Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS)

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

On tap at Great Taste of the Midwest. Pours deep brown/black with a thin brown head. Smells like deliciosity in a glass. Coffee, oak, and generalized sweetness. The taste that jumped out was that of a very good stout: roasted malts and smooth, hidden alcohol. I’ve never tried Founders Breakfast Stout, but I’d imagine the primary difference of course is the presence here of the oak bourbon taste. The gentleman serving this beer at the Founders tent served it near room temperature, which really brought out the wide array of tastes available in this masterpiece.

This was the second time I had had the KBS, both times on tap. The first time was the Extreme Beer Fest, so I could appreciate it more this time. I had remembered it being sweeter the first time but more chocolatey this time. At any rate, I was much more impressed this time. It was served in a goblet at the brewpub. A: Jet black body with no head. Even when held to the candle at the table, no light penetrated. S: The smells emanating from the glass were very strong and delicious. Right up front was a ton of chocolate followed by coffee, dark fruits (dates?), some smokiness and a bit of maple syrup. All in all, it kind of smelled like a burnt mocha, but in a good way if that’s possible. T: The taste is just like the aroma, very chocolaty with coffee and some burnt sugar flavors. The smoothness and creaminess are incredible for a beer of 10% alcohol. This is definitely one of my favorite beers, although I am partial to double stouts. M: As I said before, the creaminess and smoothness are amazing although the beer is lighter in body than it would seem. Many of these high alcohol double stouts have the same quality of only medium body. D: I wish I lived in Grand Rapids. Enough said.

12oz bottle. Aroma: Coffee just jumps out of the glass. Cream, tobacco smoke, vanilla, rich chocolate, light oak. Bourbon is there but snakes its way subtly through the beer. Wow. Appearance: Dark and oily looking black with no highlights. Dark tan head was small, foamy, and fleeting. Not much lacing. Flavor: Again, the coffee just pushes to the front with its richness. Dark chocolate, smoke, vanilla, light toasted nuts, oak. The bourbon is balanced very nicely. It adds some flavors and richness, but doesn’t overwhelm. Finishes somewhat dry, but roasted grains and coffee linger after the finish. Palate: Full bodied and creamy. Moderate carbonation. Strong alcohol warming in back of mouth and down throat. Overall: Great, great beer. Smooth, rich, and very satisfying. The subtlety of the bourbon flavors was terrific. Only complaint is that the alcohol is a bit hot at times. But that’s a small complaint against everything else they did well here.

Bottle. Pours B-L-A-C-K. Thin almost non-existent brown head that disappears fast. the nose is coffee, big time, like fresh ground beans also has some chocolate molasses and wood notes. chocolate coffee vanilla and oak dominate the taste. palate is near perfect, thick and rich without compromising drinkability. Hops are solid playing a supporting role here, only appearing on the finish and just enough to cut through all that sweet sticky stout. i could spend all day just smelling this stuff. awsome.

12 oz bottle via trade with Brigadier, thanks Nathan. This the first brew I have consumed in my new home, the first brew consumed in a home I own, and I wanted it to be special. I really tried hard to trade for this for a while and happily Nathan came through for me. Pours a rich black with a nice dark brown head that quickly went away into a ring. The head is certainly not as pronounced or bold as the non bourbon version, but the color was similar. The aroma is rich and chocoolaty and smells a bit like chunky peanut butter. There also notes of smoke and coffee. This is a serious smell, yummy. The tastes is robust malty, smokey and strong. The vanilla, coffee, and chocolate all come through, not as chocolately as Founder’s other Breakfast Stout, but equally good. Damn this is one hell of an amazing beer, it is really spectacular. Nathan, you are the man. This is a stellar brew, thanks for not dissapointing Founders.

Beer pours jet black with a reddish brown head that quickly dissipates. Strong roasted malt scents mix with a sweet chocolatey aroma. The first taste brings vanilla followed by roasted coffee beans. The beer is not as thick as one might expect from the flavor and aroma. As the beer warms the vanilla aroma is more evident. This beer has a little more sweet flavor to it than their regular breakfast stout which helps to round out the roasted flavors and also helps to accentuate the vanilla flavor. Very well balanced and highly drinkable.

Bottle from dchmela (endless thanks!). Pours inky thick, completely black, forming a big head of bubbles that dissipate with a slip of the glass upward or downward in trails. The head has a ruby tint and laces astonishingly well. Aroma is complex and inviting, at times giving way mostly to bourbon and coffee, but then letting oak and vanilla seep in, only to be further intensified by fruit notes (cherries and raspberries). Mouthfeel is just right, thick but not heavy, light enough to give a perfect background to the massive depth of the beer. The flavor is just as complex and offers up much of the same, impressive and in perfect balance. Mildly bitter roastiness compliments alcoholic bourbon and chocolate/cherry sweetness. The flavors sweep across the tongue and leave behind only slight tinges of chocolate and coffee, an alcoholic heaviness, and the delightful sense of having experienced something very special. As the beer warms and the glass drains, the alcohol presence becomes more noticeable and takes away only slightly from the overall impression.

Big thanks to Dan for breaking this one out at the Columbus tasting #6.Lots of coffee and some nice bourbon in the aroma.Pours very dark with a medium sized tan head.Chocolate,coffee and bourbon dominate the flavors.Full mouthfeel with lots of coffee and bourbon in the finish.