Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout)

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

Serve in Snifter

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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.

This bottled brew sampled at a rating party in Indianapolis, IN poured a small sized head of foamy finely sized dark brown colored bubbles that left behind a opaque dark brown colored body with no visible carbonation. The aroma was that of strong dark malt and bourbon. The mouth feel was initially flat with a mild vinous finish. The flavor was a mix of coffee dark malt and roasted malts.

Black with insignificant cap. Vending machine coffee, whole oats, burnt malt, wood, bittersweet chocolate, and subtle vanilla. Full, smooth palate. The vending machine coffee is a turnoff, otherwise a solid brew.

On tap at Founders: Dark, light carbonation. Complex malts are nice and roasty. Spices are nice, coffee and vanilla. The 10% is only moderately concealed. However, to be honest the original Breakfast Stout (before it was all the rage) was more roasty and more complex. This is still very good, give it a try.

I feel really bad about having opened this bottle. I mean, I can see why for some people this beer would be sublime, and yet, for me, I couldn’t drink it. I feel guilty for having deprived somebody else of the experience in drinking this, since I did not appreciate it. Anyway, it pours black as night, and with a little coaxing offers up a small tan head. The aroma is complex, but the primary note for me was char. i got some of the bourbon and a hint of vanilla and other stout aromas, but the char from the bourbon barrels is what took over for me. It, unfortunately, reminded me of burnt cardboard. In the mouth, it was lusciously thick, with just the right amount of carbonation. The flavor was again dominated by the char, which for me was overpowering. The aftertaste was very interesting: earthy, sweet, vanilla, bourbon, smoke. As I wrote above, I can see how for some this is the greatest thing they have ever tasted, and I apologize for having deprived a lover of this bottle.

UPDATED: MAY 8, 2007 So....after almost a year one hell of a crazy week at work (Derby) and a nice full day of drinking at Rich O’s Cumberland and a good old bottle of Jolly Pumpkin it is time to revisit one of my top rated beers.....it was in the closet so what the hell right? pours thick black with a nice dark dark brown head that quickly settles into a thin film....not quite the 5 that i remember. lots and lots of coffee in the aroma.....LOTS...with a strong werthers original butterscotch presence something seems slightly burnt. ok but not much else going on in the aroma. and the werthers thing bothers me. something seems so artificial about it. there could be a hint of chocolate in there as well. flavor bitter biting almost burnt coffee charred oak if it sits on your tongue for too long it almost seems to burn it......too much of too many good things......? a bit too much alcohol. bitter extreme dry very very dry coffee werthers finish. full thick body. moderate carbonation but just a bit too much for an imperial stout. how did i go from a 4.6 to a 3? i dunno. it seems a bit harsh but this beer just seems like a train wreck......a train wreck of a lot of good things...but a train wreck is still a train wreck.......no one is happy about that......oh and that burnt flavor and aroma is never a good thing. where the hell is my last breakfast stout? ill take the regular over this any day. classic imperial stout look. THICK black body with a nice dark brown head that will not go away. aroma heavy on the fresh ground coffee with some vanilla coca oak and a hint of alcohol. flavor is bitter coffee toasted oak sweet creamy chocolate. full rich creamy body. finish is long sweet chocolate with bitter coffee and alcohol. fantastic imperial stout. beautiful balanced rich and creamy. everything i could ask for and more. Original rating 9-5-9-5-18=4.6

Bottle. Pours a pure black with little head, and no lacing to speak of. The aroma is strong in chocolate roasted malts with just a touch of bourbon. The flavor is outstanding. A little sweet, real light bourbon, plenty of dark malts, coffee, with a nice warming finish. The alcohol is very well hidden in this masterpiece.

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.

Received from BA orbitalr0x as part of BIF 33, this much anticipated beer came in a stubby bottle with a label design reminiscent of bygone time. When poured, the deep brown opaque body aided by a mocha colored, one finger thick, foamy head was inviting and imposing at the same time. The aroma was heavily laden with dark roasted coffee and freshly hewn oak. I took a half a point off for the smell being a little too acrid, and lacking either the chocolate or dark fruit undertones of other imperial stouts. The taste was naturally coffee driven as well, with the Bourbon barrel aging providing a smoother, and drier feel than was expected in a stout of this strength. The vanilla like oak tannins and the substantial hop and roast grain bitterness came through much clearer towards the end of each sip, before being subdued by the eventual warmth of the peppery ethanol. The mouthfeel was abundantly thick and just a hair short of chewy. The hefty punch of alcoholic strength made this a fine late night digestif, but detracted from the drinkability a little. If you drink this at breakfast, call in sick and go back to bed till noon.

UPDATED: JUN 12, 2006 Pours thick and opaque black with a minimal tan head. Complex aroma gives off lots of cocoa, coffee, vanilla, bourbon and a touch of roasted malt. The flavor follows the aroma. The bourbon is nicely done, not overpowering but present. The chocolate and coffee support the bourbon nicely. Good enough to remain on the wants list. Thanks to Dough77 for this one.