Founders KBS (is it worth the cost)?

[Pyg]

Local beverage store is selling 4 packs of Founders KBS for $25 (plus tax) and single bottles of 2016 for $9.99.
Never had any KBS i am curious to try, but don't know if it is worth the price.
(For the record this bottle store tends to raise price. For instance this years Goode island speciality bottles, not bourbon barrel, were $75 to $100 a bottle)
Do I pull the trigger?View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1491075127.578982.jpg

 

[TallDan]

I'd pick up a 4 pack for $25. Beer store near me sent out an email this week about their release of it next week, but didn't mention a price. I think KBS is fantastic and try to pick some up every year.

I'm sure we'll get some people in this thread before long trotting out the same BS about ridiculous beer prices, but ultimately, nobody can tell you if it's worth it or not. It is to me, but I've also bought bottles of Utopias and other crazy beers with big price tags. They're fun beers to share with friends or to drink on a special occasion.

 

[user 198378]

$10/bottle sounds basically at trade value to me...aka like that store is taking all the margin. I bought a 6-pack of Lagunitas High-Westified at Bevmo for $11 and each of those is about $10/bottle now. I would trade 1:1 KBS for HW. I might try to find somewhere else that isn't as greedy.

 

[PADave]

I'd do a 4 pack for $25, just to try it. Isn't it funny how the cost of a 4 pack, 6 pack, or case is hard to swallow, but paying $5+ per beer at the bar is no problem?

 

[applescrap]

Yes, no and maybe. I would probably splash out for it, i mean its not like you need a 2nd mortgage. Plus here is the rating. When 3000 people rate something 100 , its legit. I trust ratings and use them in determining decisions like this. That being said I paid $25 for a bottle of Goose Island Bourbon Barrel Stout in the Chicago airport thrilled to see it and it was overrated a little imo. You ought to brew it because the Brewer released the recipe. It's not that hard to add coffee, chocolate, and oatmeal to beer. Let alone throwing a splash of bourbon in at racking. All that being said it is probably worth 25 and you should get it.

Side story, at the liquor store by me 2 fridays ago i was looking at stouts and this guy goes you should get this. It was a 10 dollar 12oz bourbon stout. I said damn thats 60 a sixer and he snarked you pay for what you get. Mr big timing me. The beer was ok, no ratings avaliable. Some expensive beers are worth it and others arent. My gut tells me that one is. Final note, I would rather drink a $40 bottle of wine then a $40 beer any day, my 2c.

View attachment 1491077266026.jpg

 

[stonebrewer]

No. I love Founders beers and I have had KBS many times over many years. My personal view is that the hype drives the price. Their other stouts, like breakfast and their imperial stout, are to my palate much, much better than KBS. YMMV...but I would drink their other stouts and leave the hype to others. That said, I believe you should try it to see what your mouth says! Who knows, perhaps you will think it is the best beer ever?

 

[olotti]

I like it so I'd say sure grab a four pack why not and let your tastebuds make the decision if it was worth it or not. I do think the price is getting ridiculous as last year 4 packs were under 20$ea. Cheers!

 

[cshamilton]

At Founders the KBS was the equivalent of $24 for a 4 pack, so that price is reasonable. I'd say leave the old singles alone unless you really liked last years or want to do a vertical tasting. Last I tried 2012-2016 side by side with 4 people. The 2012 was the best, the 2016 was in 2nd or 3rd for everyone.

 

[TallDan]

At Founders the KBS was the equivalent of $24 for a 4 pack, so that price is reasonable. I'd say leave the old singles alone unless you really liked last years or want to do a vertical tasting. Last I tried 2012-2016 side by side with 4 people. The 2012 was the best, the 2016 was in 2nd or 3rd for everyone.

Boy, I'd have to disagree with KBS. I did a six year vertical a little over a year ago. After that I decided that I'm not cellaring KBS anymore, the freshest one was best.

 

[Pyg]

Broke down and bought a 4 pack of 17 & a single of 16.
At very least I can see how it aged!View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1491080501.660565.jpg
I think I will try it fresh before I try it old

 

[TallDan]

Broke down and bought a 4 pack of 17 & a single of 16.
At very least I can see how it aged!
I think I will try it fresh before I try it old

Open a fresh one and last year's together!

 

[Honda88]

As a brewer I would never pay that much for a beer. For someone who doesn't brew maybe that price would be justified. It all depends on the person.

 

[jd1984]

I've had 2015 and 2016 KBS and don't think I'd buy a 4 pack. I'd maybe pay for a single bottle. Now, if I saw a 4 pack of CBS for $25 I'd jump all over it.

 

[PADave]

As a brewer I would never pay that much for a beer. For someone who doesn't brew maybe that price would be justified. It all depends on the person.

This is also true. As my pipeline was starting to get low, I've been buying a couple 6/12 packs of commercial brew to supplement. Just been a reminder of one reason I brew, cost. Hard to justify big bucks on 4 or 6 beers when I can make a case or two for the same price.

 

[TallDan]

Just checked my pipeline. No 12% imperial stouts with coffee and chocolate aged for a year in a bourbon barrel.

And if there were, they would not have been cheap to brew.

 

[applescrap]

As a brewer I would never pay that much for a beer. For someone who doesn't brew maybe that price would be justified. It all depends on the person.

In the words of someone i really admire, this rabbit hole is too deep to go down.

 

[madscientist451]

After trying some barley wine from a barrel while on a local brewery tour, I've been trying all kinds of barrel aged beers and just brewed a version of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel ale.
If I can find the Founders KBS, I'll splurge and buy a 4 pack.
I'll drink one, and lay the other 3 back. If I like it, I'll brew my own version and compare it to the commercial example.
When I can make my own homebrew that is similar to something that costs $25 a 4-pack, I'll feel like I've accomplished something, and had fun doing it.
Homebrewers actually have an advantage over commercial brewers with bourbon/wood flavored beers. Homebrewers can add actual bourbon,
while commercial brewers have to rely on picking up flavor from bourbon barrels. I can fine tune my bourbon/wood character by doing blending trials with bourbon directly from the bottle and bourbon that has soaked in wood cubes.
I'm currently using Woodford Reserve Bourbon. This bourbon was described as having one of the highest "wood" characters by a liquor store employee that seemed to know what he was talking about. (I don't drink any hard liquor anymore, and never really liked whiskey)
Is there a better bourbon I should be using for flavor?
I'm wondering if it really even matters, maybe I should use the cheap bourbon? Am I wasting money using expensive bourbon to soak oak cubes?

 

[PADave]

I guess to answer the OP's original question, only you can decide. To some a Kia is sufficient, to others a Rolls Royce is the standard. Life is full of options.

 

[RevKev]

MSRP is 19.99$, my store sells at recommended pricing. Around here a big not to be named distributor jacked up to 30$+

 

[woo_pig]

Save your money. Brew it yourself.

 

[triletter]

2017 is excellent fresh from the tap at Founders. Luckily, I only live 30 minutes from them. Russian River, not so easy.

 

[Honda88]

After trying some barley wine from a barrel while on a local brewery tour, I've been trying all kinds of barrel aged beers and just brewed a version of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel ale.
If I can find the Founders KBS, I'll splurge and buy a 4 pack.
I'll drink one, and lay the other 3 back. If I like it, I'll brew my own version and compare it to the commercial example.
When I can make my own homebrew that is similar to something that costs $25 a 4-pack, I'll feel like I've accomplished something, and had fun doing it.
Homebrewers actually have an advantage over commercial brewers with bourbon/wood flavored beers. Homebrewers can add actual bourbon,
while commercial brewers have to rely on picking up flavor from bourbon barrels. I can fine tune my bourbon/wood character by doing blending trials with bourbon directly from the bottle and bourbon that has soaked in wood cubes.
I'm currently using Woodford Reserve Bourbon. This bourbon was described as having one of the highest "wood" characters by a liquor store employee that seemed to know what he was talking about. (I don't drink any hard liquor anymore, and never really liked whiskey)
Is there a better bourbon I should be using for flavor?
I'm wondering if it really even matters, maybe I should use the cheap bourbon? Am I wasting money using expensive bourbon to soak oak cubes?

I don't drink whiskey much anymore but I sure as hell don't drink cheap whiskey. Even if its going into a beer I still wouldn't want to be drinking it. I have never added spirits to any of my beers. I rely on the alcohol in the beer to extract the flavors I'm looking for but that's just how I do things.

 

[jmcquesten]

I picked some up yesterday for the first time. I paid $5.99 a bottle and got 4 (2 bottle limit so I got 2 and the wife got 2).

Would I pay $24 ($6 each) for a beer I was going to drink on a daily basis? No. But, I would spend that on a really good beer that I want to treat myself to once a year or less.

That being said, this is a very good beer. I am considering getting another 4 pack if any local stores get it. I drove 50 minutes each way to get the ones that I picked up yesterday, but I won't be able to do that again before they sell out.

I was impressed by the beer and don't regret the purchase. I actually thought it was better than 2016 BCBS, which I paid $10 each for. Of course I haven't tried either after some aging, but I feel like the KBS is very drinkable right now, whereas the BCBS needed aging.

 

[Hoppity]

I picked some up yesterday for the first time. I paid $5.99 a bottle and got 4 (2 bottle limit so I got 2 and the wife got 2)... I drove 50 minutes each way...

Assumptions:

1. 20 MPG vehicle
2. $3.00/Gallon of gas
3. 100 minutes round trip at 60 MPH = 100 miles

Rough calculation has you spending ~ $15.00 in gas, which adds $3.75 to the cost per bottle. Hope you were 'trip chaining' for other purposes.

 

[applescrap]

I guess to answer the OP's original question, only you can decide. To some a Kia is sufficient, to others a Rolls Royce is the standard. Life is full of options.

I get your point here, but srsly, a 335,000 dollar vehicle comparison to a 25 dollar 4 pack. Buying a decent barrel stout hardly compares to driving a rolls around as standard. That, and well, to people who feel a kia is sufficient probably cant step up to a 300k rolls royce. But most who buy a 10 dollar sixer can likely splash out 25 for a beer. Especially considering we are on a forum filled with passion about beer. If your "life options" include the option to buy a kia or rolls.....go rolls royce just my opinion.

 

[applescrap]

Oops forgot pic

View attachment 1491183099873.jpg

 

[madscientist451]

I don't drink whiskey much anymore but I sure as hell don't drink cheap whiskey. Even if its going into a beer I still wouldn't want to be drinking it. I have never added spirits to any of my beers. I rely on the alcohol in the beer to extract the flavors I'm looking for but that's just how I do things.

Unless you add bourbon to the beer, you're not going to make beer like Founder's KBS, unless you do like they do and get actual bourbon barrels.
I can get 15 gallon rye whiskey barrels, but its easier, cheaper and more predictable to use actual bourbon and wood cubes to get a similar flavor profile. Note that the amount of actual bourbon that needs to be added is probably less than .5 oz/gallon. I currently have a 3 gallon batch of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale (sort of a clone attempt) that I'm tweaking.
It has about 1 oz of bourbon for 3 gallons, but the flavor and aroma just aren't strong enough, I'll probably add another oz. of bourbon, let it sit a while and think about it before I add more.

 

[Honda88]

You are trying to say that because someone doesn't use bourbon in their imperial that it is somehow going to be of less quality than someone who does. That is completely subjective. Some people don't like bourbon and would value a beer that hasn't had it added more than one that has. This is all 100% subjective talk. We now have people comparing fancy cars to beer lol.

 

[allanmorgan]

Short answer. Yes. IMO 4 pack for $25 is worth it.

 

[allanmorgan]

go rolls royce just my opinion.

If you are buying me a Rolls Royce, I will take your offer.

Please note, I will then sell said Rolls Royce and proceed to buy all of the $25 - 4 packs of Founders KBS.

Just saying.

 

[Pyg]

Unless you add bourbon to the beer, you're not going to make beer like Founder's KBS, unless you do like they do and get actual bourbon barrels.

I can get 15 gallon rye whiskey barrels, but its easier, cheaper and more predictable to use actual bourbon and wood cubes to get a similar flavor profile. Note that the amount of actual bourbon that needs to be added is probably less than .5 oz/gallon. I currently have a 3 gallon batch of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale (sort of a clone attempt) that I'm tweaking.

It has about 1 oz of bourbon for 3 gallons, but the flavor and aroma just aren't strong enough, I'll probably add another oz. of bourbon, let it sit a while and think about it before I add more.

I just found a recipe and I marking my calendar to attempt towards the end of the summer.
Question about your version of KBS:
What bourbon do you use?
How long do you age?

 

[jmcquesten]

Assumptions:

1. 20 MPG vehicle
2. $3.00/Gallon of gas
3. 100 minutes round trip at 60 MPH = 100 miles

Rough calculation has you spending ~ $15.00 in gas, which adds $3.75 to the cost per bottle. Hope you were 'trip chaining' for other purposes.

Closer to 80 miles and $2/gallon gas, but I see what you're saying. The gas wasn't really my point though. I said that it was worth the 5.99 per bottle that I paid (that store) for it. I could have waited a few more days and tried to get it at the location 10 minutes from me, but I didn't want to wait. And yes, we did stop at another store that was in that area, that I don't have closer to me. But we went for the drive specifically for the beer. I hadn't tried it before and had read and heard about it for several years now. I found a place that had it, and didn't have anything else going on at the moment, so I decided to take a little ride.

Again, I wouldn't pay $24 (or whatever you figure it to be) for a 4 pack or $6 each on a daily basis, but for a rare treat it IS worth it. And it's certainly better than paying $6 - $8 on an average to decent craft beer out at any restaurant or bar.

I will say that after drinking this, I'm starting to consider trying to brew it. I've never had the desire to brew to brew a coffee/chocolate/bourbon stout.

 

[PADave]

I get your point here, but srsly, a 335,000 dollar vehicle comparison to a 25 dollar 4 pack. Buying a decent barrel stout hardly compares to driving a rolls around as standard. That, and well, to people who feel a kia is sufficient probably cant step up to a 300k rolls royce. But most who buy a 10 dollar sixer can likely splash out 25 for a beer. Especially considering we are on a forum filled with passion about beer. If your "life options" include the option to buy a kia or rolls.....go rolls royce just my opinion.

That was just an extreme example that popped into my head. To me, neither is really worth it, the $25/4 pack, or the RR. On the other hand, most people wouldn't spend on a motorcycle what I did. My point is, to each their own, and only you can decide.

 

[applescrap]

I just found a recipe and I marking my calendar to attempt towards the end of the summer.
Question about your version of KBS:
What bourbon do you use?
How long do you age?

Did you feel it was worth the money? How was the beer? Glad you found the recipe.


Madscientist was dead on. See due to puritan laws (i think) they cant add liquor to liquor so they must age it in barrels or soak wood chips. Since we are home brewers we can do whatever we want....so back to your question which you didnt ask me but i wanted to offer my thoughts. The options are cool and unlimited. You can add your favorite bourbon at racking or you could rack it and add a scaled down amount to each glass you drink. Therefore you could try unlimited combinations of different bourbons and amounts until you find the combo you like best. My plan with these in the future is to buy a giant tea ball from adventures in homebrew and to soak bourbon in cubes or chips for a long time and add that to the beer. Then pull the ball when i like the wood level of flavor. If you do the former and taste in glasses before you add to keg you can always add to keg later when you know exactly what you like.

Ps-For the coffee i recommend adding cold brew to the keg at racking. Before i got into coffee i accomplished this easily and with good results by buying 16oz of starbucks cold brew, no ice, no water added, and adding that at racking. I didnt like the taste when boiled or added and sitting in fermentor. Ymmv of course

 

[wyowolf]

Is there a recipe for this?

 

[applescrap]

Yeah buddy, released by the brewer. For both kbs and bs.

 

[Gabbs1228]

In Lexington, KY where I live, our local chain liquor store (located in multiple cities in Kentucky only) had a first-come-first-served sale on Saturday, April 1. The store limited each customer to 2 12 oz bottles or 1 750ml bottle. The singles were $7.99 each. Doing the math, the 4 pk would have been $32.00.

So yes, to me, the $25.00 is worth the beer. It's an experience. Is a $25.00 experience for your only life? Yep.

Its like paying $20 for an ounce of Utopias last year. Yes it was a lot to spend but it was an experience I'll never forget.

 

[allanmorgan]

Yeah buddy, released by the brewer. For both kbs and bs.

Picked up a bottle last night for $7.99. I also made the beer from a clone recipe and still have a few bottles. Brewed this in Mar '16. Should be interesting to try one again to what changes have occurred.

Can you point me to where the recipe is located that was released by Founders?

 

[allanmorgan]

Never mind. Just found it. https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/homebrew-recipe/kentucky-breakfast-stout/

 

[Cincybeer]

Got one 12 oz for $6 Limit 1 Will find out this weekend if it is as good as the hype