Founders Breakfast Stout - Founders Brewing Company

Rast

Maryland

4.56/5  rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle watching Iowa St. v. Ohio St. Cyclones 'n' Buckeyes.

Superior stout: full solar eclipse in the glass. Head performs the beautiful downward cascade I've seen in so many a glass o' Guinness, altho the Breakfast cascade has a chocolate-brown tint, whereas Guinnes is more of a medium-tan. Which colour is stouter? Come on now.

Nose is full and aromatic: roast malt, coffee, toffee, and cocoa. The mouthfeel is smooth, but not flat. Taste hits all the right buttons: rich, bitter cocoa, roasty toasty delicious. Goes down smooth too, with a café of flavor and aroma left in the mouth. Best stout for the breakfast time, the winter time, and any time.

Serving type: bottle

03-24-2013 16:49:20 | More by Rast

BeerTheater

Florida

4.88/5  rDev +8%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

A serious stout. nobody should pass up a breakfast stout. almost like anal porn it chokes you out. This has all the flavor you would expect and then doubles it until you feel completely satisfied. Chocolate, coffee, oatmeal and stout all perfectly balanced yet strong, and worth sharing if the need arises because you should buy as much as you can, just so you can dish out the goods and get all the credit; or just drink it to the head daily because you're worth it. Nice texture goes down like melted butter and chocolate roasted over an open fire. If you've gotten through all that truth and fluff I just wrote you should know this is a great beer that could only get better by making it stronger in abv. or aged in barrels or somehow make these core flavors come out more which is hard to do because this beer does it so well. I've had some stout with more coffee or more chocolate flavor but this one succeeds in making them all come together well without one characteristic taking over completely, except perhaps the coffee. Then again the chocolate comes out so well throughout the entire beer too, which leads to it's drink ability which is just about flawless. You'd want to drink this all day but to do so I recommend spending the day at bbq's or big, big breakfasts.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 04:41:52 | More by BeerTheater

mfnmbvp

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle, with bottled on date reading 09/13/2012, last year's fall release, about six months old chilling in the bottle. My first ever Founders Breakfast Stout, and excited to try it considering how well received this beer seems to be.

Poured into a Firestone Walker pint glass.

A - Pours the most greasy blackest motor oil looking beer I have ever seen. Thick and opaque, with the tiniest mocha colored foam struggling itself into existence and then fading away.

S - Deep dark chocolate, and dark roasted coffee beans. Not as impressive as I was hoping. Dark candied fruits, burnt brown sugar, and oats emerge as the beer begins to warm.

T - Bitter roasted coffee bean goodness, silky dark chocolate, vague buried hops. Smooth, creamy, and chocolatey. Perfectly balanced, highly drinkable, masks it's 8.30% abv deceptively well, this is a beer I could easily drink excessively.

M - Creamy, smooth, sweet, little bit of coffee bean bitterness. An all around pleasant beer.

Overall, a great beer from Founders, probably the best I have had from them yet, although I have had other stouts that blew me away more or just as much as this beer. I just very recently tried Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout, and I have to say I was more impressed with that one than I was with Founders Breakfast Stout. Definitely a beer I would have again, maybe a bit fresher next time. A must try beer, either way.

Founders Breakfast Stout ---4/5.

Serving type: bottle

03-23-2013 03:16:44 | More by mfnmbvp

LittleDon

Texas

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

Black with copious latte colored lace. Aroma of dates, coffee, and alcohol. Very soft mouthfeel with a bit of carbonation noticeable at the finish. Very rich body. Flavor shows more coffee than the aroma with a little bit of alcohol noticeable at the end. Apricots and tons of chocolate.

Serving type: bottle

03-22-2013 22:27:35 | More by LittleDon

RyFikes

New York

5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Appearance- Jet black color. Thin beige head, looks like frothy chocolate milk bubbles.

Smell- Mocha, coffee, toffee, milk chocolate.

Taste- Milk chocolate and peanuts, tiny bit of alcohol. After taste is a bitter coffee taste with lingering mocha sweetness.

Mouthfeel- Light carbonation. Fills your mouth up with a warm alcohol taste that is gone as fast as it arrived, replaced with smooth and creamy chocolate.

Overall- I was ready to be disappointed given all the hype around this beer. After tasting it I am happy to say that the hype was totally validated. I'm not a big stout drinker, but this is just a terrific beer. It's like chocolate milk for grown men!

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 16:40:52 | More by RyFikes

Jake_Ramrod

Kentucky

4.75/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

I won't go into too much depth on this beer because its all been said before. IMO, this is the quintessential easily available Stout on the market today. It pours quickly with very little head, but what is there has a nice coffee color. Huge coffe and chocolate influence in all aspects of this rich, yet easy to drink beer. I love taking a big whiff of it as I toss it back. Dark as night and slick going down. No hint of the high ABV. Not as earthy as it could be, but still so hearty. I can drink one after another and keep going back for more. This one of those highly ranked beers that really delivers everytime. I've spent the last couple of months drinking highly rated stout after stout. And, everytime I always think about how good the Breakfast Stout is in comparison. I wonder how these taste with a little age on it. Can't wait to find out.

Serving type: bottle

03-21-2013 01:00:01 | More by Jake_Ramrod

Qwest_35

Florida

4.86/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

This is my first time trying this beer, I must start by saying that I don't drink too many stouts, let alone coffee stouts. This is actually an extremely drinkable rep of this style. Dark roasted kona is definitely up front in the aroma and taste, I don't really get much chocolate at first, but as this beer warms a litte! Whoa! Huge mocha flavor just turns on and it gets a lot more complex. I do love love the fact that there is not a bitter after taste that most other coffee infused stouts seem to come with. Much thanks to mpayne5 and Nuckbuck for the hook-up! This little gem is making me rethink my whole attitude on coffee stouts for sure. Overall a solid stout, I would highly recommend this to everybody.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 03:29:39 | More by Qwest_35

MichaelNickerson

Michigan

4.89/5  rDev +8.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Appearance: Extremely dark brown. Great dark, golden brown head that lasts an acceptable amount of time.

Smell: Strong coffee flavors initially, then chocolate aromas dominate. I would like more oats in the smell, but do notice a slight amount.

Taste: Strong java/coffee flavors. Excellent bitter, dark chocolate finish. Very smooth and desirable for being 8.30% ABV. Lacks any alcoholic taste.

Overall: One of the best beers I have had. I would drink it with any type of meal, or even as a dessert. Very easy to drink and doesn't leave any undesirable aftertaste. Each sip leaves you wanting another.

Serving type: bottle

03-20-2013 00:05:34 | More by MichaelNickerson

JGargano

Connecticut

3.41/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

My initial impression of this beer is "aggressive". It has a big mouthfeel, Big scent and BIG taste.

Very well balanced for the ABV but much too rich to be sessionable.

This is certainly a beer you can have only one of before it becomes too much.

Serving type: bottle

03-19-2013 23:57:20 | More by JGargano

BaltimoreBeerLover

Maryland

4.91/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Haven't had this in about 2 years. I Also don't know when I'll get the chance to have it again too unfortunately. But, what I do remember is this is the first beer to truly astound me. The first one to make me say "Ho. Ly. Shit." In my top 2 beers of all time next to backwoods bastard. 5/5

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2013 04:11:34 | More by BaltimoreBeerLover

rdilauro

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

It didnt take much more than holding the bottle. Right then I knew I was in for a total great experience. Once the cap was taken off, the chocolate, the coffee, the mocha, everything just filled the room.
The pour was this jet black magic OIL.... Sliding down the glass with just enough of a white creamy head.
Once my nose was into the glass, all of my senses started to kick in. The aroma, the hops, the malt, everything you can possible think as being good or better was there!
Then the TASTE. Better than the smell or look. It was rich, it was full, it was balanced, it had chocolate, it had enough hops, it had enough carbonation, it held up to the very end.
The finish was almost as GREAT as the Start.

If you have read some of my other reviews, you will know I am a big fan of stouts, even more so with chocolate stouts. I have been fortunate to taste a number of them, but this one will remain at the TOP.

03/16/13
Another tasting of the Breakfast Stout. After tasting many other really super stouts, this one still shines at the top. Right from the start its hard to find fault with this stout. The glassy oil like pour with its relatively small, but not the typical light brown head looks so inviting in the glass. Coffee, or almost espresso is the dominant nose before tasting. Closing my eyes , taking real deep whiffs from the glass, it could really be a cup of espresso. The taste is real big and bold, but soft and round. The espresso decreases a little here and I start to pick up hint of chocolate along with a roasted malt flavor. I really appreciate the little carbonation here, to me it helps balance this one. The mouth feel of this one reminds me of a big California Red Zinfandel, ones around 15% alcohol. Rich, full coats your entire mouth and just slides down your throat for the perfect finish. This Founders does pretty much the same.
Left on a deserted Island with only allowed to have 3 different beers, this one would surely make it.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2013 10:27:11 | More by rdilauro

METALBOOZESOLID

Vermont

4.73/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer is glorious.

Pours to a dark brown, almost black with an thin amber head.

The coffee, as said before, steals the show. The chocolate taste is a subtle secondary to the perfect touch of dark roasted coffee. Has no alcoholic bite whatsoever, and the taste lingers on for awhile after you are done in the best of ways.

Full bodied, aromatic, delicious beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-13-2013 15:39:50 | More by METALBOOZESOLID

BrbnBarlAgdBil

Florida

4.93/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 5

My favorite non barrel aged stout. The taste of coffee and chocolate remind you that the beer is truly a breakfast beer. I have not had a bottle yet that disappointed. Its dark pour coats your glass with a light head that slides down the glass with every sip of perfection. Worth all the hype.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2013 03:57:34 | More by BrbnBarlAgdBil

lunarbrew

Wisconsin

4.59/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Beer pours black ink with about .5 fingers of head which lingers. Little head but nice retention. A halo sticks to the side of my glass. Smells awesome: coffee, dark malt, bittersweet chocolate, cocoa nibs, dark (and sweet) caramel, and some vanilla. Tastes of bittersweet chocolate and rich fresh coffee. I can also taste a touch of booze which I really like. Lingering aftertaste which is mostly black coffee, black malt, and bitter cocoa. Very pleasant and drinkable beer. Texture is rich, silky, and heavy. Beautiful carbonation and body. Overall, one of my favorite beers. Had to crack one open in anticipation of KBS distribution in Madison this week!

Serving type: bottle

03-11-2013 18:06:57 | More by lunarbrew

blakelive784

Colorado

4.15/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Docrock!

12 fl oz brown glass bottle served in a snifter and allowed to warm considerably, reviewed live:

A - Pours a non transparent, deep shade of brown. There's only about a finger of thin, light khaki head and retention's pretty bad. On par for the style.

S - Freshly brewed dark roasted coffee notes dominate. Inviting mocha and semi-sweet chocolates. I don't get any alcohol on the nose. The chocolate's heavier than I expected, but is definitely welcome. Very faint roast character. Pungent.

T - Dark roasted coffee dominates the show. Light cocoa is present, but unobtrusive. Chocolates and less prominent then on the nose. Roasted malts are present near the end. It's significantly more bitter than I'd have guessed, but far from imbalanced. Evocative of black coffee. No alcohol is detectable. God, that's tasty.

M - Incredibly smooth. Full bodied but far from thick. Could be a little creamier, but it works well with the coffee.

D - Definitely lives up to the hype. I could down this all day. Glad I finally got to try it.

Serving type: bottle

03-10-2013 22:58:57 | More by blakelive784

hitter114

Colorado

4.75/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Founder's Breakfast stout... served a 1035 mt for breakfast. Paired with a cold pepperoni pizza slice from last night. Thanks to Dan for driving this one up to Colorado.

A: Burnt dark brown to black... very small tan head
S: Smell is very complex with chocolate, almost maple smell, with the addition of some caramel, toffee, vanilla really smells like breakfast
T: Oatmeal i think is what makes this beer so complete the perfect oatmeal stout with intense and complex flavors, but ridiculously drinkable.
M: I think it drinks more like a Baltic porter than a stout. Light carbonation fairly thin mouth feel, but also with many complexities. Nice bitter bite with hops and coffee at the finish...mmm

O: really like this beer. One of the best dark beers I have had. I think what makes this one so good is the combination of inter!esting additional flavors and a beer which has a perfectly made backbone. Well done founders

Serving type: bottle

03-09-2013 17:43:45 | More by hitter114

rickyleepotts

Arizona

4.55/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.75

I am SO excited to be drinking this beer. You don't understand… we could get this beer with ease when we lived in Indiana. Now that we are in Arizona, we can't get ANYTHING from Founders. They don't distribute here. Not. Fair. But never fear… thanks to a recent obsession with RateBeer, I have started some pretty serious beer trading. I traded for this beer, actually with a guy in Fishers, Indiana and he sent us two cans of 3BEANS, 2 bottles of this, and 2 bottles of Alpha King. That is also on our list. Oh, and he sent us two bottles of the Founders Imperial Stout.

I have to blame Dakine for my obsession with RateBeer. He said it was good… and he was right. I have since traded with a guy in Chicago, a guy in Virginia, and a guy in the Russian River Valley. He is actually sending us all of the beers on the list from the Valley. I am even working on a trade with my buddy Jake back home. I'm hooked!

It's time to start drinking… I can remember what this beer tastes like, but I haven't had it in a couple of years now. I can't wait to smell this, let alone drink it. Let's drink!

In the Glass: It is darker than I remember. It poured somewhat thick, and I could smell it before I was finished pouring. We are both really excited about this beer. I blame Founders for NOT shipping to the west coast. The beer also produced a nice dark tan head, while thin, still leaves me excited to drink. If you have never had the Founders Breakfast Stout… do yourself a favor. Get a bottle. It's worth every penny and always good to the last drop.

Nose: It smells like an imperial stout. It has a little copper note to it, but that is because of how cold it is. I just grabbed this from the fridge, so I am going to let it sit for a little bit before I drink it. I will probably drink half now, and half later. I like letting beers like this get to room temperature for the full enjoyment of the flavor. They call it Breakfast Stout, but they could easily call this Dessert Stout. This truly is a meal in a glass!

Flavor: This is the moment we have all been waiting for… at least the moment I have been waiting for. It is as good as I remember! It seems a little hotter than I remember, but that is probably because of how cold it is. It has an incredible mouthfeel and aftertaste, but we will get there. If you have ever had an imperial stout before, those are the same flavors that rush the palate. Then, as you swallow, a little dryness kicks in, and you get the soft subtle Irish stout flavor that we have all come to expect from a Guinness. Not the best beer in the world, but one that deserves our attention.

Mouthfeel: I have been on a stout kick lately. It's getting warmer, so I should be moving away from those… but I like the mouthfeel and the aftertaste of a good thick stout. This stout is just that… thick. It is easy to drink, but the beer coats the tongue with a nice layer of awesome! Every time I swallow I am getting those same flavors, and while I want to drink more, I want to savor this as long as I can! Very few bubbles here.

Aftertaste: I swallows my first drink 5 minutes ago, and the aftertaste is still there. It becomes increasingly dryer as you continue to swallow, but the aftertaste might be the best part of this beer. I don't usually care for Guinness, at least chilled Guinness, but the aftertaste is similar. Not as boring as Guinness, but the same drying sensation that I am experiencing with this.

Founders is a great brewing company, and I miss them. In the trade that I am working with Jake, he is going to send me some Founders beers. One that he is sending I have never heard of… so I am excited for that. I didn't request any more Breakfast Stout, as we already have one more bottle in the fridge. There is only so much time to drink beer! This bottle came a long way, but tastes as good as I remember. Maybe we will make pancakes and bacon the next time we drink this… a TRUE breakfast beer! Bottoms up, people.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 20:55:50 | More by rickyleepotts

Dave_in_GR

Michigan

4.85/5  rDev +7.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

12oz bottle poured into a pint glass. A small layer of creamy brown foam on top, with the beer itself a dark brown to black color.

Smell is very mild, just a hint of coffee and chocolate.

Taste is delicious, a combination of chocolate, coffee, and just a hint of oats. It is sweet but without being cloying. Apparently this beer contains 60 IBUs but I did not notice much bitterness, very well balanced.

Mouthfeel is excellent, a small bit of carbonation helps balance the sweetness. Ridiculously drinkable.

Overall, just an outstanding beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2013 02:21:04 | More by Dave_in_GR

Mellonius

Brazil

4.79/5  rDev +6%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Pours piano black into a pint glass, generating a fairly thick and durable beige head. The little bottle is adorned with a nice painting of a toddler eating a spoonful of might be a bowl of oatmeal. Smell is rich, roasted, chocolatey, with a coffee note and some acidity in the background. Tastes complex but well into what is expected from a stout. Darkly roasted coffee beans and some smokiness are noticeable in the aftertaste. The body is full, almost oily. This is a very special brew. A real treat!

Serving type: bottle

03-06-2013 02:01:44 | More by Mellonius

Wiggedout40

Georgia

4.16/5  rDev -8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

The name says it all. A stout with lots of flavor. The largest note is that of coffee which greatly describes the finish. There is a slight sweetness. Rich dark color. Smooth and very drinkable. Not boozy at all. Would definitely drink this again, possibly with a doughnut.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2013 03:13:31 | More by Wiggedout40

BeerBear55

4.86/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Poured in to a glass at a cool temperature, nice dark color but did not get the head I had anticipated and not much lacing at all. Smell was just what I expected and more. Malty chocolate, coffee and just a hint of oats. Taste was full of chocolate and coffee and lingered just long enough to get to the next mouthful. I'm a Pilsner drinker and that won't change, but on those occaisions when I feel like a change I will definetly have Breakfast Stout at the top of the list.

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 23:54:57 | More by BeerBear55

sbxx

Illinois

4/5  rDev -11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Very dark brown, almost pitch black. 1 finger of tan head disappears and leaves some thick, spotty lacing. Nice.

Smell - Mmm dark chocolate and coffee. Hints of wood and raisin.

Taste - Chocolately & biscuity with coffee, but nothing too overt. Balanced taste. Some coffee lingers in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel - Very light carbonation tickles the tongue then vanishes. Heavy body but goes down very smooth and finishes clean. As it warms up, the body gets richer and fuller.

Overall - A solid, heavy-hitting brew that I will drink again. Do I think it deserves a 100? No. But it's definitely worth a seasonal purchase (or two).

Serving type: bottle

03-03-2013 09:12:07 | More by sbxx

nasty15108

New York

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

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a glass..

Poured a viscous cola color with the slightest ruby hue at the bottom. The pour produced a thin head of brown creamy foam.

Smelled like a Manhattan Special coffee soda with the tiniest bit of malt aroma.

Tastes like heaven. Malty up front with loads of coffee flavor. You get a little bit of chocolate sweetness right before the slightly bitter finish. Very well done.

The mouth feel is almost perfect. Just the right balance of stickiness and carbonation. Goes down well. An absolute classic.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 23:19:13 | More by nasty15108

FLima

Brazil

4.44/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Black color with a brown thick head with long last retention.
Aroma of oatmeal, coffee and dark chocolate.
Flavor of toasted-roasted malts with oatmeal, spicy tobacco, maybe marzipan, earthy hops and with strong notes of mocha and espresso. Good that is not very sweet. Dry and bitter aftertaste.
Full body, viscous and creamy, with low to medium carbonation and small bubbles. 8.3% ABV is subtle and in harmony.
Great beer, really a true breakfast. Coffee, chocolate cookies and cereals, all in one!

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 17:52:24 | More by FLima

Lognar

Illinois

3.91/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

bottled 9/16/12

Look - Pours dark brown and thick with a single finger of khaki head.

Nose - Tons of rich bold roast over both dark and milk chocolate notes.

Taste - The roast from the nose continues big time in the taste. Lots of bitter dry roast flavor - almost smoky or burnt - and maybe some baker's chocolate too. Pretty much all roast and bitterness. The roast is bordering the point of being overpowering and unbalanced.

Feel - Medium bodied and creamy. Lighter on account of the oatmeal.

Overall - A decent coffee stout that is fairly straightforward. The roast was almost too much - it wasn't balanced at all it was the roast equivalent of a palate wrecker. This is a good coffee stout, but overvalued.

Serving type: bottle

03-02-2013 03:04:32 | More by Lognar