Monday, January 21, 2013

Founders - Kentucky Breakfast Stout (2012)

Founders says:
"What we’ve got here is an imperial stout brewed with a massive amount of coffee and chocolates, then cave-aged in oak bourbon barrels for an entire year to make sure wonderful bourbon undertones come through in the finish. Makes your taste buds squeal with delight.
  • ABV: 11.2%
  • IBUs: 70
  • Availability: April"
As with almost anything from the Midwest, I got this in a trade.


Appearance: Pitch black, completely opaque, with a very thin head that doesn't really recede since it was so thin to begin with.

Smell: I smelled, in the following order: coffee, molasses, and bourbon spice. These scents are pretty well blended and balanced together; none dominates any of the others. Apparently, when this beer is more fresh, the coffee is much more dominant.

Taste: A big hit of coffee, followed primarily by notes from the barrel, like oak and vanilla. As the beer warms, a tannin-like note (leather) is more apparent. I don't get much sweetness overall except for the vanilla.

Mouthfeel: Pretty standard for an imperial stout -- fuller bodied, with a smooth and creamy texture that isn't too sticky or oily.

Overall: This beer is pretty hyped up, and it's good, but among what I would consider its peers (Bourbon County Stout, Parabola, etc) this isn't the best in class. I am going to try to get a 2013 bottle and try it again fresh to see how it compares, though. At this age (almost a year) I found the notes from the barrel overwhelmed the rest of the beer.

3.5/5

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