How early would you get up in the morning to buy beer? Or more importantly, how LONG would you stand and wait in 30 degree rainy weather for beer?
Founders Brewing Company releases their famous Kentucky Breakfast Stout once a year in March. It is an American Double/ Imperial stout that is brewed with a hint of coffee and vanilla then aged in oak bourbon barrels for over a year. For those familiar with their Breakfast Stout, this is an entirely different and stronger beast. This past March 13th I anxiously waited in line for my chance to acquire my share of Beer Advocate’s 7th highest rated beer in the world. Founder’s doors would not open until 11am, yet I arrived bright and early around 8:00. To my surprise, there were already ten people standing in line! They greeted me as I got out of my car and asked where I was from. (At that time, I only lived ten minutes away). As I found out, the other ten were from all over the Midwest; Ohio, Illinois, and even a guy from Ontario Canada! To put it lightly, I was very impressed and surprised that despite the distance they traveled, they had arrived earlier than I who was only ten minutes away. As we stood to wait, the line began to progressively lengthen. By 9:30, the line wound around the corner of the brewery, I had no idea how long it got after that. It is safe to say that several hundred showed up ahead of time.
After much waiting, shivering, talking, laughing, and drinking we were finally let in and purchase our beer. I immediately went and threw my brand new KBS into my car and went back in for a beer or three. Let me tell you something, I consider myself lucky to have lived near Founders for almost a year, but I had never seen such an epic tap list as they had on that day. From memory, this was what they had:
Canadian Breakfast Stout
Kentucky Breakfast Stout ’08,’09,’10 vintages on regular tap as well as nitro-tap
Hand of Doom (Barrel Aged Double Trouble)
Double Trouble
Imperial Stout
Breakfast Stout
Porter
Black Biscuit
Backwoods Bastard
Oatmeal Stout
Nemesis
I sat inside from the cold and had a couple to enjoy and celebrate my first KBS purchase. The purchase line never died down for the length of time I was there, in fact, as I left the brewery well over an hour after my purchase, the line still wrapped around the building! It’s amazing what people are willing to do for great beer. I for one will be there year after year, patiently waiting in line for my yearly Kentucky Breakfast Stout.
Here is what I thought of this year’s release:
A+ / 4.95
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | drink: 4.5
12oz. bottle poured into a snifter. Bottled on 02/15/10.
(A)- Pours thick & as dark as the blackest night. Produced a frothy & large 3+ finger almost dark brown head with some good retention behind it. The head actually became a tan color as it finally settled to a light layer of froth on the surface. Left some legs of foam on the sides of the glass.
(S)- Dense aromas of coffee grounds, brown sugar, vanilla, molasses, dark chocolate, and light bits of wood. Rich & decadent. I could really smell this all day; a combination of all my most favorite smells rolled into one.
(T)- Exactly like the smell. Wonderful combo of coffee & chocolate with vanilla & brown sugar. Sweet, but not overly so. Finishes up dry & slightly bitter. Let this warm up to cellar temp.
(M)- Great carbonation level & balance. Sweet, yet dry & bitter to smooth it all out. Very impressed with how smooth this years is; great alcohol integration. There is a warmth to it going down, but in no way harsh or overpowering whatsoever. I am really surprised how smooth it is this fresh already!
(D)- Every time I have had this beer, it continually surprises me and amazes me at the same time. An amazing example of the style that never disappoints. Founders just knows how to do their stouts; KBS/CBS/BS are overall just fantastic & perhaps my most favorite lineup of beers.
This years release will not disappoint if you haven’t had it yet & are wondering the quality of the batch. In fact, it may just be better than last years. Simply a delight to drink & enjoy, I didn’t want it to end.
-Sweem
