• Cory Pelc
• On August 14, 2013
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ABV: 8.3% | IBU: 60

I used to think this brew was best poured into a wide base tulip on a cool summer’s evening. I have changed my mind. This breakfast beer is best served with breakfast. It’s a big beer but not too big. Grab a mug, pour a Founders Brewing Breakfast Stout and grab a slice of coffee cake. Take a seat on your front/back porch with the morning paper. It’s time for breakfast the way it was intended.

A light black, large persistent tan to light brown head that is opaque clings to the rim of the glass. Strong aromas of roasted malt emanate; lots of big coffee and dark chocolate crawl up from the depths of this ale. Very low hop aroma on the nose and no alcohol coming through, although this stout weighs in at 8.3%.

Founders Brewing Breakfast Stout’s aroma is reminiscent of a Tootsie Roll or some type of chocolate flavored candy, but not necessarily chocolate. It’s really inviting. First sip is big chocolate and then big, bitter coffee. Very smooth on the mouthfeel and the aftertaste is very much like the first sip of coffee in the morning. Jolting and aromatic and very much needed. The malt sweetness and low hop flavor contribute to a great balance between the sweet chocolate and bitter espresso coffee flavors. The finish is medium dry and toasty with a light burnt quality. The flaked oats make this bigger American Stout smoother than a sweet stout and brings out another layer of complexity to this already exciting take on a coffee/chocolate mash up.

Overall, Founders Brewing Breakfast Stout’s very dark, full-bodied, roasty, malty ale with a complementary oatmeal flavor is a slam dunk and should most definitely be paired with breakfast pastries while drinking it out of a mug. Fuck a tulip glass! You can’t dunk a cronut in a tulip glass!