Founders KBS 4Pk

Founders KBS 4-Pack is four 12-ounce bottles of a 12% ABV bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout brewed with chocolate and coffee. Earning a perfect 100 score on BeerAdvocate from over 14,000 ratings, KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout) stands as one of the most celebrated American craft beers—distinguished by its year-long aging in bourbon barrels deep within the gypsum mines beneath Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Quick Facts: ABV: 12%  |  Origin: Grand Rapids, Michigan  |  Style: Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout  |  Brewery: Founders Brewing Company

Production & Heritage

Founders Brewing Company was established in 1997 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and has grown into one of the country's most respected craft breweries. KBS is built on a grain bill of oats, chocolate malt, roasted barley, and wheat, hopped with Nugget and Willamette varieties, then brewed with premium chocolate and coffee. What truly separates KBS from every other barrel-aged stout on the market is its aging process: the beer spends an entire year in oak bourbon barrels stored in former gypsum mines beneath the city, where consistent underground temperatures create ideal maturation conditions that no standard warehouse can replicate.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Rich waves of roasted coffee and dark chocolate rise from the glass first, followed by caramel sweetness and vanilla drawn from the bourbon barrels. Underneath, subtle oak and charred wood notes add depth and complexity.

Taste: The entry delivers an immediate rush of sweetness—dense chocolate and caramel that coats the palate—before yielding to robust coffee and roasted barley bitterness at the mid-palate. Bourbon barrel influence emerges as warm vanilla and toasted oak, creating an incredibly silky, full-bodied mouthfeel. Despite the 12% ABV, the alcohol integrates smoothly rather than pushing heat.

Finish: Long and dry, with lingering roasted coffee and charred oak that slowly fade. A gentle bourbon warmth carries through, balanced by residual cocoa sweetness that keeps you reaching for another sip.

How to Drink KBS

KBS is best enjoyed at cellar temperature, around 50–55°F, poured into a snifter or tulip glass to concentrate its complex aromatics. Allowing it to warm slightly in the glass reveals additional layers of flavor as the bourbon character opens up.

A KBS Beer Float poured over vanilla bean ice cream plays the stout's coffee and chocolate notes against cold, creamy sweetness. A Stout Espresso Martini using KBS as the beer component alongside fresh espresso and coffee liqueur creates a deeply layered after-dinner drink. For something more relaxed, a Black and Tan layered over a lighter amber ale highlights KBS's density and barrel character by contrast.

Best For

• Gifting a serious craft beer enthusiast who appreciates barrel-aged rarities
• After-dinner sipping as a dessert beer alongside chocolate truffles or tiramisu
• Vertical tasting alongside other KBS vintages to track year-over-year variation
• Cellar aging to explore how the coffee, chocolate, and barrel flavors evolve over one to five years

Frequently Asked Questions

What does KBS taste like? KBS delivers rich dark chocolate and roasted coffee up front, followed by caramel, vanilla, and toasted oak from its year in bourbon barrels. The mouthfeel is silky and full-bodied with a long, dry finish.

How does KBS compare to Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout? Both are elite barrel-aged imperial stouts with perfect or near-perfect ratings on BeerAdvocate, but KBS is generally perceived as lighter in body and less aggressively boozy than Bourbon County Brand Stout. KBS leans more heavily into its coffee and chocolate brewing additions, while BCBS tends to foreground raw barrel and dried fruit character.

Is KBS good for sipping neat? KBS is an ideal sipping beer—its complexity, barrel depth, and 12% ABV reward slow, contemplative drinking from a snifter or tulip glass at cellar temperature.

Where is KBS made? KBS is brewed by Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and aged for a full year in bourbon barrels stored in the former gypsum mines beneath the city.

What foods pair well with KBS? Dark chocolate desserts complement the stout's cocoa character, while espresso-rubbed grilled steak echoes its roasted coffee notes. Aged cheddar or Gouda balances the sweetness with savory richness. Bread pudding with caramel sauce mirrors the barrel-derived vanilla and caramel, and smoked brisket stands up to the beer's full body and charred oak finish.

What sizes does KBS come in? KBS is primarily available in 4-packs of 12-ounce bottles, and draft availability varies by market and release season.

Is KBS worth the price? KBS positions as a premium craft release within the barrel-aged imperial stout category, and its perfect 100 scores on both BeerAdvocate and RateBeer reflect a level of quality that justifies its price point relative to comparable limited-release barrel-aged stouts.

Why KBS?

The underground cave aging in former gypsum mines is not a marketing gimmick—it provides natural temperature stability that conventional barrel warehouses cannot match, contributing to the exceptionally smooth integration of bourbon, coffee, and chocolate throughout the beer. A perfect 100 on both BeerAdvocate and RateBeer places KBS in genuinely elite company among the world's most highly rated beers of any style. Founders releases KBS annually, but demand consistently outpaces supply, making each vintage a sought-after acquisition for collectors and drinkers alike. Within the bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout category, few expressions achieve this level of balance between sweetness, roast, and barrel influence while keeping the 12% ABV so well hidden.