Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS)

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

2007 bottle sampled on 3/21/08: Similar to previous vintages with a rich silky smooth and dark caramel and chocolate sweetness. Good oatmeal bourbon flavor with some mild coffee notes. Always complex and enjoyable.

First bottled release sampled on 5/4/06: Pours a viscous opaque with a brownish, thin-lacing head. Aroma boasts lots of fresh, dry roasty coffee and a good light oaky bourbon balance with some dark fruits and brown sugar. Body starts with a light caramel malty sweetness revealing some earthy bourbon and coffee complexity before a warming, lightly roasted mocha finish. It seems a little hot right now, but should improve with some age.

Sampled at the 2005 EBF: Rich oily black opaque body with a beautiful thick dark brown head. Aroma is a nice balance of sweet caramel and coffee with good oaky bourbon complexity. Body starts full and sweet with dry oaky flavor and a roasty mocha coffee finish with very little detectable alcohol. A great beer to start with and well balanced with the bourbon flavor. Founders is going to be giving Bells and Three Floyds a run for their money in the midwest.

My #900th rating. It poured with an opaque black body, with a thin tan head very little lacing No carbonation. Aroma was fully of roasted coffee, and cocoa notes, but with a heavy alcohol scent, some oak notes. Initially the flavor was very sweet, like dark chocolate. The chocolate notes gave way to a warm bourbon flavor. It could have had more balance. It seemed to be extreme chocolate, and then alcohol. Otherwise this beer was great.

Bottle. Deep black pour. First sip is like taking a sip of bourbon on the rocks after it has been slightly watered down. Yum. Dark roasted malts, hints of vanilla, cacao, and french roasted coffee. Thick bodied, chewy on the palate. Finish is dry and a bit sticky oak flavor. This is how a bourbon barrel beer should be done!

Big thanks to OhioDad for hooking this up. Aroma is very heavy on coffee, espresso, chocoloate, with a hint of oak. Body is opaque with no head. Taste is definatly a blend of coffee and espresso, with vanilla bean coming through and oak.

Bottle courtesy from CBA and Moejuck: Poured a deep black color stout with a small foamy head with limited retention but some lacing. Aroma of coffee and vanilla is well balance and even more so then the regular version. Taste was a nice and well balance mix between some coffee, vanilla and light bourbon. The alcohol was hidden and didn’t overpower the beer, coffee was well balance as oppose to the regular version and body was oily with a full texture. I have to admit to being quite impressed with this after having been totally disappointed by the regular version.

Bottle for rating #1700: Blackened brown, opaque, moderate foamy brown head, falls quickly, leaving spots of lacing.   Huge nose of coffee and earth, slight charred wood, campfire.   Bourbon and vanilla notes are subtle as compared to what I would consider a charred barrel.   Rich malt sweetness... oh lordy... smooth as can be.   Amazingly clean too.   Much more Bourbon here, and vanilla too.   Remains coffee oriented, with a big sweet barrel aged finish.   Warming, but not very hot.   ABV is fairly well hidden, with only snippets appearing at the finish.   Slight hop presense appears as it warms.   Juicy stuff.   Thanks so much Jason for this wonderful brew!!!

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.

Had this twice in one day at the Dark Lord Day party. The barrel aging was far less than the Dark Lord which IMHO made this a much better brew as I could still taste the Imperial Stout qualities. Vanilla and oaken bourbon yeah but still a shitload of complexity not droned out by the BA-ing.Molasses,bitter chocolate and coffee just all teamed up on the tongue to proclaim victory over the mighty Dark Lord.