So this isn’t a smokebeer, but it is barrel aged Dirty Bastard, which notes “hints of smoke and peat,” and, Founders own description includes the word smoke, so here we are. Furthermore, having stumbled across and picking up a KBS this year, I thought this was a good time to compare the three, Dirty Bastard, Backwoods Bastard, and KBS. Backwoods Bastard in smokebeer metrics isn’t faring so well, and even in just beer metrics, I’m inclined keep the search going. I’m searching for a beer that I can unashamedly overpay for, over store (in my beer closet), over serve myself, and overemphasize its glory to my friends (my overweight friends). This beer is boozy (11.6%) without enough flavonoids to balance it out (meaning units of flavor, not actual flavonoids), and the barrel power, while flavorful, is not helping. It’s too thin to compel my palate to keep drinking. I want a beer that tempts me to take chugs. I want to try KBS… its up next. Until then, Backwoods Bastard gets a VERY GENEROUS 5.1 out of a total 7 smokestacks of non-smokebeer units of happiness.
| Brewer | Founders |
| Beer Name | Backwoods Bastard |
| Brewer’s Description | Expect lovely, warm smells of single malt scotch, oaky bourbon barrels, smoke, sweet caramel and roasted malts, a bit of earthy spice and a scintilla of dark fruit. It’s a kick-back sipper made to excite the palate. |
| Food Pairings | Pub fare |
| Brewery Location | Grand Rapids, MI |
| Alcohol content by volume | 11.6% |
| IBU (International Bitterness Units) | 50 |
| Beer opacity rate 1 – 7 (light – dark) | 4.5 |
| Smell smoke? 1 – 7 (No – George Burns) | 1 |
| Sausage detection? Y or N | N |
| Smokepower taste: 1 – 7 Smokestacks | 2 |
| Beer thickness 1-7 (water – used motor oil) | 3.5 |
| Barrel Power 1-7 (in name only – burns nose) | 5 |
| Overall Happiness: 1 – 7 (sad – happy) | 5.1 |
Learn more at:
foundersbrewing.com/our-beer/backwoods-bastard
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