Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout

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

Date: April 25, 2009
Mode: Draft
Source: Tasting, DLD
Appearance: black, fine tan head, layers of drippy lace
Aroma: big smokey roasted coffee aroma, touch of sweet dark caramel
Flavor: sweet chocolate flavor, light bourbon and vanilla sweetness pulls out the rich chocolate, maple sweetness comes through after a bit
Aroma: 8/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 8/10; Palate: 8/10; Overall: 18/20
Rating: 4.2/5.0
Drinkability: 9/10
Score: ***4

(draft) Large tan head atop black body with brown edges. Aroma is sweet, maple, caramel, some chocolate, some alcohol. Taste is sweet, maple, some chocolate, caramel, alcohol, light coffee. Smooth medium-full body. Very good, but the sweetness makes it hard to drink a full serving.

Draft at the Craft Ale House (2 x 10oz glasses!). Poured a dark black color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of woodiness, earthy, some whiskey, chocolate, nutty, vanilla, and maple syrup. Tastes of chocolate, the same woodiness, lighter whiskey, vanilla, roasty, and chocolate. Lighter alcohol in the finish, but overall well hidden. This was pretty damn good and glad I had a few glasses of it!

Hand bottle... This beer rocks!... Pours pitch black with very little head. The aroma is a luxuriant, velvety marriage of everything I enjoy in food, beverage and beer – vanilla, espresso, dark chocolate, whiskey and a touch of coconut with only a trace of maple syrup. Although rich and hearty, the nose isn’t in-your-face. It’s subtle and comforting and you almost have to dig for it. Full-bodied with a “heavy cream” mouthfeel and pillow-soft carbonation. The flavor is all about espresso, blackstrap molasses, pouch tobacco, chocolate and coconut. The relatively high ABV is not stand-up-and-shout hot; I feel it in my head before I really taste it in the beer – drinking on an empty stomach here. Balance is provided by a nice blend of dark malt sweetness and alcohol, hop, carbonic bitterness. The finish starts off acrid and sweet, then slowly fades to a pleasant, creamy, sweet coating of my palate. At this point, I’m certain my teeth are brown. Thanks so much to StFun for throwing this baby in the box as a bonus beer in our trade. A fantastic surprise!

(Draught) Pours an opaque black body with a medium creamy tan head. Aroma of coffee, roasted malt, dark chocolate, vanilla, caramel and a hint of maple. Flavor of roasted malt, coffee, caramel, bourbon, chocolate, and some maple with a dry, bitter finish.

Draft at Founders. Poured a dark brown color with a large frothy brown head that lasted with excellent lacing. Moderate to heavy roasted dark chocolate, vanilla, woody and alcohol aroma. Heavy bittersweet roasted sweet malty flavor with a heavy bittersweet and small alcohol bite finish of long duration. Full body with a smooth texture and flat carbonation. This is a standout beer.

Draft at Craft Ale House. Wow, I lucked out and got the last 10 ounce pour of this one around 4:15 PM. The pour was onyx with a 3-finger dark brown head. One of the darker heads you will ever witness. The nose was beautiful, a medley of oaky, roasty dark malts, cacao, earthy dark fruit, and blackberry. The taste was awesome. I got dark malt, mild oaky and dark chocolate notes, some maple syrup, vanilla, miild black licorice, and a heavy blackberry undercurrent that stayed throughout, not as an overpowering component, but rather as a flavor note that gave an ever so slight tart berry twang to match all the other flavors intermingling. The heat was well hidden, and it went from an imperial stout mouthfeel briefly to a strong blackberry merlot mouthfeel and back. Just wonderful, and one of the best beers I have ever quaffed. It was so good I seriously considere bribing the guy next to me for the rest of his glass. Get ya some, even if you have to go to Vancouver to do it.

Tap at DLD: Basic black with a lovely head and lace. The nose detected maple syrup and bacon, f++k yeah BACON BABY!, Oh, there was coffee, chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut, and floral hops too. The taste is sweet and syrupy but wonderfully not cloy or over the top sweetness, a nice coffee and hop bitterness kept it in minimal check. Moderate bourbon influence upon the finish. The mouth feel is far heavier and thicker than the other two versions of Breakfast stout for sure. I still like the "regular" Breakfast over this but the Canadian is better than the Kentucky IMO. Brillant and me hopes it will be at the next Black Party.