THE TAP ROOM PROUDLY PRESENTS OUR BIGGEST BEER EVENT EVER |
Ask any ten serious craft beer fans to name the best stout they've ever had, one that's most difficult to find, one that is universally considered "world class", and one that is perennially on every best beers of the year list, and at least eleven will say Founder's Kentucky Stout! Unfortunately for many beer aficionados, whenever it's released (only once a year) it becomes a beer version of a UFO sighting — somehow you just missed it. The simple truth is that demand has far outgrown the limited supply, KBS was created in 2003 when Founder's first filled whiskey barrels with a beer already in their portfolio, Breakfast Stout, and let it sit there for six months. They then notched up the recipe by mixing in an Imperial Russian Stout along with espresso beans and chocolate. Eventually they switched to oak bourbon barrels and decided to cave-age the beer for an entire year to instill even deeper bourbon undertones and the rest is history. KBS is the most expensive and labor-intensive beer Founders had ever produced and distributors initially balked at it. Their most common concern was over the necessarily higher retail price point. The incredible taste of the beer quickly overcame that hurdle. It was worth the tariff! You may be saying that’s all very interesting but is KBS coming to the Tap Room? If you mean only one KBS the answer is no. The answer is still no if you mean two different vintages of KBS. However if you’re asking if I will have THREE vintages of KBS, together on tap, for the first time ever, then the answer is a resounding YES, YES, YES!!! I am most proud to announce the single greatest night of Founders beers ever presented at The Tap Room . On Friday, April 22, 2016 starting at 6 PM we will begin pouring the following lineup of beers from Founders (hope you’re sitting down for this): Kentucky Breakfast Stout 2014 Kentucky Breakfast Stout 2015 Kentucky Breakfast Stout 2016 Breakfast Stout 2015 Project Pam (Backstage Series #14) 2015 Imperial Stout 2013 Devil Dancer 2015 Centennial IPA Rubaeus on Nitro All Day IPA Plus eleven more Tap Room favorites from a variety of brewers. If you’re going to do a vertical tasting of KBS I personally suggest you do it from newest to oldest though some experts disagree. In any event, whether you order a flight or prefer to have a glass of each I’ve found that tasting the beers side by side allows you to best appreciate all the different nuances in the beer's development. Here’s a quick rundown on the beers: Kentucky Breakfast Stout – 12.4% ABV. How good is it? Beer Advocate rates it 100%, Rate Beer gives it 100%, and BeerNexus agrees with a 100% rating. Flavors: caramel, vanilla, bourbon, and oak with undertones of molasses, toffee, deep roasted coffee beans and dark chocolate. It’s a deservedly iconic beer. Breakfast Stout – 8.3% ABV This is a perfect coffee stout that is smooth, aromatic and nicely balanced. It’s brewed with flaked oats, bitter, imported chocolates, Sumatra and Kona coffee. I like to think of it as a double shot of espresso dropped into a chocolate milkshake. Project Pam (Backstage Series #14) 2015 (10.8% ABV) This is the only Black IPA on the market that is aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels. It’s a treat to enjoy the beer’s flavors of bourbon, oak, chocolate, toffee, hops, caramel malt, grapefruit, maple, and raisin. I can’t wait to see how a year of aging in our vault has further developed those enticing flavors. Imperial Stout 2013. (10.5% ABV) Our extravaganza of aged to perfection beers continues with this outstanding Russian Imperial Stout. In every wonderful rich and creamy sip you’ll enjoy luscious chocolate, roasted nuts, coffee, mocha, malts, and vanilla flavors. Imagine if you will how three years of carefull cellaring this beer has enhanced its complex flavors. I can’t wait to try this one! Devil Dancer 2015 (12% ABV) The last of my vintage Founders offerings is a Triple IPA. It has been dry-hopped for twenty-six days straight days with a combination of 10 hop varieties. I believe you’ll be very surprised at how a year of cellaring has added subtle nuisances to the beer's multi-layered flavors profile of rye, dark fruits, resinous hops, caramel and cinnamon toast flavors. So there you have it – a bonanza of carefully aged gems that you will likely never see together again! -------- To complement these great vintages I’ve brought in three more outstanding Founders beers that are best enjoyed fresh. Here they are direct from the brewery. Centennial IPA (7.2% ABV) Rated “World Class, this is a wonderful IPA. It opens with a hop bitterness that hits the palate fast then softens to enticing resinous notes that linger through the finish. Orange, pineapple, and lemon notes combine with citrus from the Centennials to make this an IPA lover’s dream. Rubaeus (5.7% ABV) It is tart and refreshing. It’s an homage to raspberries. The beer is luxurious, soft, and rounded thanks to the infusion of nitrogen. It has a deep complex richness rarely seen in fruit beers. It’s one of the best of this type of beer you’ll ever find. We have it here……..on Nitro! All Day IPA (4.7% ABV) This IPA proves that session beers can be as flavor packed as their higher alcohol brethren. It is unabashedly hop-forward, featuring flavors of grapefruit, peach mango, pineapple, and pine. The low alcohol content allows the fruity aspects to shine through cleanly. I think you’ll be impressed with this beer as I am. If you love beer this is one night not to be missed! Friday, April 22, starting at 6 PM Cheers! Kevin |
APRIL 22, 2016 STARTING AT 6 PM |