Founders Breakfast Stout
Brewery: Founders Brewing Co.
Where: Grand Rapids, MI
Beer: Breakfast Stout
Style: American Double / Imperial Stout
IBU: 60
ABV: 8.3%
I hate days like today. I have had a long work day and I was looking forward to having a good beer tonight. I came home and pulled the Founders Breakfast Stout that I have been saving for a while. I picked up a four-pack of these at Gail's Hops and Grapes last week. I'm a fan of stouts and imperial stouts. I love the richness of body and the roasted barley flavor dominance in most of them, but this particular choice is not good for me.
This beer poured the standard coffee-black color with an extra thick molasses-colored head. The aroma was definitely producing a coffee scent, and the label on this beer does boast double chocolate, coffee, and oatmeal, so I thought it would be fun to try. When I tasted this beer, there is only one word that comes to mind: ACRID. In my humble opinion, the coffee is overpowering in this beer. There is no essence of chocolate that I can detect and the roasted barley is present but it's simply overpowered by the coffee. My problem is that I'm not a coffee drinker at all. I can handle an occasional french vanilla cappuccino, but I never drink regular coffee, even with cream and sugar. To me, this beer tastes like what I would expect to find leftover in someone's coffee pot around noon or so after everyone had their morning fill. Once again, that's just me. If you ARE a coffee drinker, I would have to highly recommend giving this beer a whirl. I can't let myself underrate a beer that might be excellent because of my simple dislike of coffee.
This is only my second try of a Founders Brewing Co. beer, so I'll be sure to try some more in the future. I have three of these left if anyone is interested in trading me three other beers for them...
