When I got home from work today, I discovered that the radiator on my car was leaking very severely gushing fluid onto the garage floor. So tonight I went to the beer fridge in need of something big and strong. Fortunately, I had a Founders Breakfast Stout in there. It’s a label says that it is 8.3% alcohol by volume and that it is a double chocolate coffee oatmeal stout, thus, the name, Breakfast Stout.
When I poured it, it appeared pretty viscous and it had a nice head. The head settled pretty quickly, leaving a dark tan, creamy head around the top of the glass. It was very black, and even when I held it to the light, I couldn’t see even a hint of light through it. When I took a whiff, it smelled just like roasted, almost burnt coffee.
The body was thick and silky smooth and almost all of the flavor up front was full of roasted coffee with some hints of toastiness. What followed was a definite coffee and black patent malt-type bitterness. The finish was mostly coffee, but as it settled in my mouth, the chocolate flavor started to come through.
The oatmeal adds a silky and creamy mouthfeel, the coffee was very noticeable throughout, and the chocolate came through well after finish. It seems like it could be fairly complex, but some most hints of complexity are knocked out by the coffee flavors. It seems like it would go very well with a brownie and ice cream for dessert. The coffee flavor would also be good for an early morning football tailgate. Overall, I think this is a pretty good beer, I could do with a little less coffee dominance, but it is still good. Founders takes this beer and ages it in bourbon barrels and labels it as their Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS). They’ll also age their KBS in maple syrup barrels and label it as their Canadian Breakfast Stout. I haven’t tried or gotten my hands on either one (they sell out super quick), but would love to try them.
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