KBS - Cinnamon Vanilla Cocoa
Founders Brewing Company

(review from September 2021) See previous reviews of various vintages & variants. This iteration has a bigly triple hit of cinnamon, cocoa & vanilla as advertised plus a wallop of javaliciousness. Smooth & every bit as POWerful as it's 12%, but any bourbon is overwhelmed by the other flavors.

 

Purchased as a single from the fridge for $5.99. It was actually on sale/marked down from $8.99. 2021 Release: Bottled on 09.03.21, so this is almost four years old.

Look: Very dark, nearly black. Thick and has a nice frothy, cafe-au-lait colored head. Looks very nice.

Smell: Definitely a strong cinnamon note on the nose up front. Afterwards, I get a vanilla cream note and some cocoa powder. Bourbon barrel notes as well. Smells like a sweet dessert with spicy cinnamon.

Taste: It's actually very pleasant and it is showing some nice balance. I was scared that this was going to be a spicy cinnamon bomb, but it's not really. The cinnamon is definitely still strong, and it gives a bit of a sharp and spicy lingering note on the finish (think Dentyne gum). But up front, you get nice cocoa, vanilla, and bourbon notes and all of the flavors are really well-integrated and work well together. They work well together with the cinnamon also. This is a sipper, but it's also a bit dangerous because it's 12% ABV and you really could pound this if you weren't careful and you wanted to.

Feel: Very nice mouthfeel - it has good thickness and it's smooth and velvety. The carbonation works for this as well - it's soft and not under- or over-carbonated.

Overall: I like this. I've only had the original KBS and it's been a while. I think that the age has benefitted this variant, as I could see the cinnamon being overpowering in a fresh bottle. This is really tasty - complex, smooth, decadent. Very enjoyable and well-made.

 

Had this beer a few years ago but gave it a great rating and vaguely remember it. I love the barrel-aged stouts so flavorful. These are sit back relax and sip type of beer. All the flavors blend well together to make a satisfying drink. 45 IBUs

Copenhagen 1/7 2022. 35,5 cl bottle from Meny, Vermlandsgade, Kbh. S. Golden orange label with white letters stating the name and style of the beer and assuring me that this is a Highly Acclaimed Beer.

Pours opaque, dark brown with a big beige head. A bit bubbly. Settles as thin layer of foam just covering the surface of the beer. Substantial lacing.

Aroma is intense with a sweet, dessert-like odor with a bit of Christmas spice. Sweet cocoa, cinnamon in abundance, dark chocolate, vanilla.

Light carbonation. Medium thick, oily, soft, far, creamy and almost flat texture.

Flavor is intense with a strong, spicy sweetness followed by a moderately strong bitterness. Aftertaste is sweet bordering on sugary with a searing boozy undertone. Lingering.

I am not sure that I find that Cinnamon and vanilla is a benefit to my Kentucky Breakfast.

 

 

2021 Bottle poured into a Founders Brewing Co snifter

A: Pours nearly black with a frothy cocoa powder brown head that settles to a light layer and laces nicely.

S: Rich chocolate, pleasant touch of cinnamon, coffee, roasty malt, slight earthy char, smooth bourbon, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, faintly toasty, and a hint of oak.

T: Chocolate fudge and vanilla jump out first, but are quickly followed by mild cinnamon spice, smooth bourbon, and brown sugar, roasted malt, slight earthy char, coffee, and a hint of oak.

M: Full body, mild carbonation, creamy, virtually all 12% is well hidden.

O: A cool night with a storm slowly moving in seems like a pretty good time to grab something out of the cellar. My only critique of this edition is that I wish the cinnamon presence was a bit stronger. It might have been when this first went into the bottle, but at this stage it's pleasantly mild. That being said, it's still a solid KBS variant. All of the flavors show up and play nicely together, but it just doesn't come off as special as some of the other variants they've done.

 

Review: 2167
Name: KBS Cinnamon Vanilla Cocoa
Brewery: Founder
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Style: Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
ABV: 12%
Date: 05/26/2021
I am choosing another option from my cellar and finishing the rest of the Founders in there. I am using a tulip glass and serving the beer at 46 degrees. The pour created a frothy, airy, one-fingered, light tan head with okay retention. The somewhat quick dissipation left no lacing on the glass. The ebony brew is black and opaque, charting at SRM 38. The appearance is average for this beer
Nosing the glass, I smell supermarket cocoa, coffee, and cinnamon. Smelling the glass again, I noticed the malt profile was bready, roasty, and toasty, with malty sweetness, caramel, and char. The barrel aging adds depth and complexity to the beer with oak, char, bourbon, and resin notes. Other flavors I detect are vanilla, molasses, raisin, earthiness, dust, and a hint of floral. The chocolate in this is disappointing; it smells cheap and chalky.
The initial flavors are chocolate, cinnamon, and coffee. The chocolate tastes better than the aromas; it is one step up from Hershey's but still has the baker chocolate vibe. The coffee note is delightfully roasted and woody. As for the cinnamon, I wonder why some beers have this dusty wood barn flair; this one does. The malt complex is bready, toasted, malty sweetness, and roasty with notes of smoke and char. The barrel aging also presents with char, light Maillard, oak, and bourbon. Other flavors are toffee, treacle, light vanilla, dates, and earthy dirt.
The mouthfeel is chewy and finishes dry. The body is heavy and has low carbonation.
The intense flavors in the beer drown out the vanilla flavor. This version of KBS is one of the better ones I have tried recently. The age of the beer is good, but I could have cellared this another year or two. A trend I have noticed with KBS is the body; the brewers could have more depth and harmony. This version of KBS is a solid offering, but several beers I have tried with this same adjunct present better on the palate. Overall, KBS is an enjoyable experience, and I will continue to enjoy it.

The single most overrated beer i've had in my life. This is barely drinkable. gross.

Bottled Oct 2021. Pours a pitch black color with a half finger width foamy head. Head retention is good as is the lacing. Nice cinnamon aroma. May overpower the chocolate and vanilla but still great. On the taste, I get a hint of chocolate followed by a creamy vanilla, and ending in a big cinnamon flavor. Medium to heavy bodied with mild to moderate carbonation.

Pours a very dark brown - maybe black - with scant dark mocha head that returns briefly with vigorous swirl.
Aroma is quite cinnamon forward but with vanilla notes and a big kick of chocolate - milder hints of roasty coffee.
Sweet and chocolatey on the palate, vanilla, a bit of bourbon booziness and a definite kick of cinnamon spice - again a hint of sweetened coffee.
Creamy full mouthfeel - sweet but not at all cloying - nicely carbonated. Excellent KBS variation.

 

Pours very dark with a dark brown head that stays for awhile. Gives off a chocolate barrel smell. Taste is of straight cinnamon with a hint of barrel, no vanilla present.

12/23/2023, a very merry Christmas to us!

Completely blackout dark! No head, just a fine ring of miniscule bubbles ringing the glass. Pours thick!

Amazing aromas of cocoa, like a freshly opened Hershey bar! Also getting toast and an ever so slight vanilla sweetness, and booze.

Very toasty. Very chocolatey and finishes with a slight ending of cinnamon...like after having cooked down cinnamon sticks during the holidays, there's just a hint of the aroma left in the stick.... that's the flavor you get.

Towards the end this beer gets as little too much... Slightly medicinal. Thick and syrupy, though drying on the finish. Really enjoy this sipper.

Look is dark black. Smell is of sweet cinnamon and spice. Taste is sweet spice, dark roast malt, and bourbon. Feel is thick and full bodied. Overall, a good take on the KBS family and solid dessert beer.

 

Poured from 12oz bottle to a tulip/snifter glass. Pours pitch black with a small brown head that falls to a cap and then reduces to a ring. Some lacing left behind in the glass as you sip. Smell is cinnamon bun, vanilla, oak, a bit of cocoa. Taste is cinnamon up front, cocoa, pepper, caramel in the middle, and vanilla cream, cocoa in the end. As the beer warms, you get a bit more vanilla and bourbon. Feel is medium to full bodied with some light carbonation. Beer leaves a bit of a coating on the tongue. Overall, this is a decent variety. Worth buying again. Definitely improves as it warms.