As you know, the holy grail of beer for the past month had been Canadian Breakfast Stout. This beer is an imperial version of Founders Brewing Co’s Breakfast Stout, the same base beer as for their Kentucky Breakfast Stout, but aged in bourbon barrels that had originally held maple syrup. Got it? I’m guessing those barrels are few in number, which is why the beer has been released by for the first time since 2011.
And it’s been hard to come by in stores or on tap. There have been tapping events around me, but with my work hours, I couldn’t have gotten to any in time.
Until I drove to downtown Downers (at -1°F) Friday night to pick up the Teenage ‘Naut from his Magic: The Gathering session at the local game store. I gave myself enough time to pop in to the Barrelman’s Room, a specialty room that had just opened at the back end of Ballydoyle Irish Pub. This spot, which is only open on weekends, specializes in barrel aged beers and liquors. And it happened to have no cover charge for the band that was playing the main Ballydoyle’s stage,
I’ll have to come out another time or two to give this place a proper write up, but this time the bartender handed me the menu, saying “Everything on tap is checked on the list except for the Canadian Breakfast Stout.”
“You mean you have CBS on tap?”
“That’s right.”
And that’s what went into that little glass in front of me. A 5 oz pour for $8, on par with other places.
Even this tiny taster glass has a very strong smell of bourbon and maple syrup. That somewhat stiff tan head in the photo took a while to dwindle, leaving some legs behind.
The taste is full and sugary. Like the current KBS, it packs 11.7% abv, but the actual alcohol doesn’t show itself after the first few sniffs. The texture is lighter than how I remember the KBS, but there is a distinct note of maple, too. After the first few sips, it comes across like a bourbon with a maple chaser. I also get some notes of vanilla from the barrel aging, and coffee from the roast malt. It’s a big beer, surprisingly not very heady, making it very easy to make the mistake of slurping it all down.
Of course I recommend you find one for yourself, only to say you’ve experienced it. No food pairing suggested, this is dessert in itself.
Notice: I purchased this beer myself for review.
