Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout) Review

Name: Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout)
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 11.2%

Today's review is somewhat special to me, as you can see from the title. That's right, I bring to you my review of Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout or KBS for short. For as long as I have been into craft beer, this has been an Imperial Stout with a holy grail-like reputation.

For the past couple of years, this beer has always seemed to elude me because I'm either not looking in the right places or I get in when all the bottles have been sold out. That all changed a couple of weeks ago when I went down to my local store to grab a growler fill. As I made my way towards the growler fill station, I noticed there were four bottles left of KBS sitting in the cooler. Without a second thought I grabbed a bottle for myself and just after I did, some guy grabbed the last three; Talk about lucky!

KBS pour a pitch black color with a pretty fizzy dark brown head. While I'm not picking up on any visible carbonation; Interestingly enough, I'm not catching any lacing along the sides of the glass either.

The aroma starts out with a fairly typical chocolate malt profile & vanilla sweetness profile; Then it gets a little off of the beaten path because I'm picking up on a marshmallow scent, black coffee, and a distinct oakiness. Even though I've never been there before, I would imagine this is what the backwoods of Kentucky would smell like.

The flavor starts out fairly oak forward with notes of vanilla, marshmallows, roasted barley and black coffee. Each flavor is very vibrant and the chocolate malts provide an excellent foundation for the flavors overall. It's got a mildly roasty aftertaste with a light but sweet vanilla flavor. There also is no boozy flavors in here to speak of.

The palate is definitely a heavyweight when it comes to the body but the texture is quite smooth with only some minor carbonation, giving it a mild creamy feeling that allows you to savor the flavors.

Would I say that KBS is worth the hype and reputation? I would say for the most part, it is. It's got a vibrant flavor that is both complex yet enjoyable. On top of that, it's very easy to drink both in terms of texture and palate. If you so happen to stumble upon this beer by shear luck, pick it up before the guy/girl behind you does!


Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout) - 9.5/10