After reading an article on the Aleheads blog about the Founders All Day IPA, I just knew that I had to track down this beer ASAP…
During a quick dinner at The Pour House last Tuesday night, I tried one of these beers as I enjoyed a very tasty burger and fries (my burger of choice was The Second Coming). Since I was dining alone at the bar, I didn’t stay all that long, so I decided to head on over to Total Wine in Cherry Hill to see if they had the All Day IPA in stock. As luck would have it, they did have it in stock, so I decided to pick up a couple bottles for a proper review.
Here is what Founders has to say about their All Day IPA Session Ale:
The beer you’ve been waiting for. Keeps your taste satisfied while keeping your senses sharp. An all-day IPA naturally brewed with a complex array of malts, grains and hops. Balanced for optimal aromatics and a clean finish. The perfect reward for an honest day’s work and the ultimate companion to celebrate life’s simple pleasures.
Let’s get on with the review…
- Appearance: Clear pale orange color. Very little head or lacing.
- Aroma: Smells like you just cut open an Indian River Ruby Red Grapefruit and then proceeded to drizzle the top of it with golden clover honey.
- Taste: Lightly carbonated with a mouthfeel that leans towards the watery side, but not overly so. A touch of honey/cane sugar sweetness mixed with that citrusy grapefruit that you picked up in the nose. Some mild hop bitterness kicks in at mid-palate, but without the usual intensity that you get from an IPA. Very short finish that starts off a touch bitter, but then ends with a hint of sweetness.
- ABV: 4.7%
The Aleheads are 100% correct about this beer. Founders set out to create a refreshing, hoppy beer that you can drink over a long period of time, and that is exactly what they achieved. This isn’t a mind blowing IPA by any stretch, but it is both incredibly refreshing and highly drinkable. As an added bonus, there’s just enough hop bitterness to satisfy your craving for an IPA, but not enough to overwhelm your palate.
One last thing before I end this post…
This past Friday morning (Good Friday for all you practicing Catholics out there), I was mentioned in the following tweet by Fontina Turner of the Bacon and Legs blog:
To all you hopheads out there that are looking for a lighter beer for the warm months ahead, it looks like Founders has answered your prayers! Click here to visit the Founders website if you’d like to read a bit more about this brilliant move.
Categories: Brew Review, Founders
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It's just the booze dancing... 
I could have saved you that trip had you followed my advice and ordered that second All Day while you were still at the off site research facility. That said, the picture wouldn’t have been nearly as cool.
Since reading the Aleheads post you mentioned I’ve been on the lookout for this one as well. Based on your review, Founders seems to have done it right. There are plenty of times when I’m in the mood for a bright, crisp, citrusy IPA but not in the mood for the extra ABV kick – or perhaps just looking for, brace for it….. and IPA Light. Ha! I said it! (but I don’t mean it the way it sounds).
Sam Adams recently put out an India Pale Lager – Double Agent IPL. I was intrigued but ultimately underwhelmed. That one starts out reasonably well but quickly dwindles in character, flavor, and interest.
I’ll spend part of a day looking for the whole one. The All one.
Cheers!
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Time for a bit of To Tell the Truth…
I actually had two of these while seated at the bar. Really enjoyed them, but wasn’t really in review mode, so I drank, ate, chatted a bit with our friend Marci, and douched it up on Instagram. You should be able to find these pretty easily. Very curious to get your take on it!
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Wait – I knew that. I believe I issued a violation for ordering the same beer twice.
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You did indeed! Guess I was just being lazy since I didn’t have my usual Craft Beer Comrades with me.
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Once I heard that this beer was getting canned, I knew I had my golf course beer for the summer. I can’t wait for the weather to warm up and enjoy this beer outside.
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I don’t golf, but I can totally see this beer being well suited to an afternoon at the country club. Light, refreshing, and very very drinkable.
Thanks for the comment!
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I like your idea of what my golfing is like a lot more than the reality, but good beer makes up for bad scores.
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I would need many many beers to play golf. I can see that being a game that would frustrate me beyond belief. I’ll stay at the club house or just drive the cart.
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If you find golf frustrating, you missed the whole point. This could be three or four blissful hours out of the house and in an idyllic setting. Add to that what sounds like a fantastic beer now in cans and you might want to stretch this to five hours.
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I’ve never actually tried to play golf (driving range and mini golf only), but given my crap hand/eye coordination, I suspect that I would suck at it. That being said, I’m all for saying that I spent the day hitting the links when all I really did was drive the cart and drink beer for a few hours. Or we could just head into Philly and hit the bars instead.
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Will keep my eyes peeled for this one, looks like you could have a few considering the Abv.
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Most definitely! I polished off two of them in a very short period of time quite easily. Tasty stuff for sure.
Thanks for the comment!
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no worries, first time checking out your blog 😉
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Ahhhh! Welcome aboard then!
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I am sold. Now if I could only find Founders a bit closer.
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As I said in my review, it’s not a mind blowing beer by any stretch, but I definitely enjoyed it and look forward to picking it up again once the canned version shows up on the shelves. Light, refreshing, and hoppy! Can’t wait to try this on a sunny day by the pool. Good luck on your quest!
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