Founders Breakfast Stout - Founders Brewing Company

ZAP

Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a crimson tinted black....Nose lends one to beleive this is a substantial beer...it just has that presence to it when you smell it....aroma is big on the java, and dark cocoa...

Body is full...creamy....taste is real big on the java and roasted malts...also some dark chocolate....on the finish it moves past from the pure java notes to almost a ground coffee ground flavor...I could live with a smoother finish...

All in all this is a bigtime stout...my only small complaint is the ABV..I usually like to polish off five or six beers with breakfast and at 8.3% my day would be over before it started if I did that with these :)

Serving type: bottle

08-20-2005 16:30:24 | More by ZAP

Fugazme

Nebraska

4.78/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

I'd been waiting for one of these for a long time... it didn't dissapoint.

Poured a near syrupy black opaqueness that rivaled heated molasses on a hot day. Stretches to a deep amber on the tilt. Quite striking.

Had a thin, dark tan head. Maybe 1/4 of an inch. Stayed throughout the drink.

The aroma... coffee, chocolate, malt... somewhat sweet. Just beautiful. So nice.

Taste was exceptional. Very smooth and creamy. Big chocolate notes and just a tad dusty. Wonderful balance.

This is one of the best beers I've tried.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2005 07:45:56 | More by Fugazme

hustlemuscle

Ohio

4.18/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Rich thick black with hints of a deep maroon around the edges. Even cold from the 'fridge, this one smells of freshly ground coffee, overpoweringly so. The smell lingers all the way through a nicely warmed bottle's worth. A little chocolate comes out as the beer heads toward room temperature.

Suprisingly lightly carbonated, which increases the beers resemblance to coffee considerably. Certainly tastes like it, masking almost everything else. A hint of chocolate and oatmeal each come and go, returning again to a freshly roasted and ground coffee flavor. I feel almost well rested after drinking half a pint.

Very smooth, although the coffee adds just a hint of friction. One to savor again and again.

Serving type: bottle

08-18-2005 23:12:08 | More by hustlemuscle

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

4.68/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer arrived on the bar a bit foamy on the first few glasses but was black as night with a huge rocky tan head which coated the glasses from top to bottom both inside and outside.

The aroma was strong chocolate with coffee. The hop aroma was very nicely done when coupled with a strong roastiness and caramel. The malt character in the beer was very well done.

The flavor was strong coffee with excellent dark grain flavors that added both complexity and bittering to the beer. The bittering lasted very well into the finish and coupled with a wonderful creaminess into the aftertaste.

The finish was dry with a lasting roasty coffee flavor. The body was full and well done. A wonderful stout, made even better by consuming while chatting with the good folks from Founders and other BA's.

Pints, yes, pintS, at Come Back Inn in Madison, WI at Pre-Great Taste Founders Party.

Serving type: on-tap

08-17-2005 20:02:27 | More by GCBrewingCo

egajdzis

Pennsylvania

4.47/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured an opaque black color with a small tan head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of smokey malts, roasted coffee beans and smoth milk chocolate. Toasted oats, roasted malts, light smokiness, moderate coffee beans. Big thanks Jeff (TAR) for this sample!

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2005 18:01:25 | More by egajdzis

dirtylou

Washington

4.78/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

bottles, found at sadhana wine shop in Madison

appearance: great label, pours black as night, with slight dark brown head. I would have liked a larger head, but whatever.

smell: black coffee, slight chocolate. not overpowering but unleashes as it warms.

taste: as good as advertised...rich chocolate, black colombian coffee, faint oatmeal. flawless

mouthfeel: full bodied, smooth and rich

drinkability: cant drink more than 1 or 2 of these but who would want to anyway

i nearly jumped out of my shoes when i finally found this beer

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2005 00:02:47 | More by dirtylou

TripelJ

Florida

4.43/5  rDev -2%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Now Quaffing: Founder's Breakfast Stout

12:07... AM... perfect time for my first Breakfast Stout. This beer pours just about as close to black as it can. ZERO light visible, in fact, light seems to be sucked into this magical elixir of darkness. The deep mocha head almost erupts over the edge of the glass on an aggressive pour. Lacing is fine and plasters the side of the glass as the opaque tide recedes. Initial rush of cappucino as I stole a whiff from the bottle. Once poured, the aromas where much more subdued--coffee with sweet chocolate. The taste is fairly sweet with a good blend of the milk chocolate and coffee. A slight bitterness lingers, similar to after drinking coffee. The mouthfeel is both creamy smooth and subtley crisp. Drinkability is very good with almost no evidence of the alcohol in the taste. This would make a nice pair with a big greasy breakfast... mmm bacon..

Serving type: bottle

08-02-2005 04:30:38 | More by TripelJ

CortexBomb

Michigan

4.33/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Breakfast Stout pours out of the growler normal stouty black, and accompanies it with a nice off tan head and the alcohol noticeably clings to the glass upon shifting, just like I like my stouts. The smell is distinctly roasty with a strong coffee effect.

The taste is very coffee-ish up front, but not so much coffee as to absolutely overwhelm the palatte and make it unenjoyable. Baker's Chocolate and a creamy sensation are also very much present, and the vaguest hint of hops help put it over the top in the taste category...really well done. The flavour ends with an almost coffee groundish effect and leaves that wonderful stouty roasted flavour on the tongue to remember it by.

The mouthfeel is strong, but not quite tops for a stout, it clings, but isn't quite elite in viscuity. Drinkability for a stout is very good though, it's quite easy to put one of these down and I tend to buy it when I see it, though usually only on tap, which is fortunately fairly common in beer bars here in MI.

Overall this is a great beer by Founders and is well worth trying out.

Serving type: growler

08-01-2005 04:35:12 | More by CortexBomb

mdavis31481

Maine

4.88/5  rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

The Breakfast Stout pours an exceptionally dark opaque brown, bordering on solid black. The creamy tan head rises slighty more than a half inch and slowly dissipates leaving nice lacing. Coffee aromas bombard the olfactory nerves. Obvious coffee flavors grace the palate along with notes of toffee, caramel, cream, and both dark and milk chocolates. The stout becomes noticeably sweeter as it warms. I believe I noticed an almost candy-like sweetness on my lips.

The 8.3% ABV is superbly masked. The mouthfeel is perfect. It is absolutely smooth, nearly liquid velvet.

Founders has produced a devilishly delectable brew, quite possibly the best stout I've ever had.

Serving type: bottle

07-28-2005 01:56:07 | More by mdavis31481

twelvinlucifer

Florida

4.72/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

This was by far THE best stout I have ever tasted!
The alcohol was barely evident in the taste, and the smoothness of this beer was unmatched by any stout i've had thus far.
This may well have ruined my taste for all other stouts as I'm not sure any other could match, or beat it. But!, I'll keep looking.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2005 14:41:39 | More by twelvinlucifer

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Masterful combination of coffee and chocolate in this stout, with the oatmeal making its appearance at well. Very smooth and not disapointing. Thanks vvclark for the bonus delivery after our regular trade! Baby picture on bottle is a flash of brilliant subtle humour. This could be a favorite regular beer of mine.
Had again 3.5 years later and bittrenss well subdued by choclate. Thick.

Serving type: bottle

07-24-2005 03:27:43 | More by northyorksammy

JackTheRipper

Pennsylvania

4.7/5  rDev +4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Big thanks to battlekow for this incredible brew!

A: Probably the coolest label art ever. Opens with a soft hiss. Pours a dead black color with very little head. (my only gripe with this beer.)

S: Big whiff of dark coffee. Smells sort of like those bitter little gems of coffee I'd get when I was in Bahrain. Mild sweet chocolatey smells underneath the coffee. Barest hint of an alcohol smell. Very nice.

T: Bliss. From the smell I was expecting a big hit of burny coffee ground flavor. What I got was wonderfully different. Soft chocolate tastes that meld beautifully with a soft but bold coffee taste that reminds me of good coffee brewed in a French Press. Sweet malty flavor comes late. Finish is a touch of hops to give a bit of a bitter punch that just makes me want to sip again to get back to that wonderful flavor. Wow is this ever tasty!

M: Full bodied. Smooth as velvet feeling. Breakfast Stout indeed! This beer just feels like a meal in a glass. Moderate carbonation. Alcohol is warming in the belly, other than that I'd never guess that this one weighs in at 8.3%.

D&N: Highly deserving of being one of the Best of BA. Every sip offers a different view of this beer, the flavors and aromas meld and dance and change seemingly with every sip. Unbelievable complexity. This is a beer that everyone should try, and keep a few on hand if you are lucky enough. I can't thank you enough, battlekow, for sending this one my way.

Edit to add: One of the few beers that I looked into my empty oversized wine glass and just sighed... Such a good beer, so sad it's gone.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2005 12:53:50 | More by JackTheRipper

Golden2wenty1

Wisconsin

4.83/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Picked up a single at Riley's in Madison.

Pours a dark reddish brown, almost black with a nice caramel head with good lacing. Smells immaculate -- chocolate and coffee forever with a little alcohol.. Wow, very rich. Taste is more and more rich dark chocolate, roasted coffee and creamy, milky oatmeal with a slight hop note at the end. More like a dessert than a breakfast. Incredibly intense, intricate, and complex both on the nose and the palate. A real work of art. WOW. Amazing stuff here. Alcohol comes out a little more as it warms and in turn warms your belly. Mouthfeel is heavy and well-carbonated for a stout. Probably couldn't drink more than two of these, based on the heaviness and the 8.3% abv, but I don't want to stop. Just an outstanding beer here. Highly recommended to any stout lover. Easily lived up to the hype.

Serving type: bottle

07-16-2005 03:13:32 | More by Golden2wenty1

fdrich29

Massachusetts

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

Happy birthday to me...happy birthday to me... Decided to treat myself to one of my bottles of Breakfast Stout aquired from a trade with Battlekow (my sincere apologies for forgeting that, how embarassing).

12 oz bottle. "Founders Breakfast Stout. Double Chocolate Coffee Oatmeal Stout". Damn, this sounds better than a birthday cake.

Pours deep black with a thin tan head. Smells like expresso. Oh man this tastes really good. Rich chocolate up front, coffee with an oatmeal ending. So damn smooth! This would be great for a dessert after a nice meal.

It's been my birthday for all of 6 minutes but I've already guaranteed it will be a good day by drinking this beer.

Edit: The more I look at the bottle the more freaked out I get. That kid with the ceral bowl and spoon is fucking creepy. Still a fantastic brew!!

Serving type: bottle

07-14-2005 04:17:28 | More by fdrich29

Goldorak

Quebec (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance: A creamy mocha crown acts as a barrier between the air and the absolute darkness of this Beer.

Smell: Those extra-strong turkish coffees that come in those miniscule cups, ground cocoa aroma.

Taste: Chocolate bitterness and roasted malt and somewhat subdued alcohol makes this a very round, rich elixir that I could have sampled again and again. Not as good as Péché Mortel, but close.

Serving type: on-tap

07-13-2005 23:59:47 | More by Goldorak

mynie

Indiana

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

(Special thanks to CRJMellor for a great trade)

This is the thickest-looking stout I’ve ever poured. Completely opaque blackness with a toasted chocolate head. You ever get some chocolate from a candy bar on your fingers and then accidentally smear some chocolate on a piece of paper? That’s how the head looks.

Smells like COFFEE! Chocolate, too. And mocha. I’m drinking this very close to room temperature and the sheer complexity of its odor is astounding. It’s like several types of stout all rolled in to one and with no conflicting scents. Absolutely wonderful.

Flavor starts out with coffee electricity, a dark roasted malt middle with strong nodes of a dark, bitter chocolate, ending with a more milk chocolate sweetness, an oatmeal stout finish, very dry with a slightly sour hint.

This beer is like candy. Like one of those iced mochas they sell at Starbucks only better. As strange as it may sound, this incredibly flavorful and highly-alcoholic stout would actually make a great cross over beer. It’s that tasty, and that inoffensive.

Great stuff. Perfection. Please please please start distributing to Iowa or Illinois so I can drink it more often.

I don't like giving out fives. Something sticks in the back of my throat, sputtering, making me really question myself "Is this beer good enough? Is it really perfect? Why don't you just take the mouthfeel down a notch?" I've put in a lot of thought, and giving this beer anything other than a perfect score would be a lie. Buy some. Right now.

Serving type: bottle

07-11-2005 16:41:59 | More by mynie

MarkBlackout

Indiana

4.18/5  rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

My first 12oz. of this beer ( a couple days ago) left me somewhat disappointed. 'Am I missing something?" I wondered. I very nearly dreaded drinking the other three. This afternoon, after a few other, less in-your-face beers, I decided to approach this one again. The mouthfeel is the stand-out feature of this beer. Incredibly thick and satisfying to drink. Upon my first tasting, I found the coffee elements to be too assertive, and the bitterness factor a bit high. It tastes like a different brew now (though from the same six-pack). Had I rated it, I wouldn't have done it justice. I would highly reccomend building up to this one in a session rather than beginning with. Despite the name, this beer would be much too much for me in the morning - though I do percieve (and appreciate) the coffee element.

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2005 20:42:12 | More by MarkBlackout

beerluvr

New Jersey

4.65/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Pours into the glass with a deep tan head on top of solid black liquid. Features a complex coffee and cocoa nose with an oatmeal background. The thick luxurious mouthfeel offers flavors of dark chocolate, more coffee and hoppy bitterness tempered with smooth oatiness. Finishes complex and wonderfully bittersweet. The aftertaste just goes on and on, one of the truly great stouts!

Serving type: bottle

07-06-2005 23:16:24 | More by beerluvr

tavernjef

Minnesota

4.85/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Black lacquer body, I sense brown upon it but only see black. A chocolate milk brown top about an inch high sits on top with a lovely creamy rich denseness. Crown slowly percolates down to a whispy bubbled skim and the lacing is quite sticky and layered in sporatic thick webby curtains.

Oh my this is lovely! Wow, what a great aromatic display on this of bold, rich mocha java, sweet oats, chocolate, fudge, and loads of robust roastyness. Incredible little dollps of tangy prune and burnt molasses keep an almost sour undertone to it. Unfortunately it tends to mellow out and becomes less potent as it sits but still is a wonderment to let flood into the nasal aura.

The taste is the perfect carbon copy of the smell but set with much more adorned tones and length. Its heavy, rich, blanketing, and bakes long lasting flavors of big chocolate shavings covered on top of thick, fluffy Swedish french toast glazed with whipped buttered cream and molasses syrup. Sides with dark oatmeal cookie sweetness and is then followed with hardy coffee bean bitterness and milky dark chocolate bitterness, making this one hell'uva meal of a brew. Need I say more? De-fuckin'-licious!

Well rounded roast and bitterness creates a delicately silken full body. Unlimited amounts of roastified textures and darkly bittered chocolate/coffee delivers itself for eons across the playing field of the palate. Great oaty sweetness and mild sour pruneyness transcends underneath with an aloofingly amazing accuracy creating just enough balance to keep that roasty/bitter/burnt stuff from completely dominating. Satisfingly drinkable by leaps and bounds. Move over Bell's Java Stout...Breakfast is the first meal of the day.

...Actually, give me a couple bottles of this stuff any time of the day and I'll be a happy man. Very happy! Thanks tr!

Serving type: bottle

06-30-2005 02:06:04 | More by tavernjef

goodbyeohio

Oregon

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

app: beautiful dark pour. black, and light in density but slick like black gold.. texas tea? dark mocha head dissipating quickly to a brown ring (eww) with various clusters around the edges (no, not dingleberries).

aroma: hershey's syrup and mild coffee notes. not daunting with bitterness but still complex and heavy. slight note of alcohol.

taste: super smooth mocha delight. some caramel and malt sweetness in the undertones. mouth-coating with a truly mild bready finish. some vanilla and green botanical hop bitterness in the end. surprisingly light and drinkable, showing its oatmeal side. super flavorful. would actually be understandable as a breakfast beverage for a beer freak (or michiganite)

Serving type: bottle

06-29-2005 00:36:33 | More by goodbyeohio

rhoadsrage

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -18.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

(Served in an American pint glass)

A-This beer pours an inky black opaque body with tiny bubbles clinging to the glass. The head is a thin creamy deep tan color.

S- The aroma is cold coffee, molasses, and a slight sour hint.

T- The taste has a big coffee flavor. It has the taste of coffee grounds and a slight creamy chocolate note. There is a nice hint of hop bitterness at the finish.

M- This has a thick creamy mouthfeel with no alcohol warmth.

D- This beer is a coffee monster. It has big coffee taste that taste a little like cold coffee or coffee grounds not so much like a cup of fresh brewed coffee. The chocolate notes are faint but nice. I would like to taste a bit more grain with this brew but very interesting indeed.

Serving type: bottle

06-26-2005 02:43:34 | More by rhoadsrage

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.83/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

From a fresh bottle, notched April. Beautiful label art. And.... enjoyed for breakfast!

The Breakfast Stout pours an opaque black body beneath a creamy tan of brownish-tan foam that holds exceptionally well and leaves beautiful walls of thin lace throughout most of the glass.

The nose is bright and exciting with notes of coffee/espresso, nuts, roasted barley, dark chocolate, and (amazingly) oatmeal. It's enough to make me want a cup of mocha java!

In the mouth, it's full bodied and superbly creamy with just a delicate tingle upfront due to its moderate carbonation.

The flavor is even richer and fuller than the nose leads you to believe, with mouthcoating flavors of delicate fruit (strawberries, maraschino cherry); sweetened mocha java; darker-roasted espresso; dark chocolate; fudge brownies; cereal notes (from the oatmeal?); and some grassy and leafy hops - all backed by a solid, underlying bitterness that ushers in its long-lingering, roasty and bitter finish (that's not too unlike a cup of dark black coffee!).

Its complexity lies within its richness, meaning that what you percieve changes from sip to sip as opposed to a beer that presents its characteristics in some kind of order repeatedly throughout the glass.

The alcohol is never noticeable; and it's hard to restrain the acidity in a beer that offers this much dark and roasty malt, but it's perfectly balanced and quite drinkable!

Not unlike the World Wide Stout from Dogfish Head, this pushes the envelope and deserves credit just for that... but it also delivers as well!!! Brilliant!!!

Serving type: bottle

06-25-2005 11:05:09 | More by NeroFiddled

MDekker

Michigan

4.43/5  rDev -2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Finally, my chance to try the mighty breakfast stout, the beer of many adjectives...the double chocolate coffee oatmeal stout.

I almost thought there was chocolate syrup coming out of the bottle, it was so black and inky. It didn't form much of a head, but what was there was light brown in color. Powerful coffee aroma with a chocolate background. Nice and creamy in the mouth with a light fizz on the tongue.

The roasted coffee flavors stand out initially, with a bitter aftertaste that reminds me of dark chocolate (yum!). I can't quite detect where the oatmeal plays a role, but that may be due to my somewhat novice beer drinking status. After half the glass is gone, I start to appreciate it more (maybe the alcohol is helping, although the high content just blends in well with the flavors and doesn't jump out at me). A quality beer for slow comsumption.

Serving type: bottle

06-23-2005 01:26:22 | More by MDekker

RoyalT

Ohio

4.5/5  rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Appearance – Hahahaha! The pudgy Quaker Oats baby on the label just had me laughing my a** off. Sorry for the irrelevant remark, but that is some funny s**t!

Anyway, the beer pours a dark, murky brown that’s almost black in color. The head is heavily-tanned and leaves some nice lacing.

Smell – The nose is very, very bitter and laden with spent coffee grounds along with baker’s chocolate and maybe a pinch of brown sugar. Man, is this a good smell. It’s not roasted malts but more like pure used coffee.

Taste – This tastes as good as it smells. It is very dry and bitter and, again, like a mouth full of coffee grounds but without the granular texture. There is a bit of milky cream in the taste that I missed at the nose. It truly is a stout for breakfast and, seriously, would taste well over cereal.

It also reminds me of a “chocolate martini”, if you’ve ever had one of those. This really is quality all the way. It’s not malty at all and is in a class all by itself.

Mouthfeel – This is on the large side of medium-bodied, but still medium-bodied, with a nice creaminess in between the cheeks. I really enjoyed the fact that it didn’t finish with a sugar rush like some examples of the “breakfast stout” style.

Drinkability – This is not one to guzzle or session but more to sip on like I do with my morning coffee. It’s one of the better stouts that I’ve had.

Comments – Big thanks to one of my favorite trading partners, garthwaite, for sending this one my way.

Serving type: bottle

06-22-2005 01:37:59 | More by RoyalT

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.8/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Inky black and completely opaque with a light brown, thin lace of head. Good retention and lacing. The aroma consists of coffee, nutty roasted malts, and bitter dark chocolate. A light smell of dark fruits and a hint of alcohol are also present. The flavour starts malty and sweet, big and roasted with plenty of coffee, and just gets better from there. Bitterness comes from both hops and the roasted malts, and carries through right to the finish. Plenty of chocolate as well. There's a hint of hop flavour that shows up towards the end, which finishes with a medium sweetness but still slightly dry from the grain. Viscous, full body with a smooth, creamy texture. Moderately low carbonation that allows all the flavours to stand front and centre. The alcohol is hidden very well. All of this makes this beer highly drinkable and exceedingly enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2005 03:00:23 | More by DrJay