Big Brekkie Breakfast Stout
Lefty's Brewing Company

Big Brekkie Breakfast StoutBig Brekkie Breakfast Stout
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From:
Lefty's Brewing Company
 
Massachusetts, United States
Style:
American Imperial Stout
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
86
Avg:
3.81 | pDev: 10.76%
Reviews:
15
Ratings:
51
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 31, 2019
Added:
Jan 05, 2013
Wants:
  5
Gots:
  7
Lefty’s Big Brekkie packs in a quintet of delicious ingredients woven together to amuse the taste buds. Locally roasted coffee and local maple syrup add the necessary touch of a traditional New England breakfast. We include flaked oats for extra creaminess and cocoa nibs for a natural, chocolaty sweetness that lures you in from the aroma to the end of your pint. We had to top it off with bacon, our favorite food, for the ultimate breakfast brew.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Noooddle:
Photo of Noooddle
Rated by Noooddle from Washington

4.22/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Nov 18, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.85 by Mickt465 from New Hampshire

Mar 31, 2019
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

3.34/5  rDev -12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Pours a large brown creamy foamy almost solid 1.5 finger head that fades quite slowly, great retention, decent lacing, super dark brown basically black beer

Nose starts with a flash of acrid roast, burnt malts, into black malts then oatmeal and dark chocolate, roasty burnt coffee, a hint of smokey maple bacon and mild maple syrup, as it warms a bit more maple and coffee gets a little smoother, more dark chocolate, getting better

Taste brings more of the roasted burnt slight acrid malts, bitter tannic charred malts, a little burnt roasted coffee, fair acidic mild earthy coffee, a little spice note from the malts, very light maple if anything and touch of oatmeal, pretty much no smokey bacon either but a very faint touch of it late, some big tingly hot alcohol as well on the back of the throat and tongue, a little sticky syrupy malt as well as the finish attempts to dry, mild bitterness and tannins more as it dries with hot alcohol

Mouth is med bod yet seems somehow thin, hot alcohol throughout, decent carb at least, a little astringent as well, very poor mouth for what it is

Overall pretty poor beer, def needs more oats and higher fermentation temp and maybe a cleaner fermentation, and the characters it advertises are barely detectable, except the coffee which is burnt and has no subtleties, this tastes like a homebrewer just threw things together
Dec 27, 2018
 
Rated: 3.81 by PhineasMcClintock from Massachusetts

May 22, 2018
Photo of hoptheology
Reviewed by hoptheology from California

3.84/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
A rich chocolate-y brown body with a 1/2 finger of creamy beige head.

Aroma of coffee, toast, dark chocolate, and faint milk chocolate sweetness.

Flavor has some really delicious coffee flavors coming out - smooth, fruity, and lightly peppery - with some malted milk balls, slight oak, and burnt toast. Very very faint suggestions of milk chocolate bar. Very faint smoke.

Feel I noticed off the bat, it's pretty light bodied for a supposedly thick stout. There's a nice nitro-like creaminess, but it's still coming off a bit watery. Busy carbonation. More water. Roasty finish.

Overall, a decent but not great breakfast stout. FBS this ain't. Definitely no maple or bacon to be found anywhere. Although it was a little disappointing, I was happy to try it out.
Apr 02, 2018
 
Rated: 3.73 by jcflorian from Connecticut

Apr 02, 2018
 
Rated: 3.84 by Gkruszewski from New York

Mar 30, 2018
 
Rated: 3.85 by SFC21 from Florida

Mar 03, 2018
Photo of ichorNet
Reviewed by ichorNet from Massachusetts

4.56/5  rDev +19.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
This is my third can of BBBS, and I'd say it now occupies the uppermost echelon of strong, "maximalist" stouts I've had. I like stuff like Bomb! and whatnot, but this just seems so dedicated to the breakfast aspect of things that it just feels downright impressive. My homebrew buddy and I have previously made two batches of a "maximalist" breakfast stout featuring maple syrup, oats, smoked malt and coldbrew coffee, but this takes that idea even further by substituting the smoked malt for real bacon and also adding organic cocoa nibs. It's hard to argue with that, honestly. Such dedication to a concept must necessarily produce an incredible beer, right?

The pour here is an abyssal black color; though it seems to appear as a deep-brown (35 SRM) color when exiting the can it's housed in, when built up to a full-bodied beer in a glass, it, of course, seems devoid of light. The head is a light khaki/ecru color and seems to last pretty much the entirety of the drinking session. Surface haze is moderate, and lace is nearly nonexistent. A very nice stout pour, but overall it doesn't stand out too much.

The nose is another story entirely. It first seems to build up with a strong maple syrup-like element... reminds me of yeasted waffles smothered in syrup, but then there's a slight element of roastiness and chocolate-y malts with some subtle smoke characteristics hiding underneath. The bacon comes across heavily here once the beer warms up a bit to room temperature, giving off a definite savory aspect that I really dig here.

The flavor profile here is all kinds of crazy, and every single element is in intensely-perfected harmony, somehow. This is a very difficult-to-balance beer style... I know from experience. The maple here is the most impressive element. I don't know how they did it, but Lefty's managed to get maple syrup to taste the way it seems like it should in this style of beer; rich, slightly-buttery and slick with a perfect transition to smoky and cocoa-laden flavors in the mid-palate. The roasty malt base and slightly earthy hops keep this anchored in the realm of "traditional beer" despite the intense, flavorful adjuncts present. The coffee gets slightly lost here, to be honest, but it also doesn't seem necessary, as I'm sure it could gel with the roasted malts pretty well. I'm actually thankful that there's no distracting acidity or overly-roasted flavors here, and coffee can be one of those ingredients that brewers "over-extend" with in beers such as this. Overall, I must say... this is insanely well-done.

The feel is silky-smooth and incredibly drinkable for an 8.5% beer. I haven't really enjoyed the most recent batches of Founders' Breakfast Stout (a bit too bitter by my recollection; maybe a little too thin, too?), but now there's a local alternative that takes the FBS idea and dials it to 11! Great job, Lefty's!
Feb 04, 2018
Photo of ThrewRedButter
Reviewed by ThrewRedButter from Massachusetts

3.99/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4
L - Black body with brown edges and a finger of off-white head

S - Decent maple and coffee. Lots of roast and smoke. Chocolate is lacking.

T - Doesn't deliver big on the ingredients as slight coffee and smoke are the only things that show up. Still, the base beer's oats, bread, molasses, and dark fruits are really good.

F - Silky smooth and a hug for your tongue.

O - Severly lacked the promised ingredients, but as a standard Oatmeal Stout, it was great.
Feb 01, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by JeffGuilly from Massachusetts

Dec 30, 2017
 
Rated: 4.48 by Skiro98 from Massachusetts

Dec 21, 2017
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Reviewed by StoutElk_92 from Massachusetts

4.48/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
16 oz. can

Pours maroon pitch black with a dense creamy khaki colored foam head. Smells like dark dried fruits, coffee, salty smoky bacon, chocolate, oats, some maple, fruity molasses, dark caramel, dark toffee, toasted grains, with floral earthy herbal grassy pine. Tastes like dark dried fruits, coffee, bacon, dark bitter chocolate, oats, maple, fruity molasses, dark caramel, dark toffee, roasty toasted grains, with floral earthy herbal grassy pine. Feels medium-light bodied, creamy smooth with moderate carbonation. Overall a real nice breakfast stout with chocolate, coffee, oatmeal, maple and bacon.
Dec 19, 2017
 
Rated: 3.34 by RickyBfromCT from Connecticut

Oct 02, 2017
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Reviewed by jdhilt from New Hampshire

3.54/5  rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.75
Pours a one finger light tan head that fades slowly leaving a good lace. Black color, no highlights. Light carbonation and light bodied. Coffee nose and flavor is baked chocolate and coffee, higher ABV, 8.5%, is hidden. $6.95 for a 22oz bottle from Colonial Spirits Acton, Ma.
Jun 11, 2017
Photo of Nugget40
Reviewed by Nugget40 from Massachusetts

4.61/5  rDev +21%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
This beer is a fantastic balancing act between all the flavors and ingredients it's brewed with. It pours black without much of a head, though it does retain the head through the duration. Smells wonderful, chocolate, coffee, bacon, maple, oats. Taste follows the nose, you can taste each individual component without any one flavor overpowering another. Full, rich oily mouthfeel with medium carbonation. Overall I would say this a pretty damn good breakfast stout, and one I will for sure buy again in the future
Mar 26, 2017
Photo of fitzy84
Reviewed by fitzy84 from Massachusetts

4.12/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bought a bottle at the Beer Shop in East Longmeadow, MA. The beer had a pure black with a thin head and strong aromas of roasted coffee and chocolate. The beer taste followed the nose with a bitter, coffee and chocolate dynamic. The mouthfeel supplemented the beer flavors quite nicely by being very creamy. Overall, this was an awesome beer.
Jan 01, 2017
 
Rated: 3.97 by Stignacious from New York

Dec 28, 2016
Photo of JAck199
Reviewed by JAck199 from New Jersey

3.82/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
A Rich tasting beer dark little bit of hints of coffee and a subtle hint a bacon I found it quite delicious very drinkable. Been impressed with the quality of Lefty's.
Mar 13, 2016
 
Rated: 3.52 by Kurmaraja from California

Feb 15, 2016
Big Brekkie Breakfast Stout from Lefty's Brewing Company
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 51 ratings