KBS Release Party Update: Looking Ahead

Posted on by Founders Brewing Co.
 | 11 comments

Folks,

We wanted to reach back out to everyone about this past weekend’s KBS release event. We first want to thank those of you who took the time to give us valuable constructive criticism; we’ve spent the better part of the week sorting through each and every one of your emailed suggestions. The passion, both positive and negative, in your well-thought-out communications is a testament to how lucky we are to be in the beer community.

We are making a dramatic improvement on organization, efficiency, and communication plans for our future releases so that everyone involved can enjoy the true spirit of the experience. It would be misleading to say that everyone will get an allocation of KBS next year, but we can assure you that we are producing approximately three times the volume for the 2013 release. However, with the demand for this beer, reduced allocations will still be in place at next year’s event.

One overwhelming piece of advice that we received was to go to a pre-sale ticketed lottery system. We have a plan to implement such a system in a way that will benefit both event attendees and a charity that the brewery believes in. The entire day will be reworked to ensure that access to KBS, in bottles and on tap, will be clearly communicated, in order to better accommodate more beer enthusiasts. We’re excited to share these details when we announce our next release.

In looking back at last weekend, we find success in the lessons we’ve learned. We’re confident that our future release events will be a blast to those that come out to visit the brewery. Our ultimate goal is to make some of the country’s best beers, and much of the fun lies in sharing it with the extended Founders Family, which is made up of beer enthusiasts like you.

Thanks for all of your support; we are humbled and grateful for all of the advice received over the past week.

Cheers,

Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers
Co-Founders
Founders Brewing Co.

«
»
Comments are now closed.
11 Comments on “KBS Release Party Update: Looking Ahead”
  1. George

    I think this shows how you treat your fans and supporters; You made a tough call to make sure as many people as possible would walk away with some KBS, then upon hearing the negative feedback, actually listened to ideas and planned their implementation. The way you handle these situations really reminds me why myself and others choose to spend our money on your product. Beyond producing a high quality product that few others can even compare to, you conduct your business in a manner not concerned with bottom line so much as it is whole heartedly dedicated to the love of craft beer. I did not get to attend this year’s KBS day, but I hope to attend next year, and attend the next release day you plan. The care you put into your product, coupled with your business model of striving for the best solution possible, will ensure I keep my fridge stocked with Dirty Bastards and certain seasonals year round.

  2. Thomas Plummer

    Outstanding news! I will continue to sing Founder’s praises to all my beer loving customers. Currently, I sell Centennial, Dirty Bastard, Red’s Rye PA, Porter, Breakfast Stout, Double Trouble, Cerise, and Imperial Stout. I have been told that a case of KBS is headed my way. A couple other rarities have come and gone. Keep up the exceptional work producing some of the finest ales on the planet.

    Sincerely,
    Thomas Plummer
    Ron’s Place
    3301 52nd Street
    Kenosha, Wi. 53140
    262-657-5907

  3. John

    I know that there will be three times as much KBS next year, but will all of the % of allocations be the same? I.E. Would all accounts receive three times as much or will some of that extra be saved for the brewery release?
    I understand if it’s a little too early to say for certain, but I know many are very intrigued.

  4. Pingback: Founders Brewing going with ticketed lottery system for next KBS release | Beerpulse.com

  5. Pingback: Founders Brewing going with ticketed lottery system for next KBS release » Myrtle Beach Beer Lovers

  6. Brian

    Thank you for listening. One final requests for the tickets: MAKE THEM NAME SPECIFIC! I’m not sure if you know this, but shortly after you handed out tickets this year you had people walking to the back of the line and selling their spot for $150/ticket. Without a high level of ticket control on this event you will be subject to even more scalpers next year and this could end up being a huge disaster.

    I’m sure there will be logistical issues, and maybe a will-call list with no printed tickets is the way to go, but I honestly believe this is required after seeing how the back 1/3 of the line worked.

  7. Pablo

    Founder’s,

    Will you be implementing a new organizational system for your Black Party event in April? My wife & I are some of your loyal customers who live out of state and in order to attend an event like the Black Party we spend a lot of money and time planning & traveling to Grand Rapids. We would be very disappointed if we were NOT able gain entry into the party after all that effort.

    Kind Regards,
    Pablo Martinez
    Mug Club Member 2012

    • Sarah

      Black Party will be organized the same way as it has been in the past–first come, first served, with paid entry at the door. Please feel free to call our taproom ahead of time if you have any questions: (616) 776-1195.

  8. Ben

    I had a great time this year and I tried to be as respectfull as possible. I support you guys no matter what you do. I look forward to this event next year. I do agree that if you do choose to do tickets that you should implement some form of scalper control so that people can’t just go and resell tickets.

  9. Pingback: Beerducate | Founders Brewing going with ticketed lottery system for next KBS release

  10. Brian M

    I’ve never had this beer and mean while being so rare for me to grab makes me want it more. I know of stores that have it but will only sell it to people that are on some type of list, another told me that they only sell it to their regular customers which makes no sense to me. This sucks because I only heard of this beer until about 2 months ago and I love stouts. I have had the oatmeal stout which is awesome but since I was told KBS is like an oatmeal stout on steroids I have to have it. I’m a bit new to the world of craft beers so now it looks like I have to wait till next year.

    Bri
    NJ

Are you over 21?

YesNo

You don’t need to be 21 to check out our Careers.