Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS)

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

Big thanks to Mreusch for trading me this one. Pours opaque black with a small light brown head and hints of lacings. Smells of bourbon. Sweet and quite bitter. Aromas of coffee, toasted malts and dark chocolate. Full bodied. Quite low carbonation. Very bitter finish with more aromas of toasted malts and bourbon.

So I finally get to try this beer....wow what a brew! Amazing. Totally black like soy sauce...no real head at all. Aromas are malty, bourbon, vanilla, and coffee...oh yes coffee. Flavors of coffee, vanilla, bourbon, chocolate. A hint of tartness creeps up on you and folk do yourself a favor:...eat some dark chocolate with this brew. Wow.

A good solid RIS. Pours black with wisps of brown head. Light cannot stream through this stuff. The nose is coffee with a hint of sesame and chocolate. Tastes very much like a frappiccino - very smooth, can’t taste any of the 10% in this. Not much bourbon in the nose - a little, but the coffee really hits you in this. That’s a good thing tho.

In a nutshell I described drinking this as sipping an alcoholic chocolate milkshake. 12oz bottle pours a thick, oily, opaque black with a thin, creamy brown head. Aroma is roasted, black coffee, burnt toast, vanilla, oak, cherries, bourbon whiskey, chocolate and rum. Flavor is awesome, smoke, cherries, vanilla, milk chocolate, oak, barbeque, brown sugar, dark rum, whiskey, coffee with cream and sugar, and sweet caramel. Heavy, sticky mouthfeel with a surprisingly sweet, thick finish. Awesome, no doubt about it. Might be the best bourbon aged beer made.

Bottle. Black and opague. Malt, chocolate, licorice, corn and a hint of smoke in the aroma. Strong bourbon notes accompanying the dark chocolate, cacao and licorice flavors. Sweet, full bodied, malty and corny.

I’ve only had it on tap at Founders, and the results sometimes vary depending on what cask you get. I’ve only had one mediocre experience with the Kentucky Breakfast. The other two times? Friggin’ orgasmic. I’m not kidding. It’s not for everyone (especially folks who aren’t fond of bourbon), but if you have the chance to give it a spin, seize it.

12oz bottle. It’s 7:30pm but it feels like I’m waking up for work at 6am! So much coffee on the nose, with its black pour and Starbuck’s goodness. A small, deep chocolate head rounded things out.

Pours into my large Tripel Karmeliet tulip with an almost two-finger thick, cocoa stained, dark tan colored head. The beer is a thick black color that shows no light through it. Ample roasted grain notes of black coffee and charcoal are joined by a sort of chalky note that is almost musty (though not quite). Dark chocolate aromas couple with a rich nuttiness and a solid toasted bread crust note are found just behind the huge coffee character that even provides a touch of tartness to the aroma. Despite being such a huge stout, this actually seems to be dominated by the coffee aromatics, though it is offset at times by the nice chocolate aromatics. I don’t really get much in the way of Bourbon character in the aroma, which is actually a promising sign for me.

Thick and chewy up front, yet with such a huge roast malt and coffee character that it never becomes overly sweet. The beer finishes with a hit of Bourbon barrel flavors that provide a touch of vanilla and a deep buttery note that lingers for quite some time in the finish. Up front rich chocolate notes are quite noticeable (providing some balance to the roast character), these notes stick around some times through to the finish, where the Bourbon dominates, and are joined by a deep, toasted, nutty flavor. After the first sip, that initial wave of strong Bourbon notes seems to die down some; likely my palate just got used to it, but it becomes much more in balance with the rest of the beer. This definitely has a touch of tartness to it that is a result of both the ample burnt / roast notes (both coffee and grain) as well as some of the Bourbon influence. The finish also has a touch of hot Bourbon alcohol to it that is noticeable more as an aromatic oral nasal thing, but definitely makes me feel like I am exhaling alcohol.

At times a certain fruit character is noticeable that makes me think of sour prunes, figs and raisins; all of which have been left under the broiler to develop a bit of char. As the beer warms up and loses a bit of carbonation it becomes much more creamy textured and smooth, it also becomes much more mocha / chocolate flavored than it was previously, almost richly so.

I am not sure if my nose is not quite working tonight or what, but I am quite surprised how little of the Bourbon barrel influence is noticeable in the aroma. In the end the balance between roast character and smooth chocolate become really nice, the Bourbon barrel seems to meld into the background such that it supplies a nice complexity; so definitely serves this more towards 59°F / 15°C to get the best flavor balance. Much better and much more balanced than I was expecting; definitely a very good, moderate use of Bourbon Barrel character and coffee if drunk on the warm side.