Founders - Canadian Breakfast Stout 2017

It's cool they're bringing this back, and I'll admit KBS has grown on me as a more subtle BA'd beer, not the typical bruiser... but I don't believe a 10.6% maple syrup barrel stout is going to rock nearly as many worlds as it did ~8yrs ago.

Michigan Maple Jesus is 12%, same barrels, and a shelfie at $9.99 w/ no limits. Project Pam didn't age well (I just opened one a few weeks ago), and I believe it will be a big mistake to age CBS. For the record I believe most people "aging" their BA'd stouts are really just "slowly ruining" their once great, expensive beers.

 

Two caveats I see here.

With the write ups it would not be uncommon for a source to report what they think is the case and then for subsequent writers to simply repeat that because it sounds plausible or fits with their expectations. I've seen it happen more than once, and with increasing frequency since blogging because common. I've also seen it happen in certain professional areas where the original research results did not actually support the later inferences drawn. There is an "echo effect" even in professional writing.

As for the barrels, what leads the barrel broker to not charge for them as they do is some surface cracks which mar their appearance but not necessarily their ability to store liquid. So if BLiS is not using all "rustic" barrels in their syrup aging they are misleading or lying to their customers. That could be a problem for them. Also their's an alternative. With the barrels being used by BLiS their ability to still store liquid is not impaired and it's quite possible that both the maple syrup and those surface cracks contribute to the effects Founder's wants to obtain, or that the cracks are actually irrelevant if the barrels are discarded after the CBS aging.

This is an interesting puzzle indeed that to a certain extent has been caused by the ambiguity created by one sales rep. and what might have been an echo chamber effect.

 

See my reply to KBS.

Just because the broker doesn't categorize them as not being suitable and charge a higher price doesn't mean the brewery agrees, especially after the barrels have successfully held all that maple syrup for so long...

 

100% fact that the BLiS syrup goes into bourbon barrels. Not bourbon barrels that were used for KBS. The hot sauce does.
Just as on their website, BLiS also confirmed this process during a segment on a tv show I watched. Can't seem to find it, but may have been Food Network.

I have had both many times. The syrup is amazing, but there is no chocolate or coffee flavor.

Interestingly, this clip shows them talking about charcoal in bourbon barrels... I would give him referencing the charred staves that tend to crumble after emptied, but that's not what he said. Distilleries do not put charcoal in barrels. If they did it would legally be whiskey, not bourbon. Even Jack Daniels filters theirs in a tank I believe. Also, "speeding up the aging process"???? Yeah. That's not what the process is about. Anyway...

 

Everyone seems to interpret that if CBS used BBA-KBS-Maple barrels that that would mean that Blis would have to exclusively do that - but that would make no sense, as Evil Twin's MMJ uses Blis Barrels. These two do not have to coincide.

Founder's could use this Process outside of what Blis does for their maple syrup. The only question would be exactly what happens to the Maple Syrup.

 

Yeah. I don't recall any exclusive deal with BLiS. I just know that Founders uses the spent syrup barrels from BLiS. Basically the companies swap used barrels. Founders sends some KBS barrels to them for their hot sauce, BLiS semd some maple barrels to them for beer.

I was under the impression from what Founders has described before as the process that Brekafast Stout goes into fresh bourbon barrels for a year underground = KBS
Then, some of the KBS goes into bourbon barrels that BLiS used to age maple syrup = CBS

 

However, Bourbon barrels are charred before they are put into use by the distiller.

While not all Bourbon is made in KY, the charcoal filtering is part of the reason Jack Daniels is Tennessee whiskey rather than Bourbon.

 

Exactly. Char levels range from 1-5 (seonds they scorch the oak for). Most KY producers use a 3 or 4. I have never heard of actual charcoal being used in any (whiskey) barrels. As I mentioned, I think JD filters theirs with it after barrel aging.

 

Um, what shelves are you referring to? I've seen people in Michigan trade for Michigan Maple Jesus...not to mention myself!

Apparently, throughout the off-years, they use those barrels just to disappoint us with alternative medicines such as Frootwood, Project PAM, etc.

 

There's sources that state that KBS originally started with BS into BA barrels (not exclusively BBA), and then sometime before 2009 or 2011, the base got changed.

The base is also supposed to be different for CBS.

 

Yes, that's my understanding as well. Any effect on the Bourbon comes from the charring of barrels not adding charcoal chips or something such. Yes, JD uses the charcoal filter after aging and before bottle filling.

 

Hopefully soon available in the Netherlands.

 

Awesome news! I guess it is true!

 

It's sitting on shelves all over NYC. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ not sure why, the stuff is delicious.

 

How much is it there? I paid $12/bottle in the midwest.

 

Cheapest I see on Beermenus is $8.99 but I remember paying $10.99 when it was released.

 

Sadly I never got to try 2011. The 2014 that I had on tap was FANTASTIC. Very anxious for this to come back out. I look forward to searching it out.

 

Getting a jump on things:
1. Not sure what all the hype is about, this version of CBS wasn't as good as the last one.
2. Not sure what all of the hype is about, the stuff isn't that good anyway.
3. Not sure what all of the hype is about, it just sits on shelves at my local store.
4. Not sure what all of the hype is about, there are so many better options now and they are all cheaper.
It's too thin. It's too boozy. Maple flavor, seriously. No barrel character at all. I don't even like stouts.

 

I just want to point out that Ron Burgundy and Wes Mantooth are often going back and forth in this thread

 

On a related note, though, I'm moving to the Cleveland area in a couple weeks and need to know where I can fight some of you Ohioans for a few bottles of CBS. I'll probably have a flaming barbed wire-laced 2x4, just a heads up. I'm lookin' at you @Sabtos @WesMantooth