Beer Spotlight!

Spotlight on the Founders Bottle Shop Series:
Belgian Twist

$15.99 for the 12oz four-pack
Belgian Tripel Style Ale with Blue Agave Nectar

Grand Rapids, MI’s Founders Brewing Company’s Bottle Shop Series is — judging from their description — inspired by a belief that the craft beer world now lacks a spirit of innovation and creativity that it once had. To that end, Founders brews these beers in said spirit. The Belgian Twist is the third in the series (the second that we’ve had in our shop).

For the Belgian Twist, Founders starts with a Tripel to which they add “a substantial amount of blue agave nectar.” If you’re a fan of Tripels (as we are) you may be worried that Founders is creating some sort of candied mess. However, “a substantial amount” of blue agave nectar is, apparently, not enough to increase significantly the sweetness of this beer. Don’t get us wrong, the Belgian Twist is not as dry as a Trappist Tripel, but it’s not as sweet as Victory’s Golden Monkey (for comparison). The blue agave fattens out the body of the brew and (just as Founders claims) brings out the fruit notes that Tripels naturally have.

We’re not sure we agree with Founders’ contention that craft beer suffers from flagging innovation, but if Founders keeps brewing beers like this, they are welcome to tilt at that windmill as long as they want.