Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS)

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

Bottle. Pitch black colour with a weak head. Really strong aroma of coffee, ashes, caramel and some bourbon-like. Flavour of coffee, caramel, roastedness and ends with another coffee touch, its almost like to drink cold coffee.

Bottled - Sometimes, when you take a great beer and age it in a boubon barrel, the magic of the original is lost - this is not the case here - the breakfast stout, in all its glory, is enhanced by a mild whiskey, wood and vanilla/cream flavor - not overpowering in the slightest - an elegant barrel-aged beer, which is a rare thing indeed - however, it is not really different enough from the original to justify the nearly doubled price tag.

The beer gurgles from the 12-ounce brown bottle a soot black, the head is thick and creamy, the color a deep chocolate, the size perfect, as it slowly erodes the laces forms a thick concealing blanket to surround the glass. Nose is steeped with toasted grain, hints of chocolate and a touch of Bourbon barrel sourness, quite mouth watering. Start is somewhat sweet with a rich grain profile, the top rich and full in feel. Finish has a nice acidity, the hops plentiful and the deep roasted grain flavor sits long on the palate, a sure fire winner in my book.

Sampled at RBSG06. Dark black color with a thin brown head. Aroma of dark coffeee and roasted malt. Dark roasted malt flavor, lots of burnt coffee.

Rerate 11/14/07: 6 month old bottle this time instead of nearly 2 years. Significantly thicker palate, more assertive, round and luxurious beer. Bourbon is noticeable but contained. Could definitely be a lot more roast. A very nice beer, but still don’t see this as top 50 worthy. 7/5/7/5/3.7

5/28/07: 9/3/5/3/3.2: Bottle from TAR. I’m pretty sure this is the new batch, so only 3 or 4 months old. Aroma is fantastic. What a tease. Pure, rich, luxurious chocolate and vanilla, oak and coffee, rich all the way through. Actually, it doesn’t smell that good anymore, but that first whiff was heaven, so I’ll leave it at that. Pour is very black with a small beige cap that fades to just a tiny ring. What is this I taste? Nothing, you say? Perhaps. Perhaps up front. And then bourbon. Bourbon bourbon bourbon. Why is this beer in the top 50? Or number 4 on BA? Am I crazy? Do I have a bad bottle? It’s not bad, per se, it’s just so one dimensional. So boring. Some people seem to like the thin palate ("drinkable," I’ve seen) but I think it is just weak. You can’t put this beer up against Speedway or DL or even Storm King. Or it’s little cousin Breakfast Stout, for that matter. It’s just... not well made. I’ll definitely have to give this another shot, though; I just can’t believe that this is the best this beer can be.

Bottle shared with Hogtown Harry, Blankboy, GregClow, Harry’s bottle (thanks again for sharing this Harry!!). Wow, fresh coffee bean aroma and some malt in powerful aroma - very nice. Pitch black, creamy small tan head. Taste is lovely - all coffee, but also lots of bourbon - nice balance (my attitude towards bourbon beers has been shifted dramatically because of this tasting tonight - this and the Old Numbskull). Thick body, needs that heft to hold these flavors in check. Lovely lingering roast and hops. Pretty stunning stuff, not quite the heights of the Breakfast stout, but not far off.

Bottle: (received in a trade about 6 months ago, but I forget from who. Thanks though) Pours opaque with a fading, very deep brown head. The aroma is pungent and charred. Smells like old/used coffee grinds, an ash tray with water poured into it, a touch of vanilla/booze sweet undertones, and lots of whiskey/oak character. A bit harsh. The body has a substantial feel without being cloying. Starts off harsh and one dimensional with just the base beer character showing it’s overwhelming coffee grind flavor. However, as it warms a touch of vanilla comes through, followed by more bourbon/cask character. The sweetness from the barrel balanced the base beers homogeneous bitter coffee grind character. (I’m not really a fan of the Founders Breakfast Stout) But this stuff gained a lot from the barrel, giving it that bourbon sweet bite and balancing the harshness. It worked out really well. This is significantly better than the Breakfast Stout (which had no subtleties) In short, the barrel character saved the beer and gave it some nuances to enjoy.

Bottle: Excellent coffee aroma with lots of chocolate, vanilla, and light bourbon. Flavors are very similar to the original version (although I’ve come to learn that this is not the regular Breakfast Stout aged in bourbon barrels). Quick initial chocolate presence up front that finishes with huge roasted coffee flavors, light vanilla, and light bourbon. Founders does a nice job of not overdoing the bourbon. It’s subtle at first, and increases as it warms, but never dominates like some bourbon aged beers. One of the best bourbon barrel aged beers I’ve had.

10-4-9-4-18 2008 bottles have more vanilla, stronger coffee, less bourbon, and a much stronger oak presence in the finish. Strong oak presence in the finish is the most obvious difference. I’d probably knock the ’08 bottle a tenth of a point in overall. Rerated along side a Goose Island BCS. 9-4-9-4-17