Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS)

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

Huge thanks to Ohio Dad for this one. OD hooked me up with a lot of great beer. This one was ebony with little head. The aroma was dark patent malty, with tons of chocoff, and a big oaky bourbon and molasses smell. The palate was a tad less dense than the Founder’s Breakfast stout, and the flavor was a tad less intense. Having said that, the oaky bourbon was immense, and a real treat. This one went great with a CAO maduro cigar, and it would be well received, I’m certain, by spirits fans. Another marvelous offering from Founders, the brewery that God brews for.

Deep black stout, with a thin moka head. Intense maple and chocolate aroma with light hops. Nice coffee beans, whiskey and black forest cake in mouth. Rich and smooth. At EBF 2006. Merci Agnès.

Head is initially small, frothy, brown, mostly diminishing. Body is black (opaque). Aroma is moderately malty (burnt grain), with a strong note of wood, notes of alcohol, whisky/bourbon, and vanilla. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly acidic, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly to moderately acidic, moderately bitter. Medium to full body, oily/watery texture, soft/lively carbonation, lightly to moderately alcoholic. Gotta be honest, the aroma is not enjoyable at all. Lots of burnt grains and raw wood. Not much better in the mouth. Very disappointed.

12 ounce bottle from Beer Depot in Ann Arbor, MI (June 2007) drunk at cellar temperature from a Corsendonk glass at my parents’ house in southern Wisconsin. Beautiful pour, impenetrable midnight with a chocolate-pudding head that decays slowly leaving thick dark lacing.....nose is nearly all coffee at first, surprising as usually the bourbon overpowers these things, but slowly some oaky hints, burnt caramel, and faint traces of berries show up; its assertive and different, anyway....very rich mouthfeel, somewhat dry and coffee-ground-like at first, the gritty texture giving way to velvety cakiness quickly, dark bitter chocolate infused with blueberries, and doused briefly in fairly young, harsh bourbon....bitter and long, burnt malty character runs through to the finish. I had the feeling this would disappoint me, and it didn’t actually, I find it quite interesting and different from most other BBA Imperials I’ve had, the whiskey not overdone at all; that said, it’s a little harsh to drink with regularity so I’ll probably save a bottle or two for just a little mellowing. Perhaps not quite deserving of its praise, but not completely overrated either.

Bourbon barrel offers obvious aromas of oak and vanilla which add nicely to the roasted malt, coffee and bittersweet chocolate from the base beer. Opaque black with decent brown head that recedes very slowly to ring with some lacing. Strong chocolate flavour with plenty of roasted malts. Bourbon character enhances without ever overwhelming. Thick and full-bodied with luscious, rich, velvety texture in the mouth. Sampled at the Extreme Beer Festival 2005.

I had this one again at The Maproom in Chicago. I stand by my previous rating. While this is a solid impy stout, it doesn’t blow me away. Too sweet. Previous rating follows. Thanks for the bottle, iowaherkeye. The body was black as night with a thin slightly orange and brown head. The aroma had all kinds of character with bourbon, wood, mushrooms, anise and coffee. After a little warming the alcohol becomes more apparent. The taste has a dry character with dark chocoalte, earthy ainse and some wood. This is very thick and full of flavor, and it is definitely a sipper. A decnt beer, but nothing here impressed me too much.

At long last I am finally able to rate this but from a bottle and served in my Expedition snifter: Pours a ebony hue with a fading tan head whose ring left excellent lace upon the glassware. The aroma has the expected coffee aroma as well as that bourbon characteristics of wood, vanilla, and alcoholic vapor. Some additional notes of toasty malt, tar, and pipe tobacco.

The taste starts with a huge portion of coffee flavors wrapped by the bourbon cask. Much of the softer chocolate tones are missing replaced by more vanilla. The finish is sharp and a tad rough but smooths out just in time. Hints of pepper and oak last on the aftertaste. The feel is bold and brash but ultimately needed more body to carry off a top notch rating.

Overall it is done well and not massively boozy but I like the "regular" breakfast stout more.

Bottle at home with Tom and Royce ... smokey woody nose ... again i get the Bourbon ... lots of woodness and a little smokeyness ... coffee and vanilla as expected... good balance... but just not quite there for me ...3.5 <tk2> Bottle at home with Fin...smokey woody chocolate malt nose ... deep dark chocolate with the bitterness that comes with a 70+% coco chocolate ... light vanilla ... bourbon seems much more subdued this time 3.7

Tk3 2009 Bottle at my cloisters Bar staff tasting no2... deep deep black ... huge coffee nose little smokey malts ... smooth sweet lots of chocolate ... little charcoalin linger ... little bourbon, but quite light. 4.1