Founders Deca
Tenth Anniversary Ale
A generous malt bill, ten hours in the kettle, a touch of hops, twice fermented with a blend of American and Belgian yeast strains, then conditioned with a delicate blend of spices. Deca exemplifies ten years of brewing and experimentation at Founders. Thank you for letting us do what we do best.
A generous malt bill, ten hours in the kettle, a touch of hops, twice fermented with a blend of American and Belgian yeast strains, then conditioned with a delicate blend of spices. Deca exemplifies ten years of brewing and experimentation at Founders. Thank you for letting us do what we do best.
3.8
181 reviews
Grand Rapids, United States
Community reviews
Thanks askofficerfriendly for sharing this one at IBrew2or3’s going away party. Pours dark caramel with a white head. Nose is liquid caramel, with some esters, fruit, spices, and slight vegetal notes. Flavor is similar with spices, vegetal notes, caramel, and some yeasty esters. Interesting barley wine.
Almost more of an American Strong Ale than anything else, has some sweet medium brown malt characteristics with minimal hoppiness and some Belgian ester spice notes. Pretty tasty and drinkable, certainly would never have guessed this was 13% ABV.
Well I drank this and liked it, didn’t take notes so that’s really all I’ve got for ya. Thanks whoever brought it. Try it if you can.
Bottle shared by footbalm at his going away party, thanks man
Appearance: Hazy brown with a small beige head and light spotty lacing
Aroma: Toasted malts and caramel
Taste: Sweet caramel, herbal and toffee
OK
Bottle 2007 vintage shared by Eric, thanks. An odd brew. Pours a totally murky brown/red color with no head. The aroma is sweet intense berries and sugary malt, cocoa as well. The flavor is a odd mix; very sugary and fruity almost like a berry fruity beer with a heavy alcohol presence, warm, herbal, toffee, interesting. I liked it.
Tasted on 2/16/11 from a 22oz bomber bottle from the Twisted Spoke. Pours clear but very dark amber with an average off-white head that settles into thin, even lace with a decent collar. The nose is very malty with a good amount of sweet vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar, and some light herbal notes. The flavor is sweet with caramel and brown sugar malt up front, with a bit of herbal and spice flavor rounding everything out. The body is full with average carbonation and a long malty and sweet finish. This is the perfect example of a beer that is delicious despite it’s lack of complexity.
Wow. Nose is toffee and brown sugar. Hazy amber pour. Slightly spicy on the finish. Wondeful. Burnt caramel, toffee, cocoa, great complexity and balance on the tongue. Sweet with a nice slight bittering. This stuff should be an annual.
From sample pour at local December 2010 tasting.
Bottle shared by Brian, thanks! Poured a cloudy brown with a yellow brown head that dissipated to the edges. Aroma was full of spice with sweet grains a bit of alcohol and some dark fruit. Flavor was quite sweet from the grain with some balancing spice and a decent amount of alcohol.
Bottle shared by Ogglethorp. Thanks! Pours dark brown with off white head. Aroma is a mixed bag. Pretty interesting. It had spices, caramel, belgian yeast maybe, and had some oxidation notes that had set in. Medium mouthfeel. Flavor is all over the place, too. Flavors are bitter, spicy, and just all over. Interesting brew.
Bottle thanks to JohnGalt1 Pours out red/amber topped with a small sand head. Aroma of pit fruit, vanilla, spice, and sweet malts. Taste is much sweeter than the aroma with tons of brown sugar and caramel finishes off with a nice spice.
courtesy of Pailhead. Clear mahogany, minimal head, fades to film. Aroma has huge citrus up front, faint spice and tons of malt backbone. Caramel/toffee. Flavor dominated by caramel/toffee, spicy/herbal hops in finish, very faint. Sort of one dimensional, but not overly so, sweet but not cloying. Really dig it, but can’t score categories any higher.
Bottle from Silphium...thanks Brad! - Pours mahogany with a small tan head. The aroma is tons of caramel, toffee, a hint of mint and menthol, and butterscotch. Taste is vanilla, butterscotch, and dark malt, with a bit of rast and a light, grassy hop finish. There’s some milk chocolate and dark fruit, and a touch of bitterness. My guess is a lot of the hops and spice has receded from when this was new, but it’s been replaced by rich, sweet, decadent flavors. What can I say, I’m a sucker for a brew like this. Just...wow.
2007 Bottle? - Thanks JohnGalt1!! - Pours thick, a deep yet clear ruddy amber with a small tan head...aroma is sticky, caramel malt, dk fruits, cherry, vanilla, I don’t pick up much if any spice on the nose...flavour is super sticky sweet, caramel and molassas, cloying brown sugar, burnt caramel and light pie spice that I cannot identify the specific components of...finish is rich and warming...yes it’s sticky and boozy, but quite smooth and very enjoyable!!
Bottle: Rich caramel in color, deep, slight ruby accents, moderate foamy light beige head, fairly sticky lacing. Spicy nose, malty, caramel, ginger, moss, pine, spruce, with hints of burnt toffee and brown sugar.
Damnit, this beer reminds me soo much of something else I had within the last few months. This is 13%? Get outta here!!! Warming, but not alcoholic. Certainly a fairly malty sob, with minor hints of hops,
caramel, pine, and spruce tips. Fairly sweet, but not heavy enough to be cloying. Certainly a big beer. Combination brown sugar and pine sweetness from start to finish. Body and mouthfeel are moderate to full.
Certainly not a thin beer. There is another spice in here that is hard to identify. Has a herbal quality to it as well. Sweet, caramel like, with a fresh cut tree like presense. This one is pretty damn
good, complex, smooth, and very warming. I must say, I really enjoyed this one. Lingering hot caramel and alcohol. Thanks Chris for the bottle!
Bomber, courtesy SoLan. Pours a ruddy, swirly, brownish-amber color with a small head of beige foam that fades quickly. Skinny, jagged snakes of lacing circle the glass. The nose hits with an overwhelmingly sweet caramel malt bill, with loads of stewed, figgy, dark fruit and a massive amount of baking spices. Ginger is most prominent, combining with the caramel to form a gingersnap cookie feel. Flavors too are shockingly sweet, again heavy on sharp ginger, caramel, and reduced brown sugar. There’s a distinct breadiness to it from the yeast, but very little in the way of hops or any sort of of balance. The body is thick, syrupy, and cloying, with a peppery burn from the ginger. Eh, this is not for me.
Courtesy SoLan. Pours a dark amber color with a reddish hue topped by a small tan head that settles quiclky to a thin film. The aroma was very sweet smelling of caramel and toffee malts, spices, dark fruits, and tons of candied sugar. The flavor follows suit with the dark fruit, raisins, spices, and very sweet toffee and candied malts. The malts, candy sugar, and booze dominate everything else in this brew making it just so overly sweet. Thick and full bodied with a syrupy mouthfeel with a long, sweet boozy finish. Just to sweet for my liking, but this may have been better when fresh.
22oz Bottle .A hazy , cloudy amber to brown color pour , with a thin off white head , thick jagged lacing , light carbonation . Aroma is slightly boozy with tuns of caramel and toffee sweetness coming through , rasins and faint dark cherries , with hints of spicy hops . Flavor is huge , loads of sweet malt , caramel , toffee , rasins ,dates, honey , brown bread ,nuts,cinnamon and a nice light alcohol finish . very complex , very thick mouthfeel and a ultra heavy body . boozy sweet darkfruit aftertaste with hop flavored burps . Very , very good .
Nice job Founders
Bottle kindly shared by SoLan. Pours copper with a faint head and little lace. Ginger! Sugar, brown sugar, alcohol and spicy. A sickly sweet hot mess with ginger. Not my thing before the ginger, even less my thing with the ginger.
Courtesy moejuck. Dark amber, small tan head. Aged malt, sweet malt, booze, subtle spices. Same flavor, nothing standing out. Just a strong, sweet brew. Full body, smooth, a bit syrupy.
Dark copper color pour with bright ruby highlights and little head. Lots of sweet dark fruit with healthy notes of toffee, cardamom, anise, leather, tobacco and alcohol. Super rich decadent malty dark fruit flavor with lots of caramel, brandy, cinnamon, anise, and a hint of leather. Sticky, full body with low carbonation. If I didn’t know better I’d swear this was a nice 4 or 5 year Thomas Hardy’s. Fantastic stuff.
Bottle shared by hopsleeroy. Thanks Lee! Pours dark reddish. Smell is lightly spiced and very malty. Taste is the same and is quite sweet and slightly spiced. Didn’t care for it.
22oz Bomber. Pours a light brown, slightly red color. Aroma is caramel and syrup with hints of brown sugar. Sweet, hints of fruit, hops, and overall very roasted tasting. I can’t wait to have another one.
sample from a bomber at DLD ’09. pours a dark burgandy/brown with a very thin, beige head. aroma was sweet and spicy with notes of toffee, brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon along with a touch of citrus hops and dried apricot. flavor was big, sweet, and malty with notes of roasted pistachio, more toffee, hints of red fruit, a touch of hops, and a great spicy note on the swallow. mouthfeel was sticky and full bodied with a solid boozy warmth and a sweet finish. overall, a very interesting, very good brew but isn’t it a barley wine?
Murky brown/red. No head. Mostly a barleywine, but whatever. Definitely feels like it spent ten hours in the kettle, well it’s rather caramelized. Maple syrup, nutty. There is some indescribable vegetal flavor in there, which is niether good nor bad. Finishes with definite vegetalness-like the insides of pumpkin not for eating-it’s really quite strong and odd, but not bad per say. Some chocolate in there. Alcohol is pretty well hidden. Body is thick and sticky, but that’s definitely ’to style’ with this one. Good and very complex, but not a particularly good way.
Pours a cloudy, murky brown with little head. Super sweet aroma with some spicy cinnamony aroma. Flavor is something interesting. Definitely full-bodied, but plenty of caramel sweet and spicy. Almost like a cider at times. Odd finish, but really good.
Rich brown pour with almost no head. Aroma of brown sugar, caramel, almond, pistachio, and cinnamon. Hugely malty flavor. Maple candy, caramel, spices/fruit that remind of mulled wine. Nutty finish with a lingering maple sweetness. Nice full mouthfeel. Different, and good.
Amber with a thin white head. Very malt forward with plenty of fruit in the aroma. Flavor had some weird noes like minty mouthwash, and bubblegum. I also got beets in this one. Very odd finish, very odd beer, but i worked in the small sample I had.
22 oz bottle, cellared almost 2 years. Dense tawny brown, clear edges, hazy slick. Nose is caramel, cedar and nutmeg. Smooth medium body; sticky but not dripping. Muted carb gently tickles the tongue. This is indeed a malt bomb. Somewhere between mead and barleywine with winter spicing. Taste is maple, caramel, dates, cardamon and candied orange peel. Dry earthy finish with bitter almond. I’m a sucker for a super sweet brew. Quite tasty.
bottle, purchased 2 years ago and cellared since i heard the beer was super hot. the amount of nuttiness in this beer was insane. pistachio and rose, all over. here are my notes: "plum hazy. minimal quickly dissipating head. alcohol from a mile away. cotton candy, malt, belgian esters, pretty wild aroma. tastes like alcohol, winey, cotton candy. dark rotten fruit, rose, and pistachio. so much rose and pistachio. thick and syrupy. kinda tastes like india. i like it a decent amount.
22 oz bomber. Pours a nice chestnut color with hardly any head. Damn this is a great, great beer. Closer to a barleywine than the spice herb veggie beer. Aroma is complex and full of caramel, brown sugar, dark agave nectar, and a very slight hint of hops. Flavor is sweet with tons of toffee, caramel, some fruit, full mouthfeel and a very tiny hit of hops as the end. Man I want more of this and NOW!!