Beer for breakfast? Well, not usually. Although some beers really are enticing as a potential A.M. beverage, delivering flavors and elements that resemble a cold cup of Joe. A beer brewed with roasted barley will have big coffee and chocolate flavors, so the addition of actual coffee beans makes a lot of sense. Add lactose, or milk sugar, and you have a beer that's very much like a creamy, roasty, rich cup of coffee. That's exactly what you'll find in a glass of Breakfast Stout from Backcountry Brewery, one of the best beers of its kind I've had from a Colorado brewery.
Breakfast Stout is a limited seasonal release, and makes for a great beer to sip on as the days get colder and darker. Backcountry Brewery, an award winning craft brewery located on Main Street in the town of Frisco, uses coffee beans roasted at a local shop. It's a great partnership between two small businesses in this small Rocky Mountain town, and the freshness of the coffee beans is apparent while enjoying the beer. The use of lactose as an ingredient in the boil makes this a milk stout, adding a touch of sweetness along with a creamy mouthfeel. When the coffee beans are added to this beer, it goes beyond a milk stout into the realm of a breakfast stout, with all components coming together perfectly.
Black as night with a thin head, Breakfast Stout has the rich, dark look you'd expect. The aroma is a straightforward blend of dark chocolate, coffee, and cream. The beer has a medium body with a creaminess from the lactose. Big flavors of roasted barley, coffee, and dark chocolate fill the palate. Breakfast Stout leaves a somewhat dry finish to go along with a lingering roasty bitterness. It's a rich beer, yet lighter than many stouts, and comes in at only 4.4 percent ABV.
If you're looking for a dark beer that's balanced, approachable, smooth, and complex, this Breakfast Stout checks all those boxes. But be warned, it may be very tempting to crack open a bottle before noon!
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