maple syrup barrels. 12.7% ABV. Expensive but growler fills are on sale this wk. might be too sweet for my tastes but I think I'll grab my hat & go get a growler.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Any of you fans of Founders Brewing Co tried their Curmudgeon's Better Half Old Ale? Said to be an old recipe brewed with molasses then aged in Bourbon casks for 254 days, & finished in maple syrup barrels. 12.7% ABV. Expensive but growler fills are on sale this wk. might be too sweet for my tastes but I think I'll grab my hat & go get a growler.

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Thanks for the update. I have a couple unopened bottles "aging" from the last time our local shop had them discounted. Love the bottle art. The sweeter heavier flavored beer has it's special moments. Warmer weather approaches this coming week and I have stocked up a couple lighter beers.

Cheers. Eric -

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Love the bottle art.

So you like it then? I liked the bottle art too but the pancakes pictured made me wonder about the sweetness.

 

[TheOldFashioned]

Any of you fans of Founders Brewing Co tried their Curmudgeon's Better Half Old Ale? Said to be an old recipe brewed with molasses then aged in Bourbon casks for 254 days, & finished in maple syrup barrels. 12.7% ABV. Expensive but growler fills are on sale this wk. might be too sweet for my tastes but I think I'll grab my hat & go get a growler.

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Just saw this in the store yesterday. Initially grabbed a bottle as on the whole I'm a big fan of Founders. I enjoy their Backwoods ba***rd and Dirty ba***rd. I also enjoy their KBS, but I might be in the minority in saying I think it's a bit overrated. Especially considering for what it retails for compared to their other offerings. (Quite fortunate to live only a few hours from Grand Rapids.) After reading about the molasses and maple syrup, however, I hesitated and put it back. I too had concerns about it being too sweet.

Instead I grabbed a Peanuts and Crackerjack Porter by The Mitten Brewing Co. I've heard about and been intrigued by these peanut butter beers. Plan on having it tonight.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

So you like it then? I liked the bottle art too but the pancakes pictured made me wonder about the sweetness.

Smooth, malty and drinkable. Kind of liken it to a barley wine. Complex taste due to all the ingrediants. The hops make it finish well in the mouth. I would not drink it with pancakes - yuk, IMO.

Eric -

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Just saw this in the store yesterday. Initially grabbed a bottle as on the whole I'm a big fan of Founders. I enjoy their Backwoods ba***rd and Dirty ba***rd. I also enjoy their KBS, but I might be in the minority in saying I think it's a bit overrated. Especially considering for what it retails for compared to their other offerings. (Quite fortunate to live only a few hours from Grand Rapids.) After reading about the molasses and maple syrup, however, I hesitated and put it back. I too had concerns about it being too sweet.

Instead I grabbed a Peanuts and Crackerjack Porter by The Mitten Brewing Co. I've heard about and been intrigued by these peanut butter beers. Plan on having it tonight.

Agree with your take on the KBS. I try to keep some Founders Breakfast Stout, Porter and All Day in the beer fridge. For me they create a steady dependable backdrop to compare and sample the plethora of offerings these days.

Got to keep some on hand.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

I also enjoy their KBS, but I might be in the minority in saying I think it's a bit overrated. Especially considering for what it retails for compared to their other offerings.

All of the Aged 12% ABV beers jump up to the next price level. Dogfish Heads 120 MIN IPA is delicious & definitely a step up in quality from their 60 MIN & 90 MIN. Because of the price point the 12%'s are a bit harder to find & not frequently put on sale.

Thanks for your opinion!

 

[TheOldFashioned]

All of the Aged 12% ABV beers jump up to the next price level. Dogfish Heads 120 MIN IPA is delicious & definitely a step up in quality from their 60 MIN & 90 MIN. Because of the price point the 12%'s are a bit harder to find & not frequently put on sale.

Thanks for your opinion!

I nearly fell over when I saw KBS on sale yesterday as I had never seen that before. It was $3 off, going at $21 for a 4-pk.

Ever since your post I've been thinking of running back and grabbing that Curmudgeon.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

I nearly fell over when I saw KBS on sale yesterday as I had never seen that before. It was $3 off, going at $21 for a 4-pk.

Ever since your post I've been thinking of running back and grabbing that Curmudgeon.

I'll be near the retailer tomorrow so I'm going to fill my growler with CBH, but before I would pay that for a 4 pack I'll put the $21 towards a good bottle of whiskey.

 

[TheOldFashioned]

I'll be near the retailer tomorrow so I'm going to fill my growler with CBH, but before I would pay that for a 4 pack I'll put the $21 towards a good bottle of whiskey.

My thoughts exactly!

 

[Hurricane Jack]

My thoughts exactly!

I would enjoy a bottle of good Whiskey, Whisky or Tequila a lot more than than I would 4 beers.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Sacrifices may be made in the name of good BBQ, but what were the other offerings?

I know why you're enjoying the afternoon and it has nothing to do with clear skies, with the exception of flight delays, of course.

I love that hat. It may be the softest felt I've handled and it's also one of the creamiest whites I've ever seen. Your pics capture it well, HJ.

I often think of the travels hats have made. Don't know where it was before WV, but from there to AL and now MO. It's making some rounds. Wish we knew more about the company.

The Moore Bulldogger came from @Rick Blaine from Tenn. i believe.
It photographed so beautifully that i couldn’t resist even though it was way too big!!
It begat my phrase “Looks like vanilla ice cream and soft as a horse’s nose”.
I’m happy it’s being worn and appreciated because it is one cool hat!!
Love to see it’s sweet liner some more.
B
Ps: it always reminded me of the Shady Oaks stuff.

 

[Bamaboots]

Looks like vanilla ice cream

Maybe the best description yet, B. I'm a great fan of Haagen Dazs vanilla and that color description is spot on. I've been around a number of horses and though they do have soft noses, that hat may be a step softer. Ditto on additional sweat and liner pics. Really unique.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

The Moore Bulldogger came from @Rick Blaine from Tenn.

I remember it. I just never cared for it creased like a Stratoliner with a 3" brim.

Still wearing the 1960's 3X OR while drinking some cheap El Tesoro Marg's on Tequila Tuesday, priming the pump for some good Tequila at home.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Love to see it’s sweet liner some more.

Ditto on additional sweat and liner pics. Really unique.

I should call this my doctor's hat.

 

[Bamaboots]

I should call this my doctor's hat.

Nah. Just your hat that I miss the second most.. Thanks for the pics, HJ.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

As previous my intentions, I bought a growler of Founders Curmudgeon's Better Half Old Ale today. Except for the PS at the bottom these are my tasting notes made while drinking it for the first time:

The aroma is definitely that of dark molasses or sorghum. I also get a hint of a conifer hops, not pine but a woodsy aroma. No smoke, no citrus.

The mouthfeel is thicker than a typical Ale, wheat or IPA but not as thick as some Porters or Stouts. The head does cling to the inside of the glass but I was expecting it to be thicker than it is.

First & foremost is the taste of dark brown molasses as it rushes back on your tongue & palate. Only a hint of sweetness from the maple syrup barrel; not overly sweet as I thought it might be. You get most of the sweetness to build up only if you hold it. And the conifer hops adds a woodsy, outdoorsy taste.

In the middle I got that fresh baked bread taste, as everything mellows out together. Yeast, maybe.

The aftertaste is definitely when the burgundy wine & woodsy hops work together & kick in. Maybe a touch of Bourbon. Even though it's a 12%er there is no taste of alcohol.

Not a desert beer like some of the chocolate Porters & Stouts are. With the molasses this Ale would go perfect with a country smoked ham sandwich, so maybe an afternoon picnic beer? ...Now I want to go to the Honey Baked Ham Store!

PS: Probably the only pipe smoker I know who will be reading this is Scooterz, so this is for him. My last glass of the afternoon was while smoking a bowl of Dusk, a clone of one of the old Peter Stokkeybee blends he let lapse, in an old Ropp billiard with a horn stem. It paired very well. I can already tell you that the mustache note is going to be fantastic! I got about less than a glass left in the growler which I will enjoy sitting outside tonight long after dusk!

Curmudgen's Better Half is not for the fruity beer & wheat folks!

Hammered...,,need a nap.

 

[Bamaboots]

Canoe Paddler on this hot and humid day.

 

[Short Balding Guy]

Our weather echoes Bamaboots - hot and humid. An All Day IPA (Founders) for me this evening. The beer was refreshing.

Be cool. Best, Eric -

 

[Hurricane Jack]

The afternoon heat called for a little day drinking, so I had to change hats & shirts & go for a couple of cold ones. Stetson Hemp OR, drinking a couple of Northern Lagers.