Try?
OK, I think I’m about to find myself at odds with the hardcore beer geek clique once again. That’s because I recently tried Founding Fathers Lager Beer, and found it to be a decent, quaffable brew at a fair price. The beer has not fared so well on beer websites such as ratbeer.com and Beeradvocate.com, though to be fair there are only a handful of reviews on each, and they seem to have been posted by the same reviewers.
Anyway, I picked up some of the beer for $5.99 a six-pack at my local Total Wine store. Immediately, what struck me most about the beer was the resemblance to the Samuel Adams marketing theme. Obviously, the appearance of three founding fathers on the label (Jefferson, Washington, and Franklin) is the biggest link.
When I got home, though, the connection grew more apparent. I Binged the beer and found the following statement from Phil Knutsen, founder himself (of the company) and it’s CEO: ““The largest breweries in America are now foreign-owned and Founding Fathers is not only owned and brewed in America.” He is right, of course, about the biggest American brewers. And thus I salute the notion of promoting American-owned brewers. Still, the statement made me think about the old Sam Adams campaign slogan, “Declare your independence from foreign beer.”
Anyway, the company says this about their beer:
“Founding Fathers Lager is a full-bodied American Lager with rich amber color. Two row barley, a blend of three classic American hops from the Pacific Northwest, and a touch of roasted carmel (sic) malt will make this the new American favorite.”
One of the neatest things about this beer is that the company donates half its profits to charities that benefit the families of the US Military. The charities vary by state, and you can see where the donations go in your state on the Founding Fathers Brewery website. Here in Georgia, donations go to Operation Homefront of Georgia and Armed Forces relief Trust.
Anyway, I popped open a bottle to find an amber lager that tasted a bit like Samuel Adams Boston Lager, too.
Founding Fathers Lager Beer pours to a medium amber color with a prodigious thick and creamy head formation, a soft malt nose and a hint of herbal hops. There’s some light malt in the palate with just a touch of caramel, a very nice creamy light biscuit malt character and s hint of herbal grassy hops in the finish, though I get more aroma than bitterness.
Overall, I find the beer very smooth and drinkable, but flavorful all the same. It does remind me a bit of a watered down Boston Lager, but not so much that the beer does not stand on its own merits. A bottle served well to wash down a cheeseburger hot off the grill smothered in red onion, lettuce, and tomato.
Extra credit for the military donations, a worthy cause indeed. If the beer were not decent, I would just say be honest, buy something else and make a donation to one of the causes. But the beer is a fair effort, and one I would buy again.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
(G)=Growler
