Breakfast Stout
Founders Brewing Company

I’ve had this on draught before, this one is out of a bottle.
Pours black as night, hold it up to a light and very little gets through. The head is decent, not lasting as I thought it might be, lacing is low.
Cacao nibs, roasted espresso beans, and dark caramelized molasses flavors dominate. The body of the beer is full, the oatmeal contributes substantially to the barley. Notes of raisin sauce and vague hints of cinnamon are pleasant. Nice enjoyable finish, bittersweet tangy bitterness is satisfying.
Carbonation is low and alcohol content is masked by the rich flavors.

I’ve poured this over vanilla ice cream for a decedent dessert before. My wife and guests were impressed by the richness and depth of flavors. A simple, but enjoyable indulgence.

 

 

 

Black with a small brown head. Perfect combination of roasted malt, coffee, and dark chocolate in taste and aroma. Smooth roasted bitterness in aftertaste. Great beer.

 

This beer is a little to coffee forward for me. I like the oatmeal which softens the coffee. It has a good chocolate taste and is well balanced but not my favorite of this style.
60 IBUs

 

Well this is certainly a robust beer. I do quite enjoy it, but was a bit surprised to see it ranked 100 at the time of my review. To me it lacks a little smoothness and isn't as dynamic as you'd hope for something with a dark, rich, forefront like this beer. It's one of the darkest beers I've ever seen.

FBS has stood the test of time bringing heavy Sumatran coffee flavor with dark chocolate and molasses tying things together. The only knock on this beer is the low viscosity for a stout of this ABV, but it's always been this way. Consistency is appreciated at least. Still the quintessential coffee stout IMO

 

 

Bottled in October of 2017

I typically have trouble rating the appearance of stouts, as they all look so similar. That said, this one stands out for a robust and persistent mocha colored head that looks wonderful on top of the dark, dark brown body.

Aroma has loads of coffee and rich malts. Quite nice smelling.

Taste has plenty of coffee and roasted malts. Some sweetness appears late to balance this out, but this is certainly coffee-forward (in a good way). Full bodied and smooth.

Overall, this has held up amazingly well. Perfect breakfast beer for me this December morning.

 

Dec 7 2024 from a bottle into a tulip glass.
Look: Intensely dark coffee, tan head that dissipates quickly.
Smell: Gorgeous coffee with slight maple syrup sweetness, chocolate, slight hints of dark fruit.
Taste: Follows the nose, but add a touch of bitterness. Chocolate, coffee, some cola, dark roasted malt, hop bitterness at the end. Gets better as it warms. The alcohol is well-hidden. It's a pleasure to drink.
Feel: Medium to full bodied. Smooth. Small-bubble carbonation.
Overall: This is an outstanding beer. I would drink this instead of my morning coffee every day, if I could. It's my go to beer for weekend morning soccer game viewing.