Mike's *BeerS* of the Week (Special Pairing)

Beer Information

Brewery: Founders Brewing (MI)

Beer Name: Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) & Breakfast Stout

Beer Style: Oak Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout & Dbl. Chocolate Coffee Oatmeal Stout

Abv.: 11.2% & 8.3%

Serving Glassware: Snifter, Pint, Red Wine Glass

Serving Temp.: 50-55 deg. F. (BeerAdvocate.com)

Local Availability: KBS Not Available / BS available at Johnny Macs

Pairings: Meat, Chocolate

Mike's Ratings (1-5) KBS

Overall Grade/Rate: A+/4.97!!!

Appearance: 4.5

Aroma: 5

Taste: 5

Mouthfeel: 5

Drinkability: 5

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: A+/4.53

Mike's Ratings (1-5) BS

Overall Grade/Rate: A-/4.13

Appearance: 4.5

Aroma: 4

Taste: 4

Mouthfeel: 4

Drinkability: 4.5

BeerAdvocate Avg. Rate: A/4.43

Mike's Description

I was very lucky to obtain these extremely rare beers.  Obtaining KBS was a bloodbath at Table and Vine and it sold out in a matter of hours.  I was also lucky to obtain the nearly as popular Breakfast Stout at Johnny Macs.  Pairing them side-by-side...well I never thought I'd have the opportunity...until tonight!!!!!

KBS

Appearance - Completely black with absolutely no translucency. Only a little khaki-tinted head with bits of refined lacing on the Stella glass. Moderate retention, but pretty good considering how little it started with.

Aroma - Amazing...milk chocolate and bourbon mixed together perfectly. I'm not a big bourbon fan, but it's so well balanced in aroma that it is good whether or not you like bourbon. Slight bitterness as well.

Taste - Slight hop bitterness up front with a nice bourbon bite that is balanced out with a viscous milk chocolate taste that coats the tongue. The alcohol is slightly noticeable, but it is hard to decipher due to the bourbon flavor that pretty much masks it.

Mouthfeel - This is one of the best features of this brew. Typically in a bourbon barrel aged beer, the bourbon lingers forever due to its strong and ever-present tones. In this beer, however, the bourbon lingers, but at the perfect magnitude creating a warming sensation that makes you eager to keep coming back. The sweet milk chocolate is also a very desirable quality that isn't overdone in this beer. The bitterness of the hops (70 IBUs) is perfect for this style and does not kill the palate, allowing you to enjoy this brew for quite some time!...until you're dominated by the 11.2% abv...

Drinkability - Overall this beer is one of the best I've ever had and it is certainly the best I've had of this style. I thought all the hype might raise my expectations too high, but this beer really came through...well worth the effort and I am ecstatic that I was able to obtain a 4-pk. !!!

Breakfast Stout

Appearance - Pretty much the same as KBS with slightly paler head. The brew is completely black with no translucency. 1/4" tan/off-white head with moderate retention.

Aroma - Unlike the KBS in which chocolate and bourbon dominate, coffee and slight chocolate undertones are at work here.

Taste - Very smooth for a stout. Similar to the aroma, coffee beans and dark chocolate are the stars of the show. Slight sweetness is present, but it is overwhelmed by the coffee and hoppy bitterness.

Mouthfeel - Uh...feels great in my mouth! The coffee and chocolate really soothe and coat the tongue in a way that most stouts don't. The aftertaste fades pretty fast making you all the more eager for more.

Drinkability - A fantastic stout and definitely one of the best I've had. Side-by-side with KBS...I prefer the KBS, but with no intention of belittling this solid brew.