When I make my semi-annual trips up to Maine I try to grab some Maine beers that aren’t distributed in Massachusetts yet. One of the breweries I find myself consistently gravitating towards is Foundation Brewing Company out of Portland. When I first visited Foundation a couple years ago they were just getting started and benefitting from being sandwiched between Maine beer icon Allagash and buzz-worthy startup Bissell Brothers. Now that Bissell Brothers has moved, Foundation has expanded and are attracting a crowd on their own merits. This expansion has allowed for the distribution of some of their cans, and you can find their beer at local bars and in beer-centric bottle shops. I tried a couple new-to-me Foundation beers on my last trip including Afterglow, one of the IPA’s they brew. Foundation Afterglow is brewed with many of the “C” hops that were popularized in the West Coast IPA boom, including Cascade, Columbus, Centennial and Chinook. It is available on a rotating basis on draft and in 16 oz. tallboy cans.
Foundation Afterglow pours clear bright orange with a solid white head. The scent is a big hit of hops, mostly citrus and resin. The beer is clearly more of a West Coast IPA than the fruitier New England style, notes of pine, grapefruit, orange and grass along with a solid bitter kick. This is balanced by a noticeable malt backbone, hints of whole grain bread and honey. Afterglow is medium bodied and drinks smooth but packs a little punch at 7.0% ABV. The finish is crisp with some lingering hop flavor and bitter bite. This is a high quality West Coast style IPA, while I love the smooth drinking New England styles it’s nice to mix in some bitterness here and there. Hoppy Boston score: 4.25/5.
Previous Foundation Reviews:
Hoppy Boston 
