The week between Christmas and New Years is the perfect time for contemplating the idea of day drinking. Between being home from work and the Griswold-like combinations of in-laws and holiday traditions, it's the season when a warming beer with lunch seems most appropriate.
But what about a beer named for its association with breakfast? Some stouts taste like chocolate and coffee — Founders Breakfast Stout has both in its list of ingredients.
From the 355-ml bottle, Founders Breakfast Stout pours an oily, fairly opaque black with a medium-brown head.
Freshly-roasted coffee and dark chocolate dominate the aroma with a lingering hint of bitter almond. The flavour offers up more coffee, backed by bitter hops and dark chocolate as a supporting player. From the oats that are used in the brewing, Founders Breakfast Stout gets a creamy but light texture that serves as an optimal complement for its flavour and aroma.
At over 8% alcohol, Breakfast Stout is a good candidate for a year or two in the beer cellar. As well, because it's part of the Founders brewery feature (and not a regular listing), it may be a while before it makes it back onto LCBO shelves, so it makes sense to stock up while we can.
The LCBO bringing in a parade of world-class beers is good news in and of itself, but common sense seems to be making headway on another front as well. It's a good bet that as recently as two or three years ago, a beer bottle label featuring a child drinking breakfast cereal would have joined Samichlaus and Delirium Tremens on the cervisiae non grata list.
Other jurisdictions (New Hampshire, for one) still ban bottle sales of Founders Breakfast Stout, so I'm happy to find we're no longer the back of the pack.
Founders Breakfast Stout, $13.10 for 4 X 355 ml bottles, LCBO #354787
In addition to covering beer, new restaurants and food trucks for Post City, David Ort writes about food and drink for several Toronto publications including his own site, Food With Legs. He is the author of the Canadian Craft Beer Cookbook; now in stores and available for ordering online. For more of his thoughts on food, beer and life in general, follow him on Twitter or get in touch at info@foodwithlegs.com.
