Founders Breakfast Stout

Brewed by Founders Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Stout
Grand Rapids, Michigan USA

yum. fantastic brew. dark black pour, and fantastic aroma of coffee and chocolate. creamy, but not chewing it down creamy. still very good balance though. the only way this could be better if it was aged in bourbon barrels ;)

A: Pours an Obsidian black, darker than a moonless night. It pours with a huge thunderous head with tons of tiny bubbles that get foamy on top, like sea foam in the gulf on a warm September afternoon. The head dies down to a nice cap but some of the foaminess is left behind sticking to the top of my snifter. S: Wonderful smelling stout. TONS of chocolate and fresh brewed coffee. There are hints of vanilla and perfectly roasted malt. This reminds me of my favorite cafe mocha which I happened to sip at a sidewalk café in Paris. T: I really like great stouts and this is one of them. The flavors are off the scale. BAM in your face. Tons of rich creamy chocolate. Reminds me of the cocoa my grandmother (god rest her soul) used to prepare for me on a cold Indiana morning as a child. So chocolaty, sweet, and warming. All of that is then overtaken by a coffee taste as good if not better than the best espresso known to man. M: Medium bodied and a creaminess that is off the scale.

When poured has the consistency of watered down motor oil (yes I know that is an oxymoron). The smell is of burnt coffee, but I like that smell so it worked for me. Moderate to thick mouth feel. You can taste the chocolate and coffee, as well as the bitterness of the hops. I love the aftertaste of coffee in the morning and this has the same aftertaste so it lives up to its name of a Breakfast Stout. Label creeps me out but that will not reflect in score. Awesome beer. This stout reinforces why I love sweet stouts. The mix of sweet, bitter, and coffee will for ever leave me in aw.

On tap at Coasters. Pours black, color of motor oil with a 1/4 inch caramel head. Light hop aroma with hints of coffee. The aroma does not begin to prepare you for the flavors you are about to taste. Big coffee flavor with dark chocolate dominates. Finish lingers and is pleasant. Bested only by Speedway Stout and Espresso Oak Aged Yeti as far as coffee beers go.

pours pitch black, dark brown head. strong coffee aromas with chocolate. very thick! it even gets better as it warms up. the flavor lingers. i was very impressed, extremely potent brew!

black with a nice tan head. Beautiful lacing. Aroma of coffee and some fruitiness. full bodied with a creamy oily mouth feel. Flavor extremely balanced. Coffee dominates the palate. Alcohol is not as present as I would have thought. One of my favorite imperial stouts.

Pours a deep, deep black, although not as oily as KBS. Very enticing aroma of coffee, dark chocolate and alcohol. Very heavy flavors of dark chocolate and coffee. Some hop bitterness, as well as coffee bitterness. Good balance of sweetness from the malt and some hints of oats. Solid mouthfeel...very smooth, although could be a bit thicker for a stout of this flavor profile. Highly drinkable.

As a drinker of black coffee (lots of black coffee i.e. 10-15 cups a day) this is heaven in a glass. The thick mocha colored head is most inviting and the distinct coffee and chocolate flavors are like an epiphany in a glass. Think Drew Carey’s buzz beer but in the extreme and only for those that love the not so subtle flavors of the morning. Oh, and the balance between hops and coffee is something to behold ... watch out!