Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS)

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

12oz Bottle - Trade - Pantanap
Aroma – Big whiskey and stout aroma. Dark malts, tons of whiskey, coffee and chocolate aromas.
Appearance – Dark black in color with a thin stout head.
Flavor – Awesome flavors, the whiskey was just enough to make this a truly awesome beer. One of the best . Loved the flavors and the Coffee, chocolate and dark malts all came through on this one.
Palate – Great whiskey Mouthfeel, awesome stout texture with a nice dry finish.
Overall – This is one of the best beers I have ever had. The flavors where just over the top. How can they make such a truly awesome beer. The whiskey was perfect in this beer. Great Job Founders Brewing.

Tasted side by side with Goose Island Bourbon County Stout. First thought.....where is the bourbon? Seriously, this one is so coffee dominated, I can barely pick up any alcoholic notes at all, much less bourbon. Freshly ground coffee explodes into the nose, followed closely by dark and bitter chocolates, toasted caramel, and trace amounts of bourbon. A quick swirl of the opaque mahogany liquid reveals moderately thick, sugary legs that leave virtually no lacing behind. Flavors of decadent dark chocolate and rich, freshly ground coffee beans are kissed by just a touch of boozy bourbon. The body is medium-full and very smooth, with a lingering coffee roast sticking to the roof of the mouth and the tongue for ages. This is a very nice brew, but is it really much better than Terrapin Wake-N-Bake? I think not. Bourbon County Stout owns this beer.

12oz, big thanks to 11026 (steve) for this extra! poured pitch black with very small ring reddish-tan head. nose is clearly dominated by coffee but haven’t several minutes of sniffs there’s delicate undertones of vanilla and bourbon. tastes of a very rich high quality milk chocolate, perfect espresso (not burnt), vanilla, and a hint of bourbon. the flavor doesn’t come off to roasty or burnt in anyway, but muted in some way that just doesn’t take this to another level. i like how the bourbon doesn’t overwhelm the beer. more BA beers should take notice. mouthfeel is oily, rich and smooth, a tad thin and watery. very low carbonation. alcohol is extremely well hidden. finish is long and rich. a wonderful beer, but too thin, oily, and, dare I say, dull. 8/5/8/4/16=4.1.

4/13/07, re-rate of a 2007 bottle (very fresh). All i can think of is, "Where’s the beef...i mean....bourbon? Yes, Where’s the bourbon?". No bourbon in the nose and barely noticed in the flavor. A lot less than last year and I found last year’s to be subtle. What happened here?? This taste like regular Breakfast Stout, lots of stale coffee and cigarettes. i wonder if they reused the same barrels as last years so there just less bourbon notes. still tasty but i prefer last years batch. rating changed, 7/5/8/4/15=3.9.

12/12/07, 2005 vintage, cellar aged almost 3 years. still lots of coffee and dark chocolate in the aroma for this. flavor has silky chocolate, ash, lots of coconut, some wood, and sweet vanilla. bourbon notes don’t come through at all. a bit thin and silky feel. this as mellowed a bit with age but it hasn’t changed much. i don’t think more age will improve this. this is still nice BA imperial stout but as barrel aging fad roars on, this is no longer special as there are many more done better than this.3.9.

3/26/08, 2008 vintage, fresh bottling. pours black with small tan head around the rim. a wonderful nose of freshly ground coffee, smoke, coconut, and vanilla. flavor is however a bit coffee roast harsh and ashy. some chocolate in the finish. the profile just isn’t smooth and not alcohol or bourbon harshness but more roast and ash as its a little rough around the edges. some buttery bourbon notes are barried underneath but are rather underdone. a full smooth mouth feel and carbonation. a nice beer that is worty of a solid 4 from me.4.0.

Pour is black and mildly still (meaning the small khaki head was slow to form)...smell is toasty and smokey with cocoa, vanilla, yeast, coffee...taste is roasty and sweet with chocolate, some vanilla, oak, some strong alcohol flavor with bourbon untertones...finish is a bit too much though, strong oak chewiness...good stuff...as it warms, the bourbon becomes very apparent...very very apparent.

huge thanks to captain couger for this beauty. It pour black w/ a one finger cocoa head. The aroma is coffee, vanilla and oak. The flavor is great. This is a world class beer

Small sample, so I hope to rerate in the future if I get a chance. Color was black with light brown head. Aroma was of chocolate, coffee, vanilla and bourbon. Flavor was a very good coffee flavor, one of the best I have had. Hints of bitter chocolate, bourbon and wood. Very good example of the style.

I had this on draught at the "Founders at Dilly Deli" night on 9/21/2006... Yeah, this one was a treat! Creamy black color with a creamy brown head. Mild carbonation. Wonderful soft bourbon aroma with coffee and chocolate hints as well as some vanilla in there as well! Deep, roasty coffee and chocolate flavor with a very pleasing bourbon finish with a hint of vanilla. Full, creamy mouthfeel. Quite complex and oh so good! I should have drank more of this, but they only had one keg and I didn’t want to be too greedy! This was a fantastic imperial stout loaded with bourbon flavor and complexity! 10 fl. oz. draught ( 10% alchohol), $4.00 from Dilly Deli. I believe this was the first keg to be drunk outside of the Founders brewery/pub! Rating: 9/5/9/4/18 = 4.5

2007 Vintage... Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout pours a dense, black color with a nice brown head. Coffee, rich chocolate, bourbon, and some alcohol comprise the complex aroma and flavor. There really isn’t any smoke/char flavors in this particulate bottle/batch. This beer is full bodied and quite smooth. 12 fl. oz. bottle shared by Puddintane on 3/28/2007.

2009 Vintage enjoyed on 9/15/2009... "The Amazing Kosmicki’s Highly Acclaimed KBS" by Founders... Aroma: Extremely deep and rich coffee and chocolate, plenty of inviting barrel char, muted bourbon; everything is melded together so well. Appearance: Black like used motor oil, opaue; very thin tan crown, dense lacing. Flavor: Dark chocolate cake, vanilla, chocolate-covered espress beans; tons of smooth, creamy bourbon in the finish without any burn; rich, lasting, and extemely smooth dark chocolate finish; no alcohol in the flavor, but this beer is warming. Palate: Full-bodied, extremely creamy, mellow, and smooth. Overall: So damn good! I have really forgotten how fantastic this beer truly is! Delicious! 12 fl. oz. ( 70 IBU’s / 11.2% Alc. by Vol. / twist-off cap) bottle from metmayhem. Thanks David!

2007 Vintage enjoyed on 10/24/2009... Founders "Walser & Kosmicki’s Highly Acclaimed Kentucky Breakfast Boubon Ages Stout"... Aroma: Huge bourbon wafting through the air (it can be smelled several feet away!); rich chocolate and espresso blend = MOCHA!; subtle bourbon barrel char. Appearance: Thick, black pour with a thin, gathering crown of brown bubbles; leg-like lacing. Flavor: Semi-sweet and dark chocolate; creamed coffee; smooth charcoal-filtered bourbon; sweet barrel char and luscious high-quality espresso finish; alcohol through the nose. Palate: Thick, velvet-like texture; full-bodied; mellow. Overall: Still fantasic; I have one left that I will have in another year... 12 fl. oz. ( 10% ABV). Rating: 8/4/9/5/18 = 4.4

Blackened body with a remarkably velvety mocha-brown head. Aroma of top quality premium dark chocolate and fresh roasted espresso bean with subtle bourbon and charred oak in the background. Great coffee, vanilla and dark chocolate characters with tons of sparkling vitality, like a juiced up version of the standard breakfast stout. Velvety and ultra smooth with medium oatmeal starch qualities. Rich, complex and decadent. This is the first new (to me) imperial stout to really reach out and grab me in a long time. Excellent beer. So rich and decadent, but when you want that in the form of an imperial stout, this is spot on.