80. Founder’s Breakfast Stout

Founder’s Brewing is located in Grand Rapids, MI, the 114th largest city in the U.S. Grand Rapids is nicknamed the “Furniture City”; I guess “Gem City” doesn’t look so bad in comparison. Grand Rapids is also home to Hideout Brewing Company. We had this on tap @ South Park Tavern.

Breakfast Stout is inky black in color with a minimal tan head. The nose is a delicious burnt roasted malt with some coffee and light caramel aromas. Starting with a soft roasted malt front that moves into a burnt roasted barley and coffee middle with some thick rich sweetness, Breakfast Stout rounds out with creamy lingering roasted and burnt flavors. While there is a good amount of roasted barley burnt flavors, they are not harsh at all; there is a smooth rounded body to the beer that is chewy and thick, carrying with it toffee and caramel notes, so the oatmeal balances this beer out quite effectively. It is medium to heavy bodied with medium carbonation and bite, and the chewiness of it gets accentuated as it warms. Elli says it is very good and well made, but not quite Top 10 material. Founder’s Breakfast Stout is quite enjoyable, but it does take some work to sort through the flavors in it—it requires some slow sipping to enjoy all it has to offer, but it is very rewarding to those who do take the time to work through it.

From the Founder’s website: “The coffee lovers consummate beer. Brewed with an abundance of flaked oats, bitter and imported chocolates, Sumatra and Kona coffee, this stout has an intense fresh roasted java nose topped with a cinnamon colored frothy head that goes forever.”

ABV: 8.3%

IBU: 60

(9/18/2009)