Storing Founders Breakfast Stout

A lot of people say it is much better fresh...I agree.

 

I think that when you find a beer like this, or NC Old Rasputin, or something that drinks really well fresh, you should use your cellar space for something else.

 

Obligatory "You can store it is along as you want"

But like the above say, for some reason the coffee notes in that beer turn in to really noticeable stale coffee flavors quickly. I've had them with a 1+years of age, and it's just...underwhelming. Drink them in the first couple of months for the best result.

 

From the forum on Founder's website,

"Breakfast Stout has a recommended shelf life of 150 days. After that point, the coffee and chocolate will fade and it will not be the beer that our brewers intended it to be. We recommend drinking it in season."

http://foundersbrewing.com/latest-news/2013/smoked-porter-small-batch-release-february-2014/

 

I got a 2010 FBS as an extra in a trade. I blind tasted it with a 2013, the coffee definitely fades and the chocolate comes out more yet less bitter. I really enjoyed it, I wouldn't say it's better aged or fresh but definitely different. If you want a coffee forward beer drink fresh, chocolate forward drink aged, I prefer 6 months is where it's perfect. I did buy two four packs to age, so I've got a whopping $18 invested in the experiment.

 

Drink it fresh

 

I bought lots of 2012 FBS and never got around to drinking it. A year later it's pretty much what everyone else says - the coffee is gone and it's just a thin shell of its former self.

 

Most all of founders beers are "suggested" to be drank fairly soon out of the bottling line.

 

I've heard them say this to yet they contradict themselves quite often...at least in the taproom. I've seen BWB and FBS vintages over the past few months.

Anyways, that being said, I had the 2012 FBS on tap a few weeks ago and fell in love. If you like having a bitter coffee forward beer, then drink it fresh. The 2012 had become very velvety with heavy milk chocolate forward. Almost reminiscent of a milk stout or in the way that Bells Double Cream Stout tastes (even though it doesn't have lactose).

When it comes to "how long" with any beer I'd look at availability and cost. Fortunate for you, if you're near an outlet that carries it, then putting away 4,8,12 won't set you back that far. Build yourself a vert...hell, we're only ~6 months away from next years batch.

 

If you don't want a coffee forward beer, I think it begs the question of why are you buying a coffee stout.

Just my 2 cents.

 

I bought an armful of Peche Mortel today and wondered to myself if it would be worth keeping one or two for a little while. I also wonder if there is a 'dead spot' for coffee stouts where the coffee has faded but the positive aging effects have not yet come into swing. There is much to ponder.

Seems any widely distributed, fairly inexpensive coffee stout is worthy of some experimentation but if the coffee notes are exceptional, it would certainly be a shame to age the stuff for long.

 

For me, I am more concerned about drinking FBS fresh than I am drinking any IPA fresh. The coffee flavor in an extremely fresh FBS is unparalleled but fades remarkably fast. There will still be a strong coffee presence for quite some time, but the intensity and quality is undeniable diminished.

With all that said, this beer does hold up fairly well. When I have had it aged it is generally enjoyable. If for some reason you find some benefit to sitting this beer down for some time, it will be fine for a few years.

 

Kegs of beer holds up substantially better than bottles. I believe the beer you drank was bomb but 2012 bottles for the most part don't taste like that.

 

I just opened a few bottles that I've been cellaring since 2008 and thought they were awesome.

 

Had a 2010 last night, wasn't bad.

 

Just drank a 2011, it was bad. Couldn't even finish half the bottle.

A pattern I've noticed with stouts seems to be tastes good from 0-1 year, not so good 1-3 years, then better 3-5 years. Anybody else notice this?

 

I strongly prefer FBS fresh, but I am aging a few bottles just to see what happens. The writer of the article linked below seemed to really like 3-year-old FBS, so I thought I'd give it a try.

LINK

 

I actually waxed 4 bottles the other night n hopes that they will be a little more fresh on a rainy day a few months from now.

 

Exactly. I prefer the stout most of the time, but FBS is just an incredible receipe with outstanding balance for a coffee beer.