Founders Breakfast Stout - Founders Brewing Company

jaycle

North Carolina

4.29/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Poured into snifter. Deep brown, near black. Thin tan head which dissipated quickly. I was disappointed in this. My glassware was clean, but the bottled date was nearly 10 months ago. Perhaps this is why?

S: Smells like wine/bourbon mix. I smell cherries and grapes

T: Sweet cherry wine, Toasted malts. Alcohol leaves an impression and removes these flavors quickly

M: Low carbonation. Medium bodied. Alcohol gives dry finish

O: I enjoyed this beer a lot. I think the hype around it, from BA and friends, was too high. I would like to give it another go with a fresher bottling date and see if that helps the Apperance and mouth feel. This beer's strong suits definitely come out as it warms. I would drink this around 50 next time starting out.

Serving type: bottle

05-02-2013 23:49:47 | More by jaycle

punky796

Michigan

4.3/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle into a pint glass.

A - Pours pretty black/super-dark brown, with a finger and a half of nice brown head. Really good lacing that stays there.

S - Coffee, chocolate, little bit of grain/oatmeal, malts, toast/bread. Some kind of berries maybe, as others have mentioned?

T - Coffee, chocolate, grain/oatmeal, malts, toast/bread, berries. Be it all ye know on Earth, and all ye need to know.

M - Just like everything else I've tried from Founder's - pretty much perfect for the style. Medium-low carbonation, smooth and oily-silky, present but non-bitter aftertaste.

O - Man. What's to say here. This is a damn good beer. Everything just balances out so well with it, though non-coffee drinkers might be understandably put off a bit. I'm not sure but I might be underrating this a little, though I just find it hard to rate higher than Dirty Bastard. But whatever - don't pass this one up.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2013 12:40:09 | More by punky796

downeyj4

Michigan

4.96/5  rDev +9.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

Coffee lovers unite!!! When I heard about this beer, I was a bit skeptical at first. A chocolate coffee oatmeal stout? That sounds like it has a lot going on, and I was right. The color is deep brown. It has a great aroma of roasted malts, chocolate, and coffee. The taste is right on. It has the bitterness of coffee and the maltiness of beer. It is unlike anything else out there and man does it it keep me coming back for more.

Serving type: bottle

04-30-2013 18:51:34 | More by downeyj4

HabiMendes

Rhode Island

4.54/5  rDev +0.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Super dark, with a creamy, partially retained neck. The aroma brings toasted coffee notes, chocolate, licorice, and a slight acidic idea. The body is viscous, bringing the elements of the taste and a persistent bitterness stemming from roasted barley/malt. The alcohol is present, warm, and hop bitterness, although present, is completely dominated by the toasty character of this beer. Great beer indeed - despite my skepticism.

Serving type: bottle

04-29-2013 02:50:17 | More by HabiMendes

MisSigsFan

California

4.4/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a jet black color with a 1.5 finger thick tan head. Head leaves plenty of lacing and doesn't dissipate until about half way through. It seems live every time I go for a sip and put the glass back down a bit of the head comes back. Nose has a lot of chocolate and coffee in it, as well as a hint of grain. Taste is similar, but with more coffee than chocolate. Hints of oatmeal and grain and smoked malt. Just a bit of alcohol in the finish. Good amount of bitterness to it. Mouthfeel is actually quite thin for a stout, but I like it. About average carbonation. Overall, this is a great stout. I think it's a bit ridiculous to rate this at 100. BA seems to have a big Founders bias. It's very very good, but to say it's perfect is crazy. I'd love to get my hands on KBS. I hear it's a completely different beast.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 21:03:08 | More by MisSigsFan

BurgeoningBrewhead

Pennsylvania

4.46/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into snifter. Jet black, no light gets through, with a medium dark brown head that dissipates pretty quickly. Smell is coffee, chocolate, and some dark fruits or bourbon. Taste is a little underwhelming considering the hype; it's a solid imperial stout but I was expecting more. Coffee and chocolate abound, with a full body.

Serving type: bottle

04-28-2013 00:15:21 | More by BurgeoningBrewhead

CMUbrew

Michigan

4.55/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Bottle dated 09/04/12 poured into a Founders snifter

A: Pours midnight black, with a finger's worth of dark brown head from an aggressive pour. Head is quick to fade to traces of bubbles and foam. No light is getting through the oil black body.

S: Even after eight months, coffee is still the biggest player in the nose. Roasted coffee is noticed first and is followed by rich dark malts and a bready malt toastiness. Bitter chocolate is there too.

T: In a word: delicious. Breakfast blend coffee is evident, although it has toned down with age. Bitter, dark, and sweet chocolate flavors combine with heavy malt flavors and toasted bread. A bitterness I believe I can still attribute to hops is just barely perceiveable. Lingering roast and dark chocolate flavors in the aftertaste. If it was not for the slight warming feeling, I would not know there was alcohol in here. It is indeed the beer I would want to have with breakfast, given a choice.

M: Fairly viscous, slightly oily-slick, and creamy smooth. Exactly how you want a stout of this ABV to feel.

O: Just fantastic. Comparing this older bottle to my experience with it fresh, I can assuredly say the coffee has toned down some, thus allowing the chocolate to play a bigger role. I would guess between six and twelve months is when this beer is in great balance. My preference would have to go to an aged breakfast stout. Set a few bottles of this aside if you can resist the temptation to drink it all right away!

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 04:25:47 | More by CMUbrew

drrone

Arizona

4.49/5  rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A - Pours a very dark black, but just a little brown can be visualized against light. Trace carbonation can be seen and a decent amount of floaties (these I have not seen in the past). One finger of tan head.

S - Nice nose with prominent chocolate and coffee, with hints of roasted malt and caramel as well.

T - Great coffee hit, with bitter chocolate breaking through.

M - Thick, "chewy" and full bodied. Traces of carbonation slithering up the side of the goblet.

O - Really a great Imperial Stout. I find this a faithful go to, it never lets me down and always lives up to expectation. Founders pulls through as usual.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2013 01:21:05 | More by drrone

Burkbom23

Connecticut

4.66/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Pitch black pour with not a spec of light showing through. Beautiful 2 finger foamy brown head that has good lasting power. Nice lacing that sticks all the way down. Can't imagine a better looking brew. Aroma is just what it says on the bottle. Coffee, chocolate and oatmeal. Some hints of alcohol and dark fruits as it goes down. The taste is like the aroma but so much better. Amazing, fresh, dark coffee beans. I feel like I dunked my head in a bag of the highest quality columbian coffee beans and just opened my mouth and started chewing. Did I mention it tastes like coffee???? Lots of delicious dark chocolate and mocca on the palatte also. As big of a beer this is and as complex as the taste is it is still extremely drinkable and smoooth in the finish. Just leaves you wanting another sip every time. Very warming feeling as it goes down. Pretty full body, but not crazy heavy. Creamy, Velvety mouthfeel. I havent had a beer with a mouthfeel like this but I am going to give it a 4.75 because I believe one exisists somewhere out there. This stout is as good as advertised. Tastes like the most delicious chocolate/coffee ice cream you could imagine.

Serving type: bottle

04-26-2013 01:40:09 | More by Burkbom23

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4.11/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

355ml bottle poured into tulip 24/4/13, thanks Rutager for getting me one of my longest standing wants

A not quite black and you can see deep under the foam, I can see a few bubbles streaming up the side of the glass, two fingers of dark foam leaves a few partial rings of lace before it falls.

S lots of milk chocolate and coffee with some sponge toffee, I like the coffee notes but its pretty straight forward but solid

T chocolate's a little darker in the mouth and a little sweeter, coffees a little more noticeable and works well, a little hard toffee but mostly coffee and coco

M not as thick as I would guess from the color but that still leaves a fair amount of body, creamy from the bubbles, a little slick and a nice lingering coco coffee mix

O Pretty solid stuff but fairly simple much to my surprise, straightforward but very drinkable, my glass is empty at this point typing the review

I was expecting a little more, perhaps I built this one up a little to much and the hype behind it didn't help either. Don't get me wrong this is a great beer but I wouldn't place it in the worlds top 15 beers where it currently sits.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 02:50:57 | More by wordemupg

mjc3151

Illinois

3.88/5  rDev -14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A - black, dark as night.

S - coffee, coffee, and more coffee. Is this beer or coffee?

T - You guessed it. Tastes like coffee, especially in the beginning once the beer passes my lips. But after the initial coffee blast i sense a bit of chocolate, which is good because it makes the coffee less overpowering than it would have been. I am not big on coffee stouts, so the chocolate mellowing is a welcome taste.

M - heavy, thick, light carbonation

O - As others have pointed out, this beer is heavy on coffee. If you do not like coffee stouts, then stay away. If you enjoy coffee stouts, then you will love this beer.

Serving type: bottle

04-22-2013 02:31:29 | More by mjc3151

ZRBE

Oregon

3.49/5  rDev -22.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Heard a lot about this guy, finally got a chance to crack into one.

A - Looks like a flat stout. Minimal head and lacing.

S - Really sweet. Berries, chocolate, coffee. Cocoa nibs for days.

M - A little harsh. A bit of acidity.

T - Meh. Quite bitter with the coffee, though the chocolate is nice. I don't drink coffee so I admit the style is not my favorite, but while I've enjoyed other coffee beers in the past this one did little for me.

O - Disappointing. Too bitter, too acidic, the carb and the mouthfeel drag this one down for me.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2013 19:30:41 | More by ZRBE

oscaryuengel

Missouri

4.93/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

A - pours an intense, smoldering black with a small 1/2 inch tan head. Bubbles form on the glass in patches and does not stick.

S - the aroma of coffee dominates. This is *the* breakfast stout, especially in terms of smell.

T - the coffee dominates as well, with undertones of moderate spiciness and rich chocolate.

M - fizzes intensely; a powerfully heavy beer.

O - a perfect representation of the style, this breakfast stout does not hide its true nature. Coffee.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 02:25:14 | More by oscaryuengel

hoosiersapper27

Indiana

4.68/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Bottle date 11/24/12 to glass. Bought at LL on St. Joe

Appearance-Dark black and brown 1 Finger dark tan head dissipating quickly. Not the most impressive looking beer. Head has dissipated to nothing but a ring of foam.

Smell- Chocolate, malt, slight coffee, little alcohol.

Taste- And there is the coffee. Tastes of coffee beans, chocolate, alcohol, maduro cigars, toasted oat bread, dark fruits are very light but present.

Mouth Feel-Thick and Sticky like chocolate syrup

Overall-Wow, what not to say. Definitely taste fantastic seems right on the ball. The only way I can put this beer into words in like smoking a dark wrapped cigar and eating a breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes with coffee.

Serving type: bottle

04-17-2013 00:41:50 | More by hoosiersapper27

curasowa

New York

4.1/5  rDev -9.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Appearance: Dark, inky black with just a thin cap of tan head.

Aroma: Dark chocolate and roasted malt. It smells thick and creamy, if that's possible.

Taste: Full bodied with tons of roasted malt presence, but not as creamy as I was expecting. Very dry and chalky in the middle, some faint hints of bitterness and a touch of ashtray on the back end finishing with a lingering mocha/dark chocolate taste.

The Rest: Pretty damn tasty, not much more to say.

Serving type: bottle

04-14-2013 23:59:00 | More by curasowa

Joethebeerpro

Georgia

4.81/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

You’ve got to love coffee to truly appreciate this phenomenal brew. Brewed with an abundance of flaked oats, bitter and sweetened imported chocolates, Sumatra and Kona coffee. We’re actually not sure if this is some type of coffee cake or a beer. Either way you can drink this ale with a fork. Breakfast Stout has an intense fresh roasted coffee nose toped with a cinnamon colored frothy head that seems to never fade and makes you wish breakfast could last forever. Yummy with cake or desertions ice cream.

Serving type: bottle

04-11-2013 05:54:57 | More by Joethebeerpro

Craigory

South Carolina

4.31/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

32oz Growler fill at Green's Piney Grove, poured into a Conquest Brewing tulip pint glass.

A: With a vigorous pour, I get several fingers worth of fluffy, mocha head that sticks around for a while, eventually settling to a thick ring that lasts to the end. The body is dark brown/black, with barely a ruby hint as I hold it to the light. Minimal lacing, but on the whole, this looks just like a nice stout should.

S: A little roasted barley, tons of sweetness and chocolate, with nary a hint of coffee. This actually smells just like a milk-stout; I suppose the coffee may have faded a bit if the keg is older.

T: A little hops bitterness, a little roasty-stout bitterness, and lots of dark chocolate. I get just a bit of a coffee flavor on the finish.

M: This beer is full and creamy.

O: This is a great double stout, definitely worth picking up every year. I'd get it fresh, though, as some of the aroma and flavor are slightly muted here compared to what I remember from a few months ago.

Serving type: growler

04-09-2013 22:42:45 | More by Craigory

fank2788

Connecticut

4.41/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle served in a pint glass
After a quick pour this one is an opaque inky black in the glass with a half a finger tall dark khaki head that falls relatively quickly but laces nicely around the edges. The smell is impressive consisting of layers of dark roasted black coffee, dark chocolate and charred wood. The taste all coffee up front and rather bitter to slightly astringent due to some of the black malts. Unsweetened dark chocolate is next along with a great mix of some spicy hops, a touch of yeast and warming alcohol. If I had to criticize, I think I'd say that I wish this had a bit more sweetness to balance the bittering character of the dark malts and moderate IBUs. This is a thickly chewy heavy beer. Low carbonation with added body as a result of the oatmeal make this really pleasant in the mouth. I can't believe I've taken this long to give this beer a try. What an impressive offering, perhaps it doesn't define the style but it leads the coffee heavy stouts, really well done.

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 23:18:58 | More by fank2788

leokbelo

Florida

4.94/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

A deep ebony, blackest of all blackness poured into a snifter with a 2 inch mocha head that slowly fades.
Semi-sweet dark chocolate on the nose, with coffee ground and a bit of hop spiciness.
Extremely chewable mouthfeel, smooth and delicious with the oatmeal more present, but still trumped by the chocolate and coffee. Some vanilla comes around, overall an amazing mouthfeel.
Hop bitterness is present but does not step on the whole balanced brew!
Extremely enjoyable Imperial Stout! Amazing beer!
Cannot recommend it enough!

Serving type: bottle

04-06-2013 12:46:45 | More by leokbelo

YieldToNothing

New York

4.45/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle into a tulip
pours a chocolate brown with a head of about 1/4 inch that dissipated very quickly.
smell is of bittersweet chocolate, very pleasant.
creamy mouthfeel, with a little bitterness upfront. a taste of dark chocolate settle in at the end. i dig it.
not much of a stout guy but this is one of the better ones i've had. definitely worth a try.

founders delivers again

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 03:19:08 | More by YieldToNothing

AndyP612

Illinois

4.9/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Vigorously poured into a tulip.

A- Breakfast. what'd you do with them? They built for speed or are they built for comfort?

S- Big in coffee and chocolate. Breakfast.

T- BIG - The the swirl to the sip, I don't know where to start. Honestly, This is a huge coffee stout. SO big. Literally, the best part of waking up...

M- Medium full. a little light in response.

O- Oh. It's breakfast. God is Great, God is Good... Cheers.

Serving type: bottle

04-04-2013 15:43:03 | More by AndyP612

gcamparone

Rhode Island

4.51/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Second review after drinking a better tasting bottle (my first review was based on a bottle that was "off", either old or spoiled)

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a snifter.

A- Pours a jet black, oily body with a light-chocolate colored head that reduces slowly to chunks of foam and leaves some lacing. Absolutely beautiful.

S- Fresh ground coffee, dark fruits, dark chocolate, roasted malt, burnt toast. Smells amazing.

T- Starts off with a freshly brewed coffee flavor that lingers on the tongue and progresses into BIG semisweet chocolate and roasted malt notes. Finish is deep roasted malt and cocoa powder. Absolutely delicious.

M- Thick, creamy, low carbonation, silky.

I'm glad I re-reviewed this beer and gave it the justice it deserves. Every flavor is perfectly balanced, the chocolate compliments the coffee and the heavily roasted malt. For such a thick beer, it's super smooth, creamy, and drinkable. Like a chocolate beer milkshake that actually tastes good (there are others that try to do this but fail). Must try. Pick up a 4 pack.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 23:04:05 | More by gcamparone

Fusion7777

Virginia

4.46/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Pours almost black with minimal head and a fair amount of carbonation. Prominent coffee in the nose with toasted malt and chocolate not far behind. Taste is predominantly coffee with powdery bittersweet dark chocolate. Some grain and oatmeal accents and a touch of hops. Creamy and chewy feel. A good, fairly accessible coffee bomb.

Serving type: bottle

04-02-2013 17:40:27 | More by Fusion7777

lighthabit

Oregon

4.45/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

a sipper handed to me by my bro for easter . . .

smooth, refined, mucho coffee, more than a tad of dark chocolate. smell matches taste, with a faint, pleasant earthiness or smoke that is very subtle. mouth feel is super smooth, a bit dry on the finish. impression is that it is a well crafted brew. basically nil on the head, but it was poured from a mini growler brought down for me, so may have had a bit more carbonation earlier.

note - i see others saying it seems the coffee flavor is too burnt. i respectfully disagree, but i also like a very strong cup of dark roast in the morning (sumatra is a regular in my house), so if you aren't a coffee lover, this may not be your thing . . .

one i will seek out to try again, as i enjoy the coffee stouts, and this represents the style quite well, imo.

Serving type: growler

04-01-2013 06:34:17 | More by lighthabit

aefbjo

Bahamas

4.7/5  rDev +4%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Pours with a gigantic head into a Ball jar. Opaque brown. Huge, stiff, resilient head.

So much coffee in the aroma. Just really good coffee and a bit of dark chocolate. Not getting any hops or barley off the aroma.

Taste is largely gigantic coffee and dark chocolate off the bat. Slight hints of oatmeal on the back end. As it warms up it might change a bit, but this is a huge coffee/chocolate bomb. With a bit of time the piney hops come out. There are actually a fair amount of damn hops in this beer. They give the chocolate a perfect bitter unsweeteneed chocolate balance.

Medium to heavy body. Very nicely balanced here.

Overall one of my favorite beers from the Midwest. Don't front. There is nothing like this beer and you know it. Come here to drink it.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2013 07:44:28 | More by aefbjo