Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout

Kentucky Breakfast Stout

Founders Brewing Company

Grand Rapids, Michigan

American Imperial Stout

10.2% ABV

BA: A+

RB: 100(99)

Tasted in a Chimay goblet at The Copper Mine Pub

     Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout is one of the hardest to find annually produced beers in the country, and after finally tasting it I know why.  This was absolutely one of the best beers I've ever had.  I don't want to rank it against beers of any other style because thats comparing apples to oranges and that's just not fair.  It is one of the best ever and so far the best stout I've had(Dogfish Head Bitches Brew was also excellent).  The Copper Mine featured this beer as a special tap for their annual Christmas party, which was delayed by a few days due to our massive snowstorm.  It was only fair to give everyone a chance to come down and try it.  So on a chilly Thursday evening in December, Vito and Matt began pouring just before 7pm and as soon as 7 came they began serving.  KBS poured a very dark, deep, creamy brown with very little head, and even less by the time it was passed out to the ravenous patrons.  It has a strong bourbon/coffee/chocolate smell with a little vanilla in there just for fun and the wood was also evident.  This beer is aged in a cave in bourbon oak barrels and that is quite noticeable.  The taste is almost indescribable.  I wanted to drink it and then pour in a lake and freeze it for the winter then take it out in huge blocks and thaw it in the spring and drink it again.  But seriously there was so much coffee and chocolate that I could swear I was drinking a cocktail of Kahlua and Bailey's mixed with a little beer and a dash of oak aged bourbon.  This beer is a rock solid 5 out of 5 pints with a shot of bourbon to just show that its too good to be rated.  If you see this on a shelf at a store, BUY IT.  If you see it on tap at a bar, DRINK IT!!!!!!!!

13 Beers of Festivus Day 4: Flying Fish Exit 13 Imperial Chocolate Stout

Exit 13 Chocolate Stout

Flying Fish Brewing Co., Cherry Hill, NJ

Foreign Stout

7.5% ABV

BA: A-

RB: NR

Consumed at friend's house in snifter, available at Beekman's Wine for $9.11

     First I'll apologize for not taking a picture while I was drinking this beer.  If I have another one at some point I'll edit the post and add a picture.  The beer poured out the darkest black I've ever seen from a beer.  It was also thick like syrup and as I consumed the beer, it left a film on the glass like chocolate syrup.  There was a large fluffy, foamy head that barely dissipated as I drank this.  It really had a light chocolate smell and even lighter chocolate taste.  As it warmed up slightly more chocolate came through but it was mostly in the aftertaste.  I tasted more of the roasted malt and caramel flavors that are usually associated with a stout but I was left disappointed with the lack of real chocolate flavor.  I'm happy I tasted this before I taste any of the renowned chocolate beers, such as Southern Tier Choklat.  Reviews of those beers have praised the overall chocolatey flavor and therefore I'm glad I didn't have those first, otherwise this beer might get a 1 pint rating.  

    Overall I found the beer very drinkable for 7.5% ABV.  Had I not been a collector of the bottles, I probably would not have bough this beer.  The previous exits have been fairly good, but this one leaves me with the same feeling I have when I drive down the Turnpike on a summer weekend, anticipation and frustration.  If you're with a friend who has a bottle then by all means drink up, but its not worth the $9-10 if you're just curious.  I will remind you that taste is a personal thing and everyone's taste buds are different.  The Exit Series is a fun little novelty that gained the brewery a nice little bit of press when it started, but this one just isn't worth the hype.  I'm going to have to give this 2.5 pints out of 5 with a possibly half point boost only because I wasn't the one that paid for this and my friend let me keep the empty for my collection.