"For Wheat is the Best Food of Man"


Brewery and Country of Origin: Watch City Brewing Company of 256 Moody Street, Waltham, MA 02453, USA

Date Reviewed: 10-18-13

Every kid has a favorite brand of cereal. Fans of True Blood love Count Chocula. Somalian pirates are huge fans of Cap'n Crunch. The Irish are overly possesive of their Lucky Charms. And English class nerds are always opting for Alphabets (with marshmallows, of course). But for the crazed sports fan whose obsession with the olympics is only surpassed by Bob Costas, there is only one choice. It's not Frosted Flakes. It's Wheaties. Yes, the wheat and bran flaked cereal from the early 1920s that has become nearly synonymous for cereal based, legal, ethical, and tasty steroids. Ok, but they're not actually that tasty. Not compared to Rice Krispies Treats cereal. But for us adults, Wheaties are a viable option. Created by accident by an employee of a company that would later become General Mills, Wheaties have become famous over the years for their endorsements of various professional athletes, many of which are olympians and champions in their respective sports' leagues. Athletes like Muhammad Ali, Wayne Gretzky, Mary Lou Retton, Michael Phelps, Kristi Yamaguchi, as well as various championship winning NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, NCAA, and olympic teams, have been featured on the cereal's trademark orange box. Lou Gehrig was the first athlete to be featured on the box, which has become a collector's item of sorts. And even though it seems like every headline athlete is gambling, doping, abusing, or stealing, Wheaties always manages to bring some well deserved notariety to athletes who have yet to ruin their morally sound careers (though Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong have also been featured). It's a tradition akin to old Guinness advertisements which promoted the idea that the Irish beverage was good for you and gave you strength. Now technically, the stout packs fewer calories than many light pale lagers, and does in fact contain certain amounts of cancer beating antioxidants, we all know that drinking beer copiously like a Polish rugby player won't get you a Stanley Cup. But what will, General Mills implies, is having a bowl of Wheaties every morning as part of a well balanced breakfast. What would actually be interesting is surveying all of the athletes who have ever been featured on a Wheaties Box on whether they've actually had the cereal or not. Still, one can make the inference that eating wheat and bran cereal can promote healthy living. But let's not forget that beer also contains all of the 13 essential vitamins and minerals necessary to sustain human life. And that brings us to another stout from Watch City outside of Boston, Massachusetts. And yes, like the only cereal promoted by both Peyton Manning and Aly Raisman, this dark beverage is the Breakfast Of Champions.
Date Sampled: 8-21-13 At: Sacco's Bowl Haven, Davis Square, 45 Day Street, Somerville, MA 02144, USA
Beer Style: Milk/Sweet Stout
Alcohol by Volume: 4.50%
Serving Type: Nitro Keg, 16 oz Tumbler Glass
Rating: 3.70

Look

Breakfast of Champions pours smoothly with a low amount of carbonation action, producing a three quarters inch tall foam head with a good retention, a pretty high density, and a creamy texture. The color is blackish brown, which has an opaque appearance, and a dull, deep red glow in the light. This beer does not contain any visible sediment, and exhibits full lacing on the glass.

Aroma

This stout has a moderate strength aroma full of dark roasted coffee and bitter semi-sweet dark chocolate malty notes, mixed in with a fair bit of nuttiness and some bread like notes. There is no presence of hops or fruity notes. Sweet overall with some deep espresso character. There is no alcohol tinge in the aroma.

Feel

This is a medium full bodied brew with an average weight, a medium high viscosity, and a smooth feel overall. This beer has a below average amount of carbonation, and some bitter dryness at the finish, which lingers. This beer does not deliver any refreshment or any crispness, and though this is a somewhat heavy beer, it is easy to drink. There is no alcohol warming.

Taste

As indicated by this beer's aroma, this is a roasted malt dominated beer with a large amount of dark bitter chocolate and prominent espresso coffee flavors. This beer also has a good amount of nutty hazelnut and sweet biscuity notes to supplement the profile. This beer's flavor is somewhat off balance with no trace of hops and only a slightly bitter and dry finish derived from the burnt malt. There are no fruity or alcoholic notes in the flavor. The aftertaste changes to a sweet character with a fair bit of lingering.

Our Take

Whether you're warming up for a marathon (well, to watch it), or planning on tailgating outside of your team's stadium, this may just be the beer to get you through the morning. A heap full of grains, a roasted coffee aroma, and sweet biscuity notes all make this substantial stout an integral part of any well balanced breakfast. This is a sweet dark brew that will satisfy anyone looking for a forgiving, fairly easy going stout that delivers on the promise of a rich, bold, sweet, and roasted malty experience. This is a filling beer which goes well with heartier meals consisting of heavy meats, and as is with most dark beers, this is a good cool weather beer. Of course, we wouldn't actually recommend consuming this beer as a replacement for a bowl of Wheaties, but if you're into a liquid breakfast and you're looking for grains, coffee, and substance, your search ends here.