Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS)

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

On tap at the EBF... Aroma:Liquorice,chocolate,coffe,alcohol... brown head... Flavor:Liquorice,alcohol,coffe,chocolate. i love it.......

Courtesy of MrFacto <P> Coffee dominates the aroma with a hint of wood and bourbon. Dark brown to black with a thin mocha head that dimishes slowly. Fore is heavy on the coffee and also includes chocolate, bitterness via roasted/burnt malts some mild vanilla notes and light bourbon notes in the finish. The coffee/roasted element is by far dominate and the bourbon is just an accent. Well balanced in my opinion.

Bottle. Approaching this with admittedly high expectations. Big dry roast coffee nose, slightly beany and salty. Burned but not quite tarry, with faint dark chocolate. Deft touch of oak and vanilla, but a deep inhalation brings out the distinct, strongly bourbonous totality. Opaque motor oil pour with a dark brown, creamy head. Creamy full mouthful, velvety smooth. Robust flavor, roast coffee, dark chocolate, wood, strong vanilla. Pleasantly warming. Much gentler and rounded than the somewhat brutal Breakfast Stout. Bourbon notes increasingly revealed with every sip. Lots of malt here and only light bitterness. Medium saltiness. Aftertaste is long and distinct. Though rich and delicious, I still think I prefer the "normal" powerhouse, though only slightly.... [4.1]

Same batch, some months later: oh, man, this is a beast! Still really robust and complex, but the initial marks hold; alcohol is just too high in the mix, even if it’s refined. [4.2]

bottle, thanks to dukefan, black color with deep brown touches, tan head, great coffee and malt aroma, flavors are coffee and bourbon with a little heat from the alcohol

Re-rate based on 2005-2006 version, sampled at the Michigan Winter Beer Fest in Lansing.
An incredibly rich, balanced Imperial Stout with strong roasted coffee dominating the aroma and flavor. The year-long bourbon aging left a soft, round vanilla and oak character that beautifully complements the rich coffee and understated chocolates. This was an excellent step off the heavy, sweet RIS path paved by most of the other brewers at the fest, despite the impressive nature of many of those brews. Absolutely no acidity. Smooth, balanced, beautiful. Much improved over the already good 2003 version.

Bottled version, sampled 27 March 2006. Served at room temperature. Deep opaque brown body, thin-medium ochre head. Rich aroma of roasted coffee and vanilla beans, with added emphasis of tannins from the oak barrels. A deep sniff yields some alcohol burn. Swirls of oak and vanilla infiltrate the roasted coffee and dark chocolate body, with a slight bourbony alcohol burn on the finish. Rich body, but not syrupy or heavy. I believe I’ve said all I need to say about this beer. Rating stands. Go buy some.

2003 version. On tap at Founders. Dark brown/black body, thin tan/ochre head, leaving nice lacing. Prune, plum, chocolate, and bourbon aroma, definitely aged and nicely complex. Compared to the Bourbon Stout, the bourbon in this beer was much stronger in the flavor, with the strong vanilla and oak still allowing plum and chocolate to peek through. A very good beer, but not all that similar to the Breakfast Stout; the bourbon tends to dominate the flavor and gives this beer a unique character. Rich and very tasty.
8-4-8-4-16 (4.0)

(bottle - 12 oz) Dark black with a thick tan head. Hint of coffee? Not my glass. Tons of coffee in the aroma mixing with some sweet bourbon notes along with some vanilla and chocolate. Flavor is a huge explosion of coffee, bourbon, roasted malts, and chocolate. Lots of vanilla sweetness rounds up the end with a lightly bitter and lasting coffee finish at the very end. I think this rivals the Bourbon County for my taste. Thanks David!

Bottled. Black as pitch with a small head. Malty and roasted with heavy notes of coffee and bourbon. Hints of oak, chocolate and nuts. Somewhat hoppy finish.

’06 RBSG Dark beer with a dark brown head that fades to a lasting ring very quickly. Nose of old ashes and coffee grounds. Lots of coffee flavors, burnt malts, plums, raisens, maple syrup, tobacco, all chased by a solid alcohol burn. Very delicious beer.