Weekend Tap Update from The Beer Road.

Last weekend, the Star City’s beer curious were introduced to Blue 5’s new tap system, allowing the downtown restaurant to begin serving no fewer than 46 draft beers, the great majority of them craft, microbrewed beers. At the same time, another downtown restaurant, Lucky, added a certain seasonally released beer that creates about the same anticipation when it’s released each year as if some legendary rock band has just announced a reunion tour and the tickets are going on sale tomorrow morning.

Just a couple days ago however, Local Roots Restaurant added this amazing beer as well to their already impressive, well rounded tap line up as well, so pick your gps destination, downtown or Grandin Village. Either way, do not miss a chance to have this beer if you’re curious about the many different styles of beer out there, and the vast flavors which come from beer’s basic ingredients or the ones brewers sometimes add to a beer to even further the tasting experience, which is exactly what this particular beer is – it is not simply a fine example of American craft brewing, and certainly not just another good coffee infused stout. It is the type of beer that you probably will remember the first time you had it – take it from me, I do.

Here’s the breakdown, straight from the Founders website:

“The coffee lover’s consummate beer. Brewed with an abundance of flaked oats, bitter and imported chocolates, and Sumatra and Kona coffee, this stout has an intense fresh-roasted java nose topped with a frothy, cinnamon-colored head that goes forever.”

In other words, it slides across your mouth on a silken ribbon of smoothness, making the rounds over your tongue with a fullness that does not weigh you down but instead gives you a feeling of savory satisfaction from the coffee and bitter chocolate, and the body given the beer by the inclusion of those items and the oats. To me, the experience that is having an FBS is that during tasting, there is a gratifying, all at once presentation of those flavors and the body of the beer, often referred to as velvety. As you taste it, of course, give it some time in your mouth to feel out the flavors and the mouthfeel – your mind will bounce back and forth between both, perhaps not knowing which to focus on, before finally, quickly realizing it’s an all inclusive, immensely gratifying package.

Founders (Michigan) Breakfast Stout – Find it now at Local Roots Restaurant on Grandin Road and Lucky Restaurant downtown. (And hurry, it won’t last long!)