Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS)

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

I had been looking for this for a long time, and Rooftoprogue casually throws this in a box as an extra. Thanks Rob! Pours a viscous oil brown black with a very faint wisp of a brown head (sort of disappointing). But the aroma makes up for it, which you can smell across the room. Strong aroma of dried oak and dark roast malt, with some vanilla in the background. Soft carbonation and a silky mouthfeel. Initial flavor of coffee and dark chocolate that transitions to vanilla, pepper, and dark roast malts. Bitter but mildly sweet finish, with small hints of bourbon. Lots of dusty, dry char on the finish. I liked this one a lot. Probably the strongest wood and char notes of any beer I have had so far. I rated this lower than the Breakfast, but I like it better. WTF?

Founders is the Quiet Brewery. No fanfare, no cult classics, just good beer pretty much across the board. This was another noteworthy offering. Starting with the uncharacteristically witty notes on the label this was a great experience. It pours out a thick black with a cocoa-colored head of modest proportions. Aroma of coffee mingles with vanilla, baker’s chocolate, oak, coconut, and bourbon. Medium to full bodied and a smooth texture that lacked a bit of thickness. The flavor was rich and deep, well-representing the array of aromas that began the tasting process. The coffee, chocolate, and bourbon blend nicely in the taste. While not as extraordinary as their Breakfast Stout, this was an awesome drink.

12oz from Eithcubes - thanks, Mike! After about 7 months, it seems this is a beer best enjoyed fresh (against all reason, a high-ABV, barrel-conditioned stout should really last longer). Deep inky pour with minimal head/lacing, the aroma is big and bourbon-y, natch. But the body seems to have thinned a bit much, and there’s a slightly sour aftertaste. Strange, as I had much more positive impressions initially. Still enjoyable, but not as good as regular Founders Breakfast.

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.

Thanks Santa! Utter black, brown head subsides into a thin film. Nose is tar, coffee, slight bourbon, some chocolate covered cherry, vanilla. Flavor is bitter malt, chocolate, coffee, maybe a hint of tobacco. Great burnt malt w. coffee finish. Great heavy mouthfeel. Stunning. An example that shows that barrel aging can be great when done well.

I think I had 2 or 3 glasses of this at The Glass Nickle over GTMW weekend. The problem is that my notes were written in Chineese. I sent out an SOS and Ughsmash saved my ass.
Pitch black with a rich lasting brown head. Good lace. Beautiful. The aroma is really blended well. You get all the coffee, bourbon, and oak and such. The aroma is great, but it does nothing for the onslaught of flavor that comes next. Lots of of cold steeped coffee aroma. The flavor is a wonderful blend of chocolate, coffee, soft bourbon, a drop of vanilla, and a good oaky dry finish. Chewy, lush, full body. Very easy drinking. Unbeleivable. Jason, you are a life saver.

Bottle from Hopscotch. Pours jet black with a small brown head. Quickly fading, no lacing. The aroma is bourbon, vanilla, coffee, molases, chocolate, plenty of roast with some dark fruits in there as well. Flavor is moderately sweet, plenty of roast, lots of vanilla, light bourbon, lots of dark matl flavors come into play, molases, chocolate, toffee as well as raisins and prunes. The mouthfeel is full, oily, soft and smooth, with a very long, slightly warm finish. ABV is well hidden. I must admit, I was sceptacle of a top 50 bourbon BA beer, but this was nicely done.

Bottle from Pailhead and qdog. Thanks go out to both of you. Black colored with no real head formation. A smattering of lacing. Aroma is full of coffee, chocolate, some bourbon notes of vanilla and tannins however these do not dominate. Full bodied. Overly viscous, wonderful mouthfeel for an IS. Flavor is full of roasted grains and chocolate. Again, coffee and oatmeal seem to overwhelm the bourbon aspect of this beer. Nicely done and worthy of respect.