How long to cellar Founders Breakfast Stout?

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by BrandonOakes, Dec 14, 2013.

Tags:
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. BrandonOakes

    BrandonOakes Initiate (0) Aug 2, 2013 Pennsylvania

    So I have now had FBS at 1 year, 6 months and fresh. Personally, I find the one year to be best because I prefer a lesser coffee taste. What is everyone else's take on the development of flavors?
     
    NonicPanic likes this.
  2. UCLABrewN84

    UCLABrewN84 Initiate (0) Mar 18, 2010 California

    Definitely fresh.
     
    StubFaceJoe likes this.
  3. beerjerk666

    beerjerk666 Grand Pooh-Bah (5,081) Aug 22, 2010 Florida
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I will let you know in a year :wink:.
     
    I_Like_Beer likes this.
  4. Reappropriated

    Reappropriated Initiate (0) Aug 6, 2013 California

    Usually when this topic comes up people split into two camps. Those that like strong coffee will tell you that anything other than fresh is an abomination and an affront to this great beer. Those that prefer more muted coffee flavors will tell you a year does amazing things to this beer. It is sort of up to you, and like most things, the answer is probably somewhat in the middle.
     
    jRocco2021 likes this.
  5. Casedogg43

    Casedogg43 Initiate (0) Jan 4, 2012 Indiana

    Too easy to get.
    Drink it fresh!
     
  6. Superflyjsc

    Superflyjsc Zealot (710) Dec 6, 2013 Pennsylvania
    Trader

    I had a fbs after about 10 months in the fridge. Definitely tasted kinda stale and lost its delicious expresso notes. Would not cellar FBS again. Fresher the better.
     
  7. nuggetlover

    nuggetlover Zealot (582) Apr 13, 2012 Pennsylvania

    Don't let it go past 9-12 months at the most. Gets a little flat / watery.....
     
    johnsonni likes this.
  8. striker2160

    striker2160 Savant (1,160) May 5, 2013 Minnesota
    Trader

    Fresh for sure coffee falls off rather quickly. I can already tell the difference.
     
  9. LuisQ

    LuisQ Initiate (0) Jan 9, 2013 Florida

    votes are in.
     
  10. BrettHead

    BrettHead Initiate (0) Sep 18, 2010 Nebraska

    0 days..unless you hate coffee and therefore shouldn't be buying a coffee stout.


    Side note: Founder's themselves says don't age FBS or KBS. But what would they know.
     
  11. DLDlulz

    DLDlulz Zealot (614) Feb 15, 2012 Illinois
    Trader

    Drink fresh. Old coffee beers get that green pepper flavor. Well that's what happened to 2yr old WakeN'Bake
     
  12. Ieatlambfries

    Ieatlambfries Maven (1,310) Dec 5, 2003 New Jersey
    Trader

    Fresh. I like the coffee flavor to be strong. It is one of the hallmarks of the brew after all.

    But of course, to each his own.
     
    I_Like_Beer likes this.
  13. Infinite1

    Infinite1 Initiate (0) Jul 2, 2010 Illinois

    I like it fresh
     
  14. pmoney

    pmoney Initiate (0) Apr 15, 2011 Illinois

    If you don't like the coffee in it, why not just buy Founder's RIS instead?
     
    stayclean likes this.
  15. errantnight

    errantnight Initiate (0) Jul 7, 2005 District of Columbia
    Trader

    It is not true for most things that the answer is somewhat in the middle. This would imply that for most things, there is a strong conversational dichotomy with two equally valuable or worthless sides. It is in fact rare to find such a thing. This rather insidious line of thinking, that you should expect to hear two opposing sides of an argument, that both arguments will be valuable, and that they represent the extreme ends of a line of arguments for which a middle one clearly represents something closer to truth, is the source of a lot of issues with our societal discourse, IMO.

    Here, for example, there are so many variables that it's ludicrous to suggest that the beer is probably best, and probably best for the poster, simply because some people argue that it's better fresh and others that it's better aged to drop the coffee out. So because many people, anecdotally, prefer a beer with a ton of coffee and others with just a touch, you think that both sides would be pleased with something that has SOME coffee? That's ridiculous, it's not a zero sum situation. People who like it fresh will prefer it fresh, people who prefer it with some age will probably appreciate it at whatever they consider ideal, not an arbitrarily selected midway point between those two. It's astonishing how powerful the pervasive bullshit of the dichotomy is that you could say, with a straight face, that when this topic comes up it's clear that there's two camps who are each enjoying this beer at different ages but in fact the truth is that a compromise would be best because everyone knows compromises / midway points between diametrically opposed arguments are ALWAYS superior.

    If you're trying to offer bland, offend-no-one, advice, then the answer is clearly: buy a couple six packs and drink them steadily over time to find out for yourself.
     
  16. Reappropriated

    Reappropriated Initiate (0) Aug 6, 2013 California

    Wow, just wow.

    The facts are that the coffee will fade over time, and lots of people say drink it fresh, and lots that say age, which was all I originally said. Other than that, do you have anything to add to this discussion?
     
    seangibbs60 and j0elanz like this.
  17. Lutter

    Lutter Initiate (0) Jun 30, 2010 Texas
    Deactivated

    I've had this in various ages... I believe the oldest being an 08' this year.

    I say... just drink the damn thing fresh if you like the coffee... because after 2 years or so, there's not much (if any) left and it turns into a chocolate bomb. If you like chocolate stouts, you might be into aging it.

    It's so cheap... buy a 4-pack and stash it away. drink one every year and decide how you like it. I wouldn't go more than 4 years though, IMHO.
     
    cavedave likes this.
  18. cavedave

    cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,145) Mar 12, 2009 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    TLDR version. Those who like coffee drink fresh, those who don't, drink it with age to mellow coffee flavors. Don't assume that somewhere in between is better, in this case it isn't.
     
    errantnight likes this.
  19. errantnight

    errantnight Initiate (0) Jul 7, 2005 District of Columbia
    Trader

    Thanks for the executive summary, Dave!
     
  20. errantnight

    errantnight Initiate (0) Jul 7, 2005 District of Columbia
    Trader

    Yeah, a whole bunch. I even wrote a post about it if you'd care to read it.
     
    BrettHead likes this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.