Anyone ever compare two beers from the same state, not necessarily compared in an exact genre, but very similar? I'm about to do this with Bell's Expedition Stout and Founder's Breakfast Stout: Bell's Expedition Stout: Appearance - the head is much better with a finger of brown head that sticks around then dissipates to a thick film a top the beer, with nice lacing. Smell - roasty chocolate/coffee notes, probably some dark fruits in there too. Taste - same, very roasty chocolate/espresso/coffee from the dark malts plus a slight nuttiness to it. Mouth Feel - very thick with a nice alc bite. Aftertaste is roasty chocolate/coffee that sticks around. Overall - great beer... Founder's Breakfast Stout: Appearance - head is much more "minimal", but only compared to the latter. Dark brown black color. Leaves a nice lacing on the glass. Smell - way more oatmeal/cereal smell, coffee, dark malts, roasted goodness. Taste - Breakfast, with oatmeal prevalent, then your coffee. Very roasty. I'd drink it for breakfast (disclaimer - I know I would because I have). Mouthfeel - definitely lighter than the Expedition, as expected. Less alcohol on the palate and nose. Aftertaste is more bready/oatmeal/dark chocolate. Overall - great beer but may be slightly overrated at 100/100. The verdict: The winner is... EXPEDITION STOUT!! The main reason this won was because of the thick mouth feel of the Expedition Stout, in addition to the deeper, more complex flavor. It think the reason people don't like the Expedition Stout as much (at 94/100 compared to 100/100) is because there's more flavor to take in. With such a thick mouth feel it has a roastiness to it that only a more complex palate can appreciate. The Breakfast stout is more about living up to it's name - yea I can taste the oatmeal and the coffee, but the "beer' part is less prevalent, which is noticed in the much thinner body.
I agree that Expedition surpasses Breakfast Stout, but I'm not sure what the point would be of comparing two beers that happen to be from the same state. After all, those lines that form state boundaries are pretty arbitrary.
I think we may have better comparisons with in Michigan. Expo vs FIS vs Pt5 would be an awesome comparison. Expo vs FBS is not really fair, it is more about preference of a true RIS vs and Coffee Stout.
I fail to understand why people claim FBS is overrated on this site, it's hands down the tastiest and most well done stout I have ever tried. It's the only beer that I have went out of my way to find that not only met the expectations of the hype-but also surpassed it as well.
I totally agree man, I wish I still had access to Michigan beer but unfortunately I don't down here in AZ.
I buy they're Imperial Java Stout all the time. I'll pick some up and compare since I still have some FBS left.
Yeah, why compare FBS vs Expedition especially when FBS loses flavor (it's appeal) with age while Expedition will get smoother and mellow out. Compare Founders Imperial Stout vs Expedition.
Pretty Things Field Mouse's Farewell: Great beer! Jack's Abby R.I.P.L. Effect: Great Beer! WILD CARD: Cambridge Brewing Heather Ale: Great beer!
It's good, but it doesn't deserve to be rated 100/100. Also very unhappy Founders didn't follow through on the six packs, which means the beer will be overpriced again this year. Oh well it'll just sit around on shelves for months, until it gets marked down again just like last year.
I like Founders a little better, but the upside is I can always find the Santa Fe product. Probably not a fair apples to apples comparison, but in Oklahoma we don't get Founders, so beggars can't be choosers...
It's a fantastic go-to and a great example of the coffee stout style, but no way is it one of the best imperial stouts out there. It's not even the best coffee stout, in my opinion; that has got to go to Speedway Stout. As for regular imperial stouts, FBS doesn't crack the top five. I'll always buy a four-pack or two per season because it still is a very good beer, just not the 100 that it's rated at or the ~$10 that it's priced at.
Completely agree with that. The price for the case worked out to ~3 bucks a beer, which isn't too bad but when you consider the fact that something like Expedition Stout or Ten Fidy can be had for that price, and Old Raspy/GF Double Stout/Santa Fe Imperial Java Stout for MUCH less, it all of a sudden doesn't seem as good. It was fun to try it though, I like to pick up beer whenever I'm out of town for work stuff.
