UPDATED: APR 7, 2024 355ml bottle from Dunells in Jersey. Pours jet black with a thick beige foamy head. Aromas & tastes of coffee, chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, oak & roasted malt. Medium to full body. Smooth finish. Alcohol very well hidden. Outstanding

UPDATED: FEB 24, 2024 Thick and dense and heavy and dark. Strong stout with all the trimmings of Imperial bite, strong coffee and chocolate. Heavy 12% ABV to warm you up on those cold winter nights. A great beer.

UPDATED: FEB 15, 2024 Közepes, hosszan kitartó, barna hab, fekete szín. Aszalt gyümölcsös illatokkal támad, az aszalt szilva emelkedik ki a tömegből. Az aszalmányok mellett ott van a csoki, kávé, kakaó, és persze a bourbon masszív érzete. Ízében hozza az illatfelhő gazdagságát, csoki, kávé, kakaó, aszalt sötét gyümölcsök, vanília, bourbon, karamell. Testes, enyhén szénsavas, közepesen keserű. Az ízek egymásba simulnak, az egyensúly kiváló. Csodás sör!

UPDATED: DEC 16, 2023 Wow! When I see this beer on tap or in the store, I don’t let it pass by. Tastes of chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and barrel-aged perfection.

UPDATED: NOV 17, 2023 Årgång 2023. Ogenomskinlig mörkbrun med tjockt beige skum. Rostad maltig doft med toner av whisky, choklad, grädde, vanilj och cola. Maltig smak med toner av kaffe, choklad, whisky och cola. Medelstor beska och lätt sötma. Fyllig lite krämig och sträv.

UPDATED: JUL 3, 2023 33cl Bottle @ LaBIRRAtorium, Madrid, Spain. Black colour with a thin tan head. Aroma is roasted malt, cocoa, coffee, vanilla. Taste is roasted malt, dark chocolate, sweet, coffee, vanilla, hints of bourbon and oak. Full body, soft carbonation.

UPDATED: JUN 22, 2023 10/6/2023. Bottle shared at SBGP3. From Beer Republic online store. Pours thick, black with a rich tan coloured head. Great pour. Aroma of big coffee, dark chocolate, roasted malt, vanilla, molasses, liquorice, burnt toffee, wood and a hint of coconut. Moderate sweetness, medium plus bitterness. Full bodied, creamy, soft carbonation. Lovely.

UPDATED: APR 20, 2023 .355 in Kroken while trying to enjoy Manchester United's Europa League visit to the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán stadium. While I am arguably late to the party Founders' products have increasingly become my go-to brewery over the last couple of years due to the nigh on unbeatable combination of relatively low cost and - crucially - consistently very high quality of their products. I am yet to be disappointed and would argue that Founders is among the beer-aficionado's best friends in these trying times for our world. Having said that, the deep dark brown slightly oily, murky body of this brew is perhaps not the most inviting. The espresso-coloured head does help improve the looks along with the crocheted lacing. Given the alcohol level the first impressions of the aroma are perhaps lighter, less pungent and invasive than one would hope for and expect. Not that it is anything wrong with that, not at all. Regardless, the main impressions are of smoky, slightly bittersweet roasted malts with notes of wet charcoal, freshly baked brown bread and spices. The sweet component might be something akin to vanilla or similar. The flavour is at first distinctly sweeter when compared to the aroma. Again, this is not a problem, the KBS gives you an initial bitter smack on the snout before soothing you with its sweet touch. This reviewer always enjoy beers where the combination of aroma and flavour are distinctly different but come together to produce a great experience. The dark malts are still there, but the bitterness is less prominent in the notes of cocoa, dark chocolate and coffee. The characteristics of bread and vanilla from the aroma are joined by bourbon barrels leading into a long, dry and bitter finish. One could argue that the finish is too bitter and dry for some, and I might agree at least on some level. Regardless, this combination of aroma and flavours will take you on a rollercoaster-like brewbased thrillride. All in all the experience is helped by one of the most pleasing palates this reviewer has come across recently. Very much full-bodied, quite creamy, and slightly oily. I swear, this is (even) better than it sounds. Given my previous Founders reviews this is perhaps getting boring, but this comes - again - very much recommended. Great stuff!

UPDATED: APR 13, 2023 Coffee,smooth.very malty and heavy body.lots of bitterness.Excellent. Tap@Leskinen,Oulu,FI

UPDATED: MAR 26, 2023 Pours absolutely pitch black (I put a flashlight against the other side of the glass. Nothing.) with a thick chocolate milk colored head that is in no hurry to go anywhere. Aroma is chocolate croissant with roasted grain and nuts. Mouthfeel isn’t as think as the pour would suggest, but certainly had a texture. The first few sips blew me away. What shot right though the middle was a vegetal, almost green bell pepper streak that I wasn’t expecting at all. It was enveloped by what you might expect. Subtly sweetened croissant, toasted grains and yes a touch of a bourbonish aftertaste (not the aftertaste of the beer, the aftertaste of a sip of bourbon). Again, the vegetal taste really stands out to me in a spectacular way. This is more savory than sweet and I wasn’t expecting it. The aftertaste of the beer is not bitter, more toasted, and doesn’t outstay it’s welcome. There’s absolutely some warmth in the back of the throat. The complexity is astonishing. I cannot believe it has taken me this long to have this. An all time great.