KBS - Maple Mackinac Fudge
Founders Brewing Company

Founders KBS Maple Mackinac Fudge Imperial Stout, 11% ABV. Pours black with a 3-finger light brown head that left foamy lacing. Nose is incredibly strong fudge with a hint of maple. Taste follows, with equal amounts of sweetness and bitterness, a slight bourbon burn on the end, and coffee aftertaste. Excellent mouthfeel, overall world-class. They managed to stop just short of a pastry stout, but I wouldn't have minded the extra sweetness it would have taken. As is, the nose is much better than the taste. A tad more maple syrup could have made this epic.

Updated; lowered taste rating, not as phenomenal as I recall. The nose is still perfect.

 

 

 

Poured from bottle dated 2020 (so this has been bottle conditioning 6 years). Pitch black dark, no head. Smells like hot fudge (even though it's cold). Sweet; tastes like chocolate, maple, and some notes of light roast coffee. A little boozy, but's it's 11% abv. Really solid dessert beer.

(review from December 2020) HO-LY Mother Fudgin' Crap,maltman! Would you like a little BA imperial stout with that fudge? Unbelievably fudgin' version of KBS with SO much fudgin' flavor & sweetness that it almost overwhelms the maple/java hints & certainly overpowers the bourbon! That 'sed it's still an unbelievably smooth fooler of an 11%er w/great mouthfeel& mouthcoating maple/java/roasty malt goodness & just the barest hint of bourbon fighting to get past the almost too much mother fudgin' sweetness. Diabetics run away screaming from this one! Better LOVE fudge for this one!

My favorite KBS variant. The fudge is the winner in this beer, as it bursts with flavor. It has a creamy feel that almost melts in your mouth . Top notch BA offering.

Fudge and coffee hit you at once, maple in the finish. Oak on aftertaste. Not the biggest fan of maple, but it worked here by not overdoing it. Very good sipper. Bottled August 2022.

 

 

I got a 4pck of bottles of this beer from my local beer store located just around the corner. It poured an opaque dark with thin tan ring head that is leaving a spotty lace. The scent had maple and chocolate fudge notes. The taste was nicely balanced and easy to sip with sweet chocolate malt base with maple syrup presence. The mouthfeel was fuller in body and had smoove carbonation. Overall it is a solid beer.

 

 

 

Review: 2152
Name: KBS Maple Mackinac Fudge
Brewery: Founders Brewing
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Style: Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
ABV: 11%
Date: 10/26/2020
Continuing to work through my Founder's Collection, I am sipping on a KBS variant. I am still determining how to pronounce Mackinac, but it is a maple fudge variant. I am using a tulip glass and serving the beer at 48 degrees. The pour created a frothy, creamy, one-fingered dark tan head with okay retention. The somewhat quick dissipation left no lacing on the glass. I am charting the beer at SRM 38, which is inky black and opaque. The appearance is average for this style; I have seen longer-lasting heads on Imperial Stouts.
Nosing the glass, I smell rich chocolate fudge, bourbon, coffee, malty sweetness, and bits of dankness. The fudge aromas resemble grandma's fudge she makes during the holidays. The fudge has a milk chocolate quality with a hint of dark, bittersweet baking chocolate and sugary. The coffee aroma is medium-roasted with a bit of wood and bitterness. The malt profile is roasty with char, subtle smoke, toasted cereal, and bready. The barrel aging added the need for complexity to round out the dominant aromas. The barrel added bourbon, oak, and caramel notes. Other scents I smell are toffee, molasses, figs, floral, a hint of dankness, tobacco, and vanilla. The beer has a delightful bouquet of aromas.
I was concerned that this beer would be a sugar bomb, but I was pleasantly surprised. This beer is fantastic. The Fudge flavor is a bright, shining star, with a cadre of flavors filling the crucial roles needed to make this beer shine. The fudge is oozing chocolate flavors of milk chocolate and dark Belgian Chocolate. The barrel aging added a lovely depth with char notes, bourbon, and oak. The malt backbone is firm with flavors of roast and toasty cereal grains, bready, light smoke, and a skosh of Maillard. The other part of that cadre is the coffee. Mackinac Fudge has a fantastic coffee flavor: slightly bitter, medium-roasted, and earthy. The rest of the flavors are molasses, toffee, caramel, raisin, and a light floral finish. I did not mention the maple in the aromas or taste because I had difficulty discerning that flavor; the Chocolate was substantial.
The mouthfeel is chewy and creamy, and the finish is smooth yet bitter. The body is heavy and has low carbonation.
I enjoy this beer, and I am glad it is not a sugar bomb. However, I was disappointed that I could not smell or taste the maple; I think the chocolate-dominated flavor hid that—a fantastic sipper for the night. I will try another variant soon.