Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout) - Founders Brewing Company

GarthDanielson

New Hampshire

4.95/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

2013 Vintage. Poured from a bottle into mug, the beer is jet black, and pours heavy, with no head and only the slightest dark brown ring of film around the surface. It literally poured like motor oil, and it looks delicious. Aromas of wood and earth, with a backbone of rich chocolate and touches of smoke, highlighted by booze. Flavors are robust, with a smoky, woody forward flavor followed quickly by dark, bitter baker's chocolate and rich, full, roasted coffee. Wow, this one is layered, and it is unbelievably smooth. Smoke and roast fills the senses, as well as the palate, throughout each drink. Creamy vanilla highlights, with a warming sensation from the heightened ABV. This is tremendous. Smooth, full, and creamy in mouth, with an almost velvet feel. Roast and coffee on the aftertaste, with hints of booze. Dry, roasted finish, with a smoked and woody linger. This is a fantastic brew, and I can only imagine it would age very, very well.

Serving type: bottle

06-18-2013 02:50:19 | More by GarthDanielson

rlee1390

Indiana

4.65/5  rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Had side by side with Parabola, blind and Parabola won

A-Dark, dark black. Some lacing is left.

S-Coffee chocolate, molasses and roasted malt, strong bourbon notes as well. Coffee becomes more present as it warms

T-So sweet! Chocolate, roasted malt and coffee. Some molasses and vanilla are apparent as well. Some bitterness in the finish. Great balance. When compared to Parabola the sweetness was a tad much, the coffee is much stronger than in other Imperial Stouts.

M-Thick and syrupy. Very smooth.

O-Wow. Going to DLD was worth it for this beer. I can't believe how easy drinking as smooth this great tasting beer is.

Serving type: bottle

06-17-2013 20:18:23 | More by rlee1390

Brenden

Ohio

4.86/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Finally.

KBS is black with that "motor oil" viscosity present in such a big stout. The brown head is surprising; it's not huge, but it's actually pretty large. It's also thick, creamy, dense and a bit craggy, and it's got some stick to it, making itself known by way of heavy patching in good quantities.
The nose is big. The nose is robust. The nose is massively malty. A huge blending of powdered, creamy milk, and bittersweet chocolate, cold-brewed coffee, roast, barley, vanilla, and oak, with expressive but not overpoweringly boozy bourbon make for what had to be exactly what this beer was going for. The bourbon, in fact, doesn't show off just ethanol; it's the good stuff, and it's the right level for this beer. Perfect.
This stuff is stupidly complex, big rich, and delicious. Everything from the nose is here, from milky and bittersweet chocolate to fresh coffee to wood to vanilla to bourbon, along with something like a hint of cherry. Then, as if it's not enough, there's even a dose of hops; and the hops still let the malts dominate. Roast gives way to the slightest bit of char. it's just so close to perfect...I almost wonder if just the faintest hint more bourbon would do it.
Big, thick, rich, robust, creamy to the point of being like the even smoother love child of velvet and silk, this is everything you want when an imperial stout is making love to your mouth. Somehow it's this big, this viscous and hearty, without being overly filling. I wouldn't have thought it possible.

Jump on the hype train, because there's a reason it left the station.

Serving type: bottle

06-15-2013 23:05:07 | More by Brenden

pjkelley82

New York

3.84/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Finally got a chance to try it out at a Founders event a craft pub by me was running. It started at 8 o'clock and I was in front of the bar at 7:58 giving the bartender that stare.

Well 8 o'clock came and I was pored an 8oz serving into a stemed Sniffer glass from which they had on tap.

Very dark color with a small antique white/cranberry colored head.

Smell was all Bourbon with notes of chocolate and dark fruit but the alcohol was also very noticeable on the nose....

To me it was balanced in taste.... got alot of the boozy bourbon taste up front but everything else in it blended well together and complimented each other. If one flavor dominated for me it was the coffee... but the coffee flavor was excellent... really good coffee had to be used cause it was very bold and just tasted like a very good bean.

A minute or so later the Bakers chocolate stranded out in the aftertaste.

Moutfeel was full but thin, easy to sip but the alcohol is there with warmth.

Overall.... my unicorn of beers is down and to be honest I was let down. I am going to eventually try it again but to me we had a bad batch or something. Maybe cause I had it in June (out of season) and it's no where to be found anywhere else, I doubt it... but you never know. It was way too boozy/barell-y taste for me. I've tasted 10,11,12 percent abv that tasted like there was no alcohol. Alcohol was very prominent in this one. It was excellently balanced and good but in my opinion not top 10 worthy... in fact I tasted 5 other beers that night and KBS was the 4th best I had... Definitely try it... age it.... buy it... but don't get your hopes up.

Serving type: on-tap

06-12-2013 12:05:26 | More by pjkelley82

JRO

Wisconsin

4.13/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This was the 2013 iteration, which was notably different than last years.
The bar that served this up to me notified me that it was $13 a pint (pint?!?!?), to which I asked if they served it in a snifter (thinking the bartender made a mistake). She told me they could do a half-pint for $10. Uh, ok, I'll take the pint. And two snifter-esque glasses. Worked out well since I had a friend to share it with, but pretty funny. 9 barrels were allocated to WI, and this place got one.
Very delicious, as usual. This year seemed distinctively more chocolate-forward and less bourbony than in years past. Nonetheless, it is a very well-balanced and delightful brew. Not quite a top 10 beer, in my opinion, but still very very good. You should drink it.

Serving type: on-tap

06-11-2013 17:51:44 | More by JRO

mhksuccess

California

4.38/5  rDev -5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

poured from a bottle into FFF teku
it is pretty dark little or no head at all
smell is of mostly coffee hints of chocolate come through
taste is similar with heavy coffee and slight bourbon and chocolate on the back end
very smooth i like the coffee flavor is nice not overpower and not acidic
i think i do prefer this beer with some age on it
but overall it is a nice contender

Serving type: bottle

06-06-2013 14:30:22 | More by mhksuccess

Rosanne

California

5/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Chocolate coffee, Rich, mid mouthfeel. The next night while drinking Porters I found myself dreaming of this beer.
I shared one can among five people. I don't like bourbon so the other four told me that I would not like it and didn't want to share. But I tasted it anyway, to rate it, and lived it.
I rate to taste, not to type.

Serving type: can

06-05-2013 05:00:47 | More by Rosanne

henskejk

California

4.15/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle poured into snifter glass

A - dark thick look with a small amount of tan head that fades, then lingers on the glass.

S - Coffee and dark roasted malts, with some dark fruit note and a bit of alcohol.

T - Similar taste as the smell, nice dark and roasty flavor with the coffee, only a small amount of chocolate. Alcohol taste is there, but not too strong.

M - good smooth mouthfeel with a nice amount of carbonation.

O - very good beer, not my favorite of the BA stouts, but very glad I got to try it.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2013 02:15:27 | More by henskejk

fmccormi

New York

4.33/5  rDev -6.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Straight pour from a 12oz pry-off bottle to my Cigar City snifter; no bottling date that I can see, but this is the 2013 release, so it’s been about two months since it was released.

Appearance (3.5): Maybe half a finger of cappuccino-colored head comes off of the pour before dying down relatively quickly, leaving just a thin foam ring around the edge of the body. The body is pitch black but shows some deep amber tones around the edge when held up to the light. Not a whole lot of retention, the head having fizzled away and left just a couple of wide, flat legs of lace on the near side of the glass. I s’pose it fits the style, but I like more head, personally.

Smell (4.25): Lots of dark chocolate and French roast coffee lying underneath it—high-cacao content cocoa powder and fresh coffee grinds, all mixed with woody, rich vanilla tones (clearly the bourbon coming through here), and a low-level roasted grain character (like burned toast?) and a little smokiness. Not as intense as I was anticipating, but the elements are all very good and very well-balanced.

Taste (4.5): Much more of that wonderful, high cacao dark chocolate character mixed with cold-brew black coffee, a little rich molasses sweetness to smooth things out underneath, and some more of that smooth vanilla, bourbon-y component, but without the boozy heat you’d expect from a lot of –bbl stouts (and other styles). The booze does come through in the way the chocolate-coffee combo kind of evaporates away in your mouth, but that’s it—not too bad. The mildly oaky, vanilla tone helps smooth out any bitterness that the coffee, chocolate, hops, or roasted malt might be contributing, leaving just a moderate bitterness that opens up in the finish into a slightly boozy, roasty vaporous character.

Mouthfeel (4.25): On the full side of medium-weight but not heavy, with only a modestly syrupy feel. The carbonation is moderate, with just a bit of tingle here and there accompanied by a soft, slow foaming action. This is very smooth, and kind of hard to drink slowly.

Overall (4.25): This is a very, very good beer. Is it excellent? Maybe. Is it the best imperial stout I’ve ever had? No. That might actually go to (at this date) Founders Imperial Stout. But this does bourbon barrel aging better than 95% of other such beers, which I’m thankful for (’cause a lot of ’em can’t balance their shit very well). But this is a very, very good imperial stout with excellent chocolate and coffee components and a well-played barrel component, too.

Serving type: bottle

06-05-2013 02:15:09 | More by fmccormi

BWED

Pennsylvania

4.79/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a snifter. Vintage 2013

A- Pitch black body, with a thick, creamy, dark brown, one finger head. Retains nicely and a lot of speckles lace the glass.

S- Mocha liqueur, heavy on cocoa and booze.

T- Dark malts mixed in with booze, which is not overwhelming, a little cocoa and very subtle dark fruit notes.

M- Thick, creamy and rich. The perfect feel for this beer. Carbonation is there, but doesn't interfere with the creamy smooth nature of this brew. A meal in a bottle.

O- An unbelievable balance of lots of booze, flavor, and smooth drinking. This beer is outrageous! I'll begin my vertical cellaring with the rest.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2013 15:59:25 | More by BWED

dbc5

Ohio

4.8/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

12 ounce bottle poured into DFH glass.

A: Pours pitch black with a nice 1 finger cocoa colored head. Head recedes, but leaves a frothy covering atop the beer. What a big imperial stout should look like.

S: One of the best smelling beers you will find. Tons of dark chocolate, coffee, and a nice helping of bourbon beneath.

T: This was one of the first beers I fell in love with and is one of those beers that I seek out with a vengeance each year it is released. When relatively fresh, as this bottle is, the initial flavor is that of melted chocolate. The bitterness of the coffee then creeps in and cuts some of the sweetness. The tongue then picks up the slight bourbon heat that is there to let you know this beer spent some time in barrels.

M: Mouthfeel is exactly as a beer of this size should be, viscous and low carbonation. Sticky and lingers on the palate.

O: This is one of my favorite beers. It isn't as bourbon forward as some other barrel aged beers (e.g., BCBS) but is an exceptional showcase of how flavors can blend for an exceptional drinking experience.

Serving type: bottle

06-04-2013 02:23:56 | More by dbc5

TomTown

Texas

4.63/5  rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into (2) Teku Glasses

Poured a pitch black liquid with nearly no visible carbonation.

Smells of deep chocolate and coffee with some dark fruit as it warms

Tastes like rich chocolate and coffee with slight barrel character. Not quite as bourbon forward as BCBS or Black Note.

Very full and rich on the palette.

Amazing beer.

Serving type: bottle

06-02-2013 20:35:07 | More by TomTown

Fcolle2

Illinois

4.74/5  rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

A: pours jet black. Really thick not a huge head but its dark tan.

S: great oak aromas upfront hints of bourbon rich chocolate and coffee notes. Unbelievably balanced.

T: lots of chocolate, bourbon bite is there but doesn't over power the beer what so ever. Coffee follows and oak lingers on the exhale. Unbelievably balanced.

M: thick but the carbonation is spot on. Has a rich creamy quality to it.

O: unbelievably balanced. This is a beer that I'm really Interested in aging however I'm not sure it can get much better.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2013 02:29:26 | More by Fcolle2

zimm421

Ohio

4.6/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a tulip. Appears a thick black, with a nice, frothy brown head. The head sticks around for a bit, and leaves pretty good lacing.

Nose is full of just what you'd expect: heavy chocolate, with lots of bourbon coming through, with the vanilla and caramel leading. The taste is similar, but more complex. Thick dark chocolate, and coffee come through up front, and then the bourbon takes over in the finish. The vanilla, and caramel from the barrel comes through, but the booziness is what holds on through the finish. Being a bourbon lover, this is very enjoyable.

The mouthfeel is very thick and smooth, just what you would expect. The drinkability is obviously pretty low, which is to be expected from a brew of this type, but doesn't detract from my score. Overall, a wonderfully complex brew with bold flavors and very enjoyable to sip and experience as it warms.

Serving type: bottle

05-27-2013 23:50:19 | More by zimm421

cvm4

Mississippi

4.51/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Spring 2012 Bottle

A - Pours very black and seems on the thin side of motor oil. It does have a lovely dark brown head.

S - Vanilla, molasses, dark chocolate and bourbon characteristics.

T - Like biting into a coffee vanilla dark chocolate bourbon bar. That pretty much sums it up. Nothing overpowers the other, each flavor works in harmony.

M - The body seems a lot lighter than I care for and has low carbonation. I was hoping for a thick, chewy stout.

O - It's really hard to go wrong with bourbon. Founders hit the sweet spot with this one. I'll probably rate it just below bourbon county. KBS is more finesse where BC is in your face aggressive.

Serving type: bottle

05-26-2013 19:17:25 | More by cvm4

JMScowcroft

Vermont

4.86/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Founders Brewing Company - Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout) - 12fl oz bottle

Look - Pours black as night but thinner than a RIS with a small chocolate head that leaves sticky lacing. There is a nice red hue on the edges.

Smell - Rich chocolate, molasses, coffee, and a hint of bourbon. Maybe a tinge of vanilla cherry.

Taste - So damn rich and smooth! A friggan adult milkshake! Slightly carbonated wave of coffee (espresso), then dark chocolate/cocoa, then back to coffee. The bourbon sits in the background, adding a little oomph. Hearty as hell!

Mouthfeel - Rests a thick burnt sugar, roasted coffee, and toasted chewy chocolate. In terms of booziness it is remarkably light for 11.2%. Drinkable but sip this one, it has a lot to offer and taking your time is the only way to do it.

Overall - Do NOT serve cold as it dampens the flavor! Leave the bottle(s) out for 30 minutes or so before serving, it definitely bring outs the complexity. This is another great brew by Founders.

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 13:36:31 | More by JMScowcroft

ajramirez1

Washington

5/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Live in NW WA rec'd in a beer trade with my buddy DWitt. Beer cold is really good. Let it warm, it is amazing...
Worth the hype. KBS is best stout to date. Cant imagine how good it taste kegged
With age, this beer would be mind blowing. So if anyone had the beer cellered, contact me. Pink Q Tip

A-

Serving type: bottle

05-25-2013 04:00:06 | More by ajramirez1

tipfortap

New York

4.84/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

5 words to describe it: Burnt Sugar, Fudgey, Chewy, Roasty, Smooth

Paired it with: CBS

Should have paired it with: Actual breakfast. Pancakes or French toast.

Drink it if you like: Silent killers; any oatmeal, coffee, or chocolate porter or stout.

A few other thoughts: KBS is by far my favorite of the Breakfasts. It was SO smooth and velvety, and hid its 11.2% ABV remarkably well. It’s sweeter and creamier than the CBS, and has none of that licorice funk that I found in its sibling. It’s just an amazingly balanced, practically perfect beer.

Serving type: on-tap

05-23-2013 19:30:30 | More by tipfortap

smooth_aleing

Pennsylvania

4.91/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Was finally able to check out the bottle, and well-worth the wait (and hype!).

A= Pours a jet black color, with a one-finger, mocha colored head. Head is good and frothy, and settles down to nice layer of foam, with excellent lacing.

S= Immediately, dark chocolate and strong espresso. Notes of cherry, with underlying whiff of bourbon. Incredible.

T= Big, big chocolate notes. Espresso follows strongly, with notes of dark cherry, bourbon, and roasted malts. Just wonderful.

M= Great, molasses-like feel. Thicker than most stouts of tried, but not at all too heavy, despite of the high ABV. Flavor is excellently-layered on the palate.

O= Lives up to all the hype. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

05-21-2013 22:38:33 | More by smooth_aleing

Dohtig

Maine

4.71/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

After missing out on this beer at the store and several local tap houses I caught it at the oldest beer bar in town. It was well worth tracking down and making the trip just for a glass. Very dark, served in a large tulip glass the aromas shifted from a hint of bourbon to chocolate. A smooth full body mouthfull. There where so many flavors coming accross that it took a long time to get through them all. It reminded me of the scene from Charlie and the Chocolate factory where the girl takes the gum and new flavors come to her as she chews. This beer was like that, every sip brought a new flavor and insight. When this gets bottled again I won't be missing out. It is well worth hunting for.

Serving type: on-tap

05-20-2013 07:13:01 | More by Dohtig

CMUbrew

Michigan

4.8/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

12oz bottle into a Founders snifter

A: Pours thick and viscous and is midnight black in color. Dark brown head forms on the pour and soon fades to a ring. Filmy bubbles float on parts of the surface.

S: Right after the pour coffee leads the nose, but not overpoweringly so. Chocolate is noticeable also and smells on the sweeter side. The bourbon nose does not show up until after some warming, first coming on as a nice meld with the coffee and chocolate, and then eventually taking center stage and pushing the other smells into the back seat as the beer becomes even warmer.

T: Heavenly. The flavor is simply a perfect amalgamation of coffee, chocolate, and bourbon. All these awesome flavors come together to create the finest flavor experience I've ever had in a beer. No single flavor overpowers any other, and the bourbon barrels have worked awesome magic to lend a fine bourbon quality that just blends in so well. Bourbon can be so overdone in beers, but that is not even remotely the case here. There is simply a perfect harmony of flavor in this stout.

M: Full, creamy, smooth. Very, very light carbonation, but just enough. A year in barrels has made this beer so velvety smooth it's ridiculous.

O: A must-try for any lover of beer. KBS is worthy of its acclaim and is easily the best beer I've yet had the pleasure of drinking. Simply amazing. KBS.

Serving type: bottle

05-13-2013 04:38:46 | More by CMUbrew

MCImes

Minnesota

5/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

This is everything a HUGE coffee bourbon chocolate stout should be. Pours like thick oil. Smells of coffee, bourbon, alcohol, and dark malts. In your mouth it rocks your pallet. Its thick and chewy. Founders nailed this because its not too sweet. It has enough to hold up the body, but is still dry enough that I could drink a few of these if it wouldnt kill me, and then Id be all out =( The bourbon flavor in this is amazing. They nailed everything about this beer.

This beer deserves 100. The only thing Founders could do to improve it is MAKE A LOT MORE!!!! It was HARD to get this year in MN. ( make it year round too. Seriously, start a Kickstarter campaign. BAs will pay for a stand alone KBS brewery)

Serving type: bottle

05-12-2013 17:27:17 | More by MCImes

StonedTrippin

Colorado

4.54/5  rDev -2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

a huge thanks to drlovemd87 for making this a reality. he is a gentleman and a classy BA. the holy grail here, it pours a chocolate brown color, dense and creamy looking, with an inch or so of espresso colored head that doesn't budge. the nose is awesomely coffee heavy. not acidic, but bright and mellow at the same time. some mild dark chocolate notes, a ton of roast, but not bitter at all. the flavor really features this coffee, somehow with a neutral ph. the ultra roasted barley gives an almost smoky flavor, while the chocolate stays in the background. I am most blown away how I taste no alcohol at all in this beer. the founders imperial is hotly alcoholic, in this beer, its totally hidden, even though its stronger. some bourbon hints with char and vanilla come through, but this beer isn't sweet at all. not teeth coating, not heavy. its remarkable how drinkable it really is. the coffee feature is as good as it gets, almost weirdly refreshing, like an iced coffee. the depth and complexity of this fine ale is second to none, and the perfection of its craftsmanship is mind boggling. I cant remember a beer so highly hyped that delivers as well as this gem does, save pliny the younger. its that good. thanks again to drlovemd87, youre a bloody legend mate!

Serving type: bottle

05-11-2013 17:20:11 | More by StonedTrippin

merc7186

New York

4.36/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

12oz bottle into snifter glass.

A: Dark Opqaue Hue, Passes No Light, Brownish Head Ring, Some Lacing

S: Espresso, Bitter Coffee, Chocolate, Mild Bourbon, Mildly Nutty

T: Coffee, Chocolate, Mild Bourbon

M: Decent Carbonation, Medium to Full Bodied, Mildly Bitter

Overall, this beer is what it is...I just wish that there was more of a barrel presence in it but the coffee either overtook it or the barrel just was prominent enough. Great Trade Bait.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 19:11:03 | More by merc7186

emceecue

New Jersey

3.8/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.75

This is my first beer review. I have only rated about 1/3 of what I have tasted. But this beer compels me to write a review. What a FAILURE to its a hype.

I was excited to pour it, it smelled of espresso, chocolate, and (my fave) bourbon.
Poured a nice dark head that only dissipated after a few sips. But my hopes dissipated with its head. There was nothing...it tasted like a coffee infused beer. Don't get me wrong, I love those, but there was no bourbon to be had.

I'd be be more enthused if I poured a shot of my pappy 15 year in a Terrapin's Wake N Bake.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2013 05:35:41 | More by emceecue