KBS - Espresso
Founders Brewing Company

Sampling a cellar temp 12 oz bottle poured into my snifter. Date stamp is bottled on 10/15/2020. oops. ABV should have kept this fine, but I suspect coffee has faded quite a bit.
The beer pours a black coffee color into my snifter. Maybe 1 cm of creamy beige foam shows up on the pour and fades to a sturdy edge layer and one large island. there is some scattered lacing and a bit of legs sliding on glass when I take a sip or swirl the glass.
Aroma is dark chocolate and some rich coffee notes mixing with a little bit of bourbon and some peppery booze notes too. No hop character on this beer nose.
First sip reveals a medium body with smooth texture and only a little coating. Very fine tingly carbonation and a little warming on the finish.
Flavor is dark chocolate black coffee and some bourbon mixing together. Chocolate is by far the dominant flavor, but it isnt a sweet candy chocolate. A little bit of vanilla on the finish with some peppery bite that I think is ABV booze. Never any hop notes.
The beer is fine and I do wonder how much the espresso and coffee may have faded over time. But as it is, this beer isnt something to go crazy for in my opinion.

 

L = Virtually no head, minor lacing. Black as night. It's a not quite right in the head look, but I suspect all because of proliferous amounts of coffee, so all is well!
S = I do like good coffee, and this smells heavenly. Coffee, chocolate, bourbon...all prominent and enticing.
T = Tastes like KBS with a shot of espresso. drinking it at 45 degrees. It's just wonderful!
F = Remarkably non-sticky, and amazingly carbonated feel, considering zero head and modest lacing. Well done!
O = Pretty damn exquisite! My cheap angel on the left shoulder says no, but my carefree devil says go for it!

(review from January 2020) See previous reviews of various vintages/versions of KBS & add more coffee punch but subtract some bourbony flavor.

Black color. Big , beige head. Coffee, wood, roasted malt and vanilla in the aroma. Well-balanced taste with roasted bitterness and hint of coffee acidity.

 

Had this beer a few years ago, bought it for my wife as I am not a coffee person. I thought it was OK considering the coffee flavor. I think I combined her score with mine. 70 IBUs

I got a 4pck of bottles of this beer from my local meijer store (my wife dropped the first 4pck while we were checking out....beer everywhere....lol). It poured an opaque dark with very thin tan ring head that is not leaving any lace. The scent had mild bourbon, espresso, and earth notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to drink with semi sweet dark chocolate malt base with bourbon, coffee, and peat presence. The mouthfeel was medium in body with fizzy carbonation. Overall it is a great beer.

 

 

Less sweet that regular KBS. Coffee flavors not very bold. Barrel also not very present. Still very enjoyable and a variant the is better than others.

I noticed the bottled on date was 8/12/21
Enjoyed the smoothness from the age but I wonder how much flavor was lost in the espresso. I will have to try a fresh one to compare.

I was not a fan. I do enjoy stouts, just not a fan of this style. I love coffee, I love chocolate, probably the bourbon barrel that was the biggest turn off for me and a bit too sweet as well.

Pours very dark with a small light colored head on top that goes away quickly. Smells of espresso, chocolate and a hint of barrel and something else sweet. Strong taste of espresso and barrel.

 

Look is dark black. Smell is of bourbon, chocolate and coffee. Taste is slightly bitter coffee mixed with bourbon. Feel is thick and full bodied. Great KBS variant and coffee beer.

 

L: Pours a dark, thick hickory, forming a thin chestnut head. Fades at a moderate pace. Nice ring of soapy lacing around the snifter and a lasting effervescence in the middle with a scattered, thin lacing of retention. Held to the light, this beer has a near-black, dark cacao hue. Zero visibility.

S: Bourbon barrel, coffee beans, cacao nibs, and roasted malts.

T: Espresso, dark chocolate stout base, roasted malts stand out in the beginning. A hint of vanilla and burnt sugar expresses towards the middle, followed by spicy oak from the bourbon barrel and light char. A flourish of cherry towards the finish.

F: Full-bodied, rich and silky. Has a fair amount of carbonation.

O: Another good entry from Founders and nice take on the original KBS. No weak spots, probably not the best KBS iteration but it's a strong beer in its own right. Coffee lovers' delight.

 

12oz bottle (bottled 8/19/2021) into a tulip. Pours a rich opaque black with a nice nut brown head.

Aroma is big dark roasted malt, bitter chocolate, and coffee. Really nice nutty character when the glass is swirled.

Taste follows nose. Rich and complex, bitter, roasty. Espresso, chocolate, a hint of bourbon and oak, a touch of vanilla. Nicely warming as it goes down.

Mouthfeel is velvety smooth, full bodied, finishes semi-dry.

Overall a very nice KBS variant and a tasty coffee stout.