Founders Breakfast Stout

Origin: USA

Type: Stout

Color: 

Alcohol content: 8.3%

Recommended serving temperature: 10ºC/50ºF

Brewery: Founders Brewing Co.

Webpage: http://foundersbrewing.com/our-beer/breakfast-stout/?av-submitted=true

This is the beer I choose to write my fourth post on the Original Pub Tour of Charleston, instead of the beer I had in the fourth stop of the Original Pub Tour of Charleston. Let me explain.

The fourth stop in the Pub Tour was at the Cead Mile Failte, where they greeted us with a nice blue cocktail shot and everything was fine and dandy, but the beer menu was not awe-inspiring and my choice of beer (the Palmetto Amber) left me cold.

The Griffon, on the contrary, I mentioned had a very good beer list, and among its choices was this one, Founders Breakfast Stout, which on that occasion was the beer chosen by my girlfriend and her brother, which I tried, and which we all loved.

I have therefore decided to write the post on it, using my impressions and theirs.

The Founders Breakfast Stout is the color of black coffee. It has a normal to low amount of foam, which fades away rapidly and also has the creamy lightish brown color of the foam in an espresso.

The name Breakfast Stout already tells you that this beer's similarities with coffee are  going to be numerous, and indeed they go well beyond just the appearance. 

This beer smells then of course of coffee (I kind of spoiled any surprises now in that sense), but also of chocolate and caramel, giving it an overall very breakfasty aroma. The coffee smell is itself complex, as it comprises both the smell of a fresh espresso and the smell of roasted coffee beans. The chocolate and the caramel for their part give a full and sweet touch, making the whole thing appear as if you've just entered a cafe at breakfast time.

This feeling continues when you take your first mouthful of it, where the same flavors appear, although largely accentuated.

The chocolate gives the beer a rich, creamy and full touch, making it almost thick in the palate. This is a perfect complement to the coffee, which has the liquid texture of black coffee, a black coffee with no cream and no sugar, no additives at all. At least until the caramel kicks in to take off the traditional bitterness that black coffee has in the end, making it sweet and flavorful instead.

The roasted beans's presence is also much more noticeable in the taste, giving it a smoky character and toning down the sweetness of the caramel.

All of this, the mix of flavors and densities, gives the beer a hearty character, that makes you feel like you are getting a full meal, in this case a breakfast. 

It no doubt makes it a beer which has its specific moments of the day, less refreshing than relaxing, and which, at least in my opinion, does not seem to be the targeted beer when you hear the phrase "let's have a quick pint". 

However, that does not mean that it has a particular time of the day. I see it as a great evening beer, for those moments when you get off work or come home after visiting your relatives on the weekend. Basically after stressful, annoying, energy and breath consuming activities which you are glad to be done with. Nevertheless, I also see it as one of those mid morning or midday beers which you drink calmly and which help you fight off hunger for a few more hours. Of course, I also see it as a great beer to have in the wee hours of the morning after a long and productive night, whose fond memories push you to try and prolong it without going to bed despite the fact that you are well past your proudest moments.

In general I see this beer as kind of guys' equivalent to women's having coffee with their girlfriends. It has some reminiscence of it in the smell and taste, through its caramel, chocolate and coffee notes, and the fact that it can be done at any moment of the day, but it is an all around more carefree and relaxed activity... and let's face it, alcohol filled, like most good things are for guys.