Barrel Aged Advent Calendar Day #4 Bottled on 10-1-2020 Sitting in the glass 1 1/2 feet away, I could already smell it. Upon smelling it in the glass, the Mackinac fudge coffee is still very present. Maple syrup is behind that. I'm not getting any bourbon or oak, but that could be because of the other aromas. Taste has a mix of the coffee and maple syrup to start, followed by bourbon that shows up and lingers into the finish, and oak that shows up in the late mid-palate and takes this one home. The body is medium-full with an appropriately low amount of carbonation. I would love to try this exact batch of beer fresh to see how it's actually changed, but for this being 5 years old, it's simply a masterpiece. Unfortunately, this happens to be my last bottle so, unfortunately, this good thing has now come to an end. Until they decide to brew this one again... High 4.5/5

Barrel Aged Advent Calendar Day #20 Bottled on 8-9-2022 Maple syrup and coffee in the aroma. Neither are very strong, but they're both there. Taste has slightly bitter coffee, fudgy chocolate and lighter maple syrup notes. The overall bitterness level is a bit distracting and lingers on the tongue for a while. One thing I didn't really notice in the aroma, and that doesn't really show up until the late mid-palate, is bourbon or oak. The oak is more in the finish and lingers after the bitterness fades. The body is medium-full with a lower amount of carbonation. This one already wasn't as good as the original 2020 release, but it also doesn't seem to be aging as well. All that being said, I did enjoy it more when it was fresh, and I still hope they release it again (I'm sure they will). As for a rating, I'd say this is the lowest yet at a solid 3.75/5

Barrel Aged Advent Calendar Day #17 Bottled on 10-1-2020 Fuggy chocolate and coffee in the aroma. The bourbon from the aging is there too, but more in the background. Taste has a delicious blend of fudge chocolate and coffee, just like in the aroma, but 10 times better. The bourbon steps in during the mid-palate and continues into the finish and aftertaste. The oak is primarily in the finish and also lingers into the aftertaste. Despite this being slightly over 4 years old, this is still just as amazing as I remember it being fresh. The body is medium-full with an appropriately low amount of carbonation. This is the original bottling of this. They made it again in 2022, and while that was tasty, it was nowhere near the first batch. If this gets released again, I'll buy plenty, but if it's ever as good as this batch, I'll do some incredibly shady stuff to acquire all that I can. If the body was a tad more full, this would be an easy 5 star beer, but it's definitely a high 4.75/5

Barrel Aged Advent Calendar Day #19 Bottled on 10-1-20 I didn't realize I put both vintages of this in my calendar. I love amazing surprises. Fudgy chocolate and coffee in the aroma. Taste has coffee first, followed by fudgy chocolate, bourbon and oak. The oak lingers in the aftertaste along with lighter bourbon notes. The body is medium-full, bordering on full bodied with an appropriately low amount of carbonation. This is a treat. If they did this yearly, I don't think I could get sick of it. I know they'll brew it again, but I really hope it turns out as good as this one is. The 2022 vintage was good, but this is great. 4.75/5

Barrel Aged Advent Calendar Day #9 Bottled on 8-9-2022 Coffee and fudgy chocolate in the aroma. Taste has fudgy chocolate and coffee first, followed by bourbon and finishing with oak. The body is medium-full with a decently smooth mouthfeel and lower carbonation. The 2020 release was the best version of this, but either version of this variant is my favorite KBS variant. I hope they brew it again (I'm sure they will). Solid 4.5/5

Side by side review with 2020 and 2022 KBS Maple Mackinac Fudge. 2020: Maple syrup, chocolate, coffee and light bourbon in the aroma. Very desserty and strong aroma. Taste has maple syrup, coffee, fudge, chocolate, bourbon and oak, showing up in that order. Dessert in a glass is the best way to describe this. The body is full with an appropriately low amount of carbonation. 2022: Maple syrup, chocolate, coffee and light bourbon in the aroma. Same aroma as 2020, just not as intense. Taste has maple syrup, fudge,coffee, chocolate, bourbon and oak. Not quite as desserty, but still excellent. It's like a slightly lighter version of the 2020, which I was afraid of. The body is medium-full ,bordering on full bodied with an appropriately low amount of carbonation. Unfortunately, as I expected, the 2020 is the superior year of this. I think it's the increase of mass production that has hurt Founders' quality. They still make great beer, but if you try something pre-2019 and compare it with something post-2019, the older vintages are almost always better. All around less flavor with a thinner body. While this isn't pre-2019, the same pattern exists. 2020: High 4.5/5 2022: High 4.25/5

Side by side review with 2020 and 2022 KBS Maple Mackinac Fudge. 2020: Maple syrup, chocolate, coffee and light bourbon in the aroma. Very desserty and strong aroma. Taste has maple syrup, coffee, fudge, chocolate, bourbon and oak, showing up in that order. Dessert in a glass is the best way to describe this. The body is full with an appropriately low amount of carbonation. 2022: Maple syrup, chocolate, coffee and light bourbon in the aroma. Same aroma as 2020, just not as intense. Taste has maple syrup, fudge,coffee, chocolate, bourbon and oak. Not quite as desserty, but still excellent. It's like a slightly lighter version of the 2020, which I was afraid of. The body is medium-full ,bordering on full bodied with an appropriately low amount of carbonation. Unfortunately, as I expected, the 2020 is the superior year of this. I think it's the increase of mass production that has hurt Founders' quality. They still make great beer, but if you try something pre-2019 and compare it with something post-2019, the older vintages are almost always better. All around less flavor with a thinner body. While this isn't pre-2019, the same pattern exists. 2020: High 4.5/5 2022: High 4.25/5

Imperial Flavoured Stout élaboré par Founders à la robe noire opaque et une mousse couleur chocolat. En bouche, on retrouve un ensemble cacaoté et vanillé, épais et gourmand. Le sirop d'érable apparaît dans la longueur pour faire durer la dégustation. En fin de bouche, les notes de bourbons s'entremêlent à merveille avec le reste et aboutissent sur un résultat certes original mais surtout très appétissant ; tandis que l'alcool est parfaitement amalgamé dans ce dessert liquide. Délicieux !