Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS)

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

How this isn’t in the top 10, I’ll never know. This is the best Imperial Stout I’ve ever had. Jet black with a small foamy head, this brew smells wonderful with loads of chocolate, coffee, and the touch of bourbon. Taste is more of the same. It’s just better than the rest that I’ve tried. Unbelievable..

This was an impressive beer. Bottle at the Map Room. Nose is huge coffee aromas. Very roasty. As it warmed, alcohol came out, so I prefered while it was still chilly. Distinct taste of coffee liquer. Reminded me of a white russian in taste. Distinct vanilla, chocolate and coffee flavors. Not just the malt induced versions, but actual coffee and chocolate in this beer. A very interesting conction, with some minor bourbon character.

Pour is a very heavy black with almost no head except for a tan ring around your glass. Aroma is strong amounts of wood smoke and coffee followed by the bourbon and a nice vanilla. Flavor is a big helping of bourbon with some tobacco and oak. Not as heavy as Goose Island bourbon stout but every bit as nice with tons of aromas and flavors hitting you every sip and smell.

Huge woody aroma with a nuanced hoppiness coming through the coffee and chocolate malt. Very dark black/brown with almost no head and scant legs. Taste is initially creamy wood with a milky vanilla and coffee finish. Palate is creamy and dense with a nice smooth finish that lingers in its woodiness. Very straightforward in a lot of ways. This beer is dominated by the oak, which lends a dryness, but contrasts well with the creamy aspects. World Class. Rating notes from a blind tasting ---re-rate needed, maybe---

In bottle at Jerry’s. Black with creamy, dark, cappuccino head / Big tobacco, chocolate, and wood nose / Full bodied with lush hop underpinning and creamy, long finish / Flavors of tobacco, chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, and oak / Perfect.

This one reminds me a lot of the GL BA Blackout Stout. Bottle pours black with an aroma that makes me want to keep smelling and drinking it. Smells of dark coffee and some bourbon abound. Head is a dark tan, almost milk chocolate color. Head does not last very long. Tastes like roasted coffee and bourbon from the first sip to last. Mouthfeel is velvety silky smooth with some occasional hints of oats. This is simply an outstanding brew and is easily of my favorites.

MMMMM. The original breakfast stout is good, but this one is so much better. Maybe it was due to the freshness (brand new bottle),, but I found the coffee in this one to be of a much higher quality. Adding the bourbon aging was also a huge plus. It seems that on some sips, this beer got close to a milkshake taste and feel while on others it was a balanced bourbon brew.

I think Bourbon aged beers tend to go a little overboard with the bourbon these days. I think this is probably my favorite one. It is probably one of the best balanced beers I have ever had. It is strong with hints of coffee and bourbon mixed well. Pours pitch black. Very strong on the palate.