An intense, rich aroma greets you upon first sniff. Notes of dark chocolate, coffee, bourbon, vanilla, oak, coconut, toast and even hints of caramel and cherry come out to say hello. While wickedly complex, the aroma is balanced throughout even as the beer warms, which is an impressive feat to say the least. Dark would be an understatement of this stout’s color as no light escapes this pitch black beverage. It also features a small deep brown head of fine bubbles, which unexpectedly clings to the side of the glass even as the level of liquid decreases.
Picking up where the aroma left off a montage of bourbon, toast, oak, dark chocolate, sweet caramel and dark roasted coffee assault the palate in the best way possible. The higher level of alcohol creates a bit of sweetness to complement the malt but also in combination with the proper level of attenuation allows the beer to finish only semi-sweet. A note of a high-quality dark chocolate lingers in the aftertaste alongside the small-batch bourbon flavor.
This a moderately full-bodied beer that seems a bit lighter due to the above-average carbonation for a beer of its stature. Strong alcohol seamlessly weaves itself into the numerous flavors throughout the beer and it would also allow the beer to age gracefully for many years to come. Founder’s KBS Stout is easily a world-class beer that deftly combines art and skill in the specialty wood-aged beer category.