It’s the 160th anniversary of the founding of my college fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi. A couple of years ago, I started the tradition of enjoying a beer from Founders Brewing on my Fraternity’s Founders’ Day. In the spirit of that tradition, I’m having Founders Imperial Stout tonight, and raising a glass to old Phi Psi.
Location: Poured from the bottle into a snifter glass, at home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 10.5% ABV, 90 IBUs, ~ 306 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s extremely black in color, and I couldn’t see through it when I held it up to the light. A thin foamy brown head gathered shortly after pouring it into the glass, and it stuck around for a while. The aroma has a lot of coffee and dark chocolate to it.
Taste & Feel: The body is very full and the mouth feel very smooth and velvety. The flavors upfront were sweet and chocolaty, almost like dark milk chocolate. A coffee like bitterness started coming in, in the middle, and it finished off somewhat bitter with coffee and dark chocolate flavors growing in the aftertaste. After a few sips, I also started to notice an alcohol warmth coming on.
Food Pairing: This is a big beer with plenty of flavor, so whatever you pair it with, it will need to stand up to it. I would love to pair it with a fudge brownie, topped with caramel, as the sweet flavors would help to temper the bitter tastes a bit. I might also let this beer take center stage and pair it with something like angel food cake.
Overall Impression: It’s a smooth and very flavorful beer, and I really enjoyed the chocolate and coffee flavors. I also enjoyed the gentle warming sensation that came from the alcohol in the spear. However, the bitterness in the finish and aftertaste was just a bit too much for me, so I think I’ll wait on opening the other three bottles I have and see how this one changes over time.
My Rating: 
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