ArtPrize, the radically open, international art competition, today announced that we have signed on as a premier leadership sponsor and will be the official brewery of ArtPrize for the next five years. The agreement will allow both us and ArtPrize to capitalize on our respective platforms and nationwide growth.
“We approached ArtPrize because we love this community and we love what the event has done for this city,” said Mike Stevens, co-founder and CEO of Founders Brewing Co. “Our taproom has been a venue since year one, so we anticipate ArtPrize, just like everyone else. We chose to increase our commitment this year and can’t wait to pair our world-class beer with the most engaging art event in the world.”
Elements of the partnership include offering Founders beer at all official ArtPrize events, signage, promotion, merchandise, specialized glassware and other specialized items during the 19-day event. Additionally, the brewery will be recognized as a major sponsor at all ArtPrize events, and will be featured on the ArtPrize promotional poster.
“ArtPrize is always open to new, strategic ways to partner with leading and emerging national brands. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome them as the exclusive brewery of ArtPrize,” said Daryn Kuipers, interim executive director for ArtPrize. “Both Founders and ArtPrize are two organizations that are defining Grand Rapids’ reemergence. Both organizations have heritage, values and roots in this community and will make an excellent partnership.”
With its mix of public voting and juried awards, ArtPrize explores the tension between the professional and populist in an epic conversation. The fifth edition of the popular art competition will take place Sept. 18 – Oct. 6, 2013. Artist Registration for the 2013 event will open on Monday, April 22.
We’re officially announcing Founders Fest 2013, which will take place on the streets of downtown Grand Rapids once again, from 3-11pm on Saturday, June 22. This is our sixth annual outdoor festival celebrating two of the things we love most: beer and music. We’re expecting 6000 or more beer and music lovers to gather on Grandville Avenue between Cherry and Bartlett for the festivities.
“Founders Fest is our biggest party of the year,” said Mark Dorich, Festival Coordinator and Founders Director of Retail Operations. “It’s always a great time celebrating with our community, and we’re really excited about this year’s music lineup.”
A wide range of musical talent will be rocking out at this year’s Founders Fest, with national act G. LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE coming in from Philadelphia, PA, with some hip hop/blues to headline. Other performers include IVAN NEVILLE’S DUMPSTAPHUNK with funk from New Orleans; MAN MAN, also of Philadelphia; electro rock from Founders taproom repeat performers ROSTER MCCABE of Minneapolis; horn-driven tour de force, Chicago’s LOWDOWN BRASS BAND; and bluegrass sweethearts LINDSAY LOU & THE FLATBELLYS of Ann Arbor. Hometown crowd favorites ALEXIS join local Latin rock crew CABILDO, and a super-group of Founders employees return as the FBC ALL-STARS to round out the entertainment line-up.
This year’s event will again feature local food vendors as well as a Local Artists Row, which showcases the various works of some of the area’s finest artists and designers. There will be other strolling and surprise entertainers sprinkled throughout the day. And, of course, there will be plenty of beer available, including our year-round offerings and quite a few taproom one-offs. The entire festival will be outdoors on the street; the indoor taproom space will be closed for the day.
Founders Fest is a celebratory “thank you” to Grand Rapids and West Michigan for getting us to where we are today. We’ve been a part of the Grand Rapids scene since 1997 and have grown our brewing tradition from modest beginnings to being one of the highest rated breweries in the world.
“We look forward to Founders Fest every year,” said Co-Founder & CEO Mike Stevens. “Beer and music bring people together, and we love being able to put on an event that does just that. It gives us the opportunity to get our family, friends and community together for a day so that we can toast to all of them.”
We’re also partnering with The High Five Program, a local community organization that assures the prevention of litter and significant reduction of waste streams at large-scale events, for the second year. With help from High Five, we managed to achieve over 90% waste diversion last year and hope to beat that rate this year.
Guarantee yourself entry to Founders Fest 2013 and save a little cash with advance pre-sale tickets:
Discounted advance ticket sales will again be available starting Friday, April 19, at the Founders taproom, as well as online, via http://foundersfest2013.eventbrite.com/. The event is limited to ages 21 and older.
If you’ve visited (or driven by) our taproom lately, you’ll notice that construction on the next stage of our expansion is currently underway. We’re excited to be able to share with you some renderings of what our new space will look like.
Please note that these are just renderings. Details, such as surfaces and furniture, may change. But this should give you a good sense of the space. Also, you can click on images to see them at a larger scale.
Here is roughly what our beer garden will look like when it opens this fall, from the ground level looking toward the south:
The same space, from a higher angle:
Lastly, the deck you see in the rendering above is connected to a space that will become our event rental and education center (more details to come):
Our taproom will remain open throughout our construction with plenty of world-class beers and delicious sandwiches for you to enjoy. We’re excited to share this space with Grand Rapids and with all of you this fall.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) announced their Brewers for Clean Water initiative today. We are actively in support of this program. Please see this official media release from the NRDC for more information:
Great Beer Needs Clean Water: NRDC Partners with Craft Brewers to Protect the Clean Water Act
CHICAGO (April 9, 2013) – It takes great water to make great beer, so the Natural Resources Defense Council is teaming up with nearly two dozen nationally-respected craft brewers to launch a campaign today advocating for strong clean water policies. The craft brewing industry—makers of beloved brews, small business entrepreneurs and water quality experts—has a lot to say about maintaining high standards under the federal Clean Water Act. The new “Brewers for Clean Water” campaign will help translate the amazing economic growth of the craft brewing sector into a powerful voice on behalf of clean water in the United States.
“Whether brewers are creating ales, pilsners, porters, wits, or stouts, one ingredient must go into every batch: clean water,” said NRDC Water Program Senior Policy Analyst Karen Hobbs. “Craft brewers need clean water to make great beer. This campaign is all about amplifying their voices in support of the most important protection for their most important ingredient, the Clean Water Act.”
Few industries depend on clean water as much as craft brewers. While hops and malt can be sourced elsewhere, breweries are reliant on their local water supplies. Whether drawn from lakes, rivers, groundwater or a local water system, breweries rely on the protections of the Clean Water Act to ensure the quality and availability of their main ingredient (beer is 90% water).
In recent years, attempts to roll back Clean Water Act protections have endangered not just the most important ingredient for craft beer, but also public health and resources for a wide range of industries. In joining the campaign, the brewers have taken NRDC’s “Clean Water Pledge,” acknowledging the importance of clean water and clean water safeguards. These issues are all the more important today, with the public awaiting improved Clean Water Act protections for American streams, wetlands and headwaters (which have a significant impact on larger water sources downstream). These reforms are due soon in Washington, DC.
The reach of the craft brewing industry has grown immensely in recent years. With more breweries than any other time in American history, the multi-billion dollar industry brings a compelling business voice to clean water issues. Seen as rock stars responsible for beloved brews in some circles and local employers in others, craft brewers are closely tied to their communities with a very real understanding of the impacts bad policy can have on regional water sources. While the participants in the growing “Brewers for Clean Water” campaign include brewing operations large and small, all have demonstrated a commitment to sustainability in their operations and beer development. Campaign members include:
- Allagash Brewing Company (Portland, ME)
- Arbor Brewing Company (Ann Arbor, MI)
- Arcadia Brewing Company (Battle Creek, MI)
- Brewery Vivant (Grand Rapids, MI)
- Central Waters Brewing Company (Amherst, WI)
- Cranker’s Brewery (Big Rapids, MI)
- DryHop Brewers (Chicago, IL)
- Finch’s Beer Company (Chicago, IL)
- Flossmoor Station Restaurant and Brewery (Flossmoor, IL)
- Founders Brewing Company (Grand Rapids, MI)
- Goose Island Beer Company (Chicago, IL)
- Half Acre Beer Company (Chicago, IL)
- Harmony Brewing Company (Grand Rapids, MI)
- Lakefront Brewery, Inc. (Milwaukee, WI)
- New Belgium Brewing Company (Fort Collins, CO)
- Revolution Brewing (Chicago, IL)
- Right Brain Brewery (Traverse City, MI)
- Short’s Brewing Company (Bellaire, MI)
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Company (Chico, CA)
- Temperance Beer Company (Evanston, IL)
- Wild Onion Brewing Company (Barrington, IL)
Brewers Voices:
“The Brewers for Clean Water campaign is a beautiful thing because it allows something so simple as a glass of beer to be a speaking point for the importance of water,” said Ian Hughes, Environmental and Safety Coordinator for Goose Island Beer Company.
“Being surrounded by the Great Lakes here in Michigan, water is something that we’ve always cherished, and we never take it for granted,” said Dave Engbers, co-founder and vice president of brand and education for Founders Brewing Company. “Water is life—nothing exists without water.”
“As we continue to see the craft beer segment grow, we as brewers owe it to the communities we live, work and play in to be mindful of protecting our waterways as we strive for growth that is environmentally and socially responsible now and down the road,” said Mat Trogner, New Media Designer at Allagash Brewing Company.
More Information:
- More about the NRDC’s “Brewers for Clean Water” campaign, including video interviews from participating breweries, can be found at www.nrdc.org/brewers
Also, please check out this video of Co-Founder Dave Engbers explaining why clean water is important to the Founders Family:
We’ve [finally] announced today that we are expanding our distribution territory to include the Sunshine State, with Brown Distributing slated to represent our brand across the entire state of Florida (yes, the whole state) beginning in May.
“Florida has grown tremendously in terms of craft beer savvy and awareness in the past couple of years,” said Co-Founder & CEO Mike Stevens. “Beer enthusiasts have raised the bar in the state, and we’re looking forward to getting our beer to them.”
“It is their radical approach to brewing and passion for quality that makes us so fired up to bring Founders products to Florida,” said Ian Salzberg, Senior Marketing Manager with Brown Distributing.
Floridians can expect to find Founders’ year-round and seasonal products, both in bottles and on draft, in the first shipment, which is expected to land in mid- to late May. Specialty releases will follow the brewery’s release schedule from there.
We are excited to announce that the following locations will be tapping the first kegs of Founders beer to be poured in Texas during the week of April 8 (grouped by metro area):
The first Founders kegs shipping to Texas on 3/27/13 with Centennial IPA in front
Austin
San Antonio
Dallas
Fort Worth
Denton
Houston
Please note that more bars and restaurants in Texas may add Founders beer to their lineups after the launch. These are simply the first confirmed retailers to carry our beer. Also, bottled beer will be coming to Texas in a month or so.
We’ve just announced that we plan to release our craft beer in cans for the first time in our fifteen-year history. We will put our warm weather seasonal, All Day IPA, in 12 oz. cans that will be available in 12-packs across our distribution footprint this summer.
“Especially in our recreational home state of Michigan, cans are a very functional package,” said Co-Founder & CEO Mike Stevens. “It means people will be able to enjoy our beer at golf courses, marinas and while hiking or camping. And we think All Day IPA works in a can particularly well.”
We did extensive research to find a canning line that delivers a sealed container meeting the same quality standard as what comes off our bottling line every day.
“For this new canning line, we turned to the same manufacturer of our bottling line, world beverage industry leader, Krones,” said Vice President of Operations Brad Stevenson. “We are 100% confident in both this line and this package.”
All Day IPA will be the only Founders beer in cans to start. More Founders products may make their way into cans in the future.
**Please note that the above image is a comp of what this can will look like. The actual can may vary a bit from what is depicted. **
Reminder: The 5th annual Barry-Roubaix Killer Gravel Road Race is set for Saturday, March 23! You can find more details about it on an older blog post here. Be sure to note that our beer will be poured at the official after party on the streets of Hastings, Michigan, for racers and non-racers alike.
Check out this fun video of the Founders bike team training for the race—and, of course, enjoying some beers after their riding session:
Our Beers Will Be Available in the Lone Star State in April 2013
We’ve partnered with Ben E. Keith Beverage Distributors to offer our beers across the Lone Star State beginning April 2013. Texans will now have the opportunity to enjoy Founders ales without having to leave the state.
“Texas is an up-and-coming market, and we’re impressed with what we’re seeing there,” said Co-Founder & CEO Mike Stevens. “We’ve been getting more and more inquiries from Founders fans in Texas over the past couple of years. The Ben E. Keith team is dedicated to the craft beer market and is helping introduce complex brands like ours to eager consumers who are hungry for them. Besides, we’ve always wanted to get Founders beer to Willie Nelson’s home state. Now the time is right.”
“We are delighted to partner with Founders,” said Specialty Division Manager at Ben E. Keith Kevin Nettleton, “and are eager to distribute their esteemed beers in Texas.”
We plan to include all of our year-round and seasonal ales as draft product in the first shipment for an April 8 release. Bottled beers will be released in May, and specialty releases will be available following the release schedule from there.
About Ben E. Keith Beverages
Ben E. Keith Company, established in 1906, began selling Anheuser-Busch products in 1933. Today, Ben E. Keith Company’s Beverage division is the third largest independent beer wholesaler in the country. The company also distributes import beers, craft beers, wine products and nonalcoholic beverages. With fourteen Sales & Distribution Centers in Texas including Abilene, Austin, Brownwood, Commerce, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Ft. Worth, Houston, Kerrville, Llano, Palestine, San Antonio, and Waco, the company operates throughout the state of Texas. For more information, please visit www.BenEKeith.com/beverage.
We announced the second phase of our $26 million expansion today, to include more equipment; an educational facility; additional offices; enlarged taproom, deli and company store; and an outdoor beer garden. The facility will expand entirely on our current site, at 235 Grandville Ave SW, extending our building’s footprint by approximately 5,500 square feet. We expect to break ground in April.
Most of the capital investment (around 85%) is earmarked for brewing, fermenting and packaging equipment, taking our annual capacity up to about 320,000 bbl. Upgrades will be made to systems and software, and a focus will be put on energy efficient investments, including initiatives such as heating the new office building off of a chiller on our north cellar.
We also plan to add 52 jobs over the next three years, ranging from managerial to operations to service positions, generated by this expansion.
Our education program is an extension of the brewery tours that we launched in January. “Our industry continues to flourish and, as a leader in the industry, we feel that we have a responsibility to educate our staff, wholesaler and retailer partners and beer enthusiasts,” said Dave Engbers, Co-Founder and Vice President of Brand & Education. Eventually, we plan to offer classes for consumers interested in learning more about the brewing process, how to identify different styles of beer and advanced beer education.
“There’s no question that beer tourism is becoming a bigger and bigger draw all the time,” said Engbers. “And Grand Rapids has become even more of a destination since we were named Beer City USA. We want to continue our support of the industry in our hometown by investing in it.”
The revamped retail space and new educational facility should be in use this fall. Please stay tuned for more updates to come.
We’d like to apologize to all of you that had difficulties with purchasing tickets for our on-site KBS release this past Saturday.
Please see this statement from Brown Paper Tickets in regards to their server issues:
Brown Paper Tickets would like to apologize to Founders Brewing Company, and its customers, for a 25-minute delay in our ability to sell tickets to the 2013 KBS bottle release event. We have now taken protective measures to ensure that our customers are not inconvenienced in the future. The error was rooted in our communications and not in our servers—in other words human error. It is our business and passion to get these things right and we failed. If it isn’t understood already, Brown Paper Tickets stands behind Founders Brewing Company and their events, but in front of any criticism for the KBS online ticket sale. It was our bad and we’ll not let it happen again.
In addition to the proceeds from the tickets sales already donated by Founders Brewing, Brown Paper Tickets is making a $2,000 donation to the Grand Rapids White Water initiative.
Brown Paper Tickets fully supports companies like Founders Brewing who have created a bottle release method very much in line with our Not-Just-For-Business ethos of giving and growing communities as a regular part of doing business.
Again, our most heartfelt apology for this isolated incident, and as always, we welcome your personal call.
In our planning for next year’s on-site release, we’ll work to ensure that the process is as efficient, fair and enjoyable for everyone involved as possible. We plan to do continued research to select a ticketing partner and release process that works best for us.
As we’ve said before, we’d like to thank all of you for your support, loyalty and appreciation for good craft beer—it’s humbling to know how many of you out there are passionate about what we’re doing here in Grand Rapids. Furthermore, as many of you are aware, due to the barrel-aging process, KBS will always be a limited release product. We’re happy to have been able to make significantly more this year compared to last, but we understand that we will likely never get supply up enough to match demand for this product. Lastly, please keep in mind that KBS will be distributed in limited quantities across our 23-state footprint beginning on Monday, April 1.
We’re a small brewery—we appreciate all of your feedback, but we ask for your patience in our responses to it. And if you have any questions in regards to ticket order confirmation or shopping cart issues, please direct them to Brown Paper Tickets at 800-838-3006.
–Dave Engbers and Mike Stevens, co-founders
**Updated 3/4/13**
We plan to introduce Doom, a bourbon-barrel-aged Imperial IPA, this April to mark the sixth installment in our Backstage Series. Like all Backstage Series beers, Doom will be sold in 750mL bottles. It has a suggested retail price of $12.99 per bottle.
Doom is unleashed when our award-winning specialty Imperial IPA, Double Trouble, is aged in bourbon barrels for four months to create a distinct flavor experience. So, while Double Trouble is brewed to turn your world upside down, Doom is brewed to tear it apart: pungent hops conspire with boozy bourbon notes to send your senses spinning.
Known as “Hand of Doom” when originally brewed for our taproom, this 10% ABV beer is a unique addition to our barrel-aged repertoire, which has mostly consisted of malt-forward beers such as Backwoods Bastard and Kentucky Breakfast Stout.
“Doom is one of those beers that we’ve talked about releasing ever since we started the Backstage Series,” says Co-Founder and Vice President of Brand & Education Dave Engbers. “It’s hop heavy. It’s barrel-aged. It’s unapologetic. It’s the definition of a Founders beer.”
Doom will be released in limited quantities across our distribution footprint beginning on Monday, April 22. On-site, Doom will be a pre-ticketed, six-day release, running from Sunday, April 14 (DAY #1), through Friday, April 19 (DAY #6). Please note this update: These tickets will now go on-sale via a new Ticketing Partner, EventBrite. The on-sale date has been pushed back one week, to Saturday, March 16, 2013, at 11:00AM (EST). Please bookmark this page for the release day: http://foundersbrewingdoom.eventbrite.com/. There will be a limit of one ticket per person, with each ticket valid for the purchase of TWO bottles of Doom (at $13 each), only on the specific release date listed on the ticket.
We expect to release two more Backstage Series beers in 2013.
Also, here is our updated availability calendar, with Doom plugged into its April release window:
We are going to partner with Kisscross Events once again to host the annual Barry-Roubaix bicycle race, an event pitting thousands of bikers against gravel, rocks, sand and mud, and possible snow and ice in a kickoff to the racing season in Michigan. The fifth annual Barry-Roubaix, named after the classic Paris-Roubaix race in France, will begin and end in downtown Hastings, Mich., on March 23. Registration is currently open at www.barry-roubaix.com.
The popular event continues to grow each year, forcing a move this year from its former location at Gun Lake State Park to downtown Hastings. Last year nearly 1,600 cyclists participated.
The Barry-Roubaix encourages racers of all levels and of any age by offering four racing categories, including the following:
- The Cushe Chiller, 22 miles ($40 registration per rider)
- The Hammer Nutrition Thriller, 36 miles ($40 registration per rider)
- The 616 Fat Bike category, 36 miles ($40 registration per rider)
- The Velocity Killer, 62 miles ($50 registration per rider)
As title sponsor of the event, we are going to host a typical (killer) after party celebration kicking off at 11 a.m. with food, music, beer and more in the streets of downtown Hastings. The Founders Brewing Co. after party is open to racers, their friends, families and anyone else who would like to join in the celebration.
Specialized Bikes, Freewheeler Bike Shop, Greenware and Delta Subaru are presenting sponsors of this year’s race.
For more information, please visit www.barry-roubaix.com or contact Rick Plite, Race Director, at 616.863.3291 or rickplite [at] gmail [dot] com.
Founders KBS release 2013 will begin with a four-day, pre-ticketed, on-site bottle release beginning on Wednesday, March 27, prior to being released across our distribution footprint on April 1.
Dates for the taproom bottle release are as follows:
- Day #1: Wednesday, March 27, 2013, 11am-9pm
- Day #2: Thursday, March 28, 2013, 11am-9pm
- Day #3: Friday, March 29, 2013, 11am-9pm
- Day #4: Saturday, March 30, 2013, 11am-9pm
Tickets for all four release dates will be available beginning at 11:00am EST on Saturday, February 16, via brownpapertickets.com on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a limit of one ticket per person. Tickets are non-refundable, and proceeds from the $5 purchase price will be donated to Grand Rapids Whitewater. Your ticket, along with a valid government-issued photo ID, gets you the opportunity to purchase KBS only on the date listed on your ticket. A strict maximum limit of 12 bottles per person applies. KBS is $4.75 per bottle, $19 per 4-pack, and $57 for 12 bottles (three 4-packs). Bottles can ONLY be picked up on the day listed on the ticket from our Company Store during regular business hours (see above).
‘KBS Week’ culminates in an all-day draft release party in our taproom on Saturday, March 30. The party takes place from 11am-2am, is strictly 21+ and is free-of-charge. March 30 marks the first day KBS will be available on tap. The party stars the draft release of KBS, and free live entertainment will be offered in the evening.
We are excited to announce quite a few changes that we’ve made to the Founders brand calendar for 2013. Our new calendar is summarized graphically here:
Red’s Rye PA
Most noticeably, Red’s Rye PA will only be available on draft year-round, beginning in March or April of 2013. Our bottle release will be limited to a specialty, four-pack release in September and October. The final Red’s Rye PA six-pack batch will ship in February 2013.
This was a hard decision for us to make. We love Red’s Rye PA, and we do not want to limit its availability, but it’s the right thing to do for the sake of the quality of the beer. Red’s Rye PA carries a shelf life of 90 days, which means it is tied with Harvest Ale for having the shortest shelf life of any of our brands. Extensive lab analyses have been conducted, and they have validated this shelf life again and again.
This limited shelf life holds true for Red’s Rye PA in bottles and Red’s Rye PA in kegs; however, the out-of-code Red’s Rye PA that we’ve found in the market has overwhelmingly been bottles. This is mostly because kegs have a faster sell-through rate, but draft has other built-in shelf life benefits such as constant refrigeration and a totally concealed container that protects the beer from light exposure.
By shortening Red’s Rye PA’s period of availability, we alleviate shelf life concerns due to the shorter window of availability. Specialty beers tend to have a much faster sell-through rate than seasonal and year-round beers.
We aren’t taking this decision lightly. We discussed modifying the Red’s Rye PA recipe to extend the shelf life, and researched it for some time, but it simply wouldn’t be the same beer. As difficult as this is, we aren’t willing to compromise our recipe and a beer that we believe in just to get it on the shelves longer.
Finally, by moving Red’s Rye PA into the specialty category, it will be moved from a six-pack to a four-pack package, and the price per bottle will increase. Red’s Rye PA has always been an expensive beer for us to make; its cost is more in-line with our specialty beers, but we blended our margins for years to try to make it work. In the end, we’ve had to accept that this is the right thing to do for one of our greatest beers. As is always the case at Founders, producing quality beer comes ahead of concerns about profits.
Seasonal Lineup: Two Seasons, Six-Packs
In 2013, Founders will offer two seasonals: Breakfast Stout (October through February) and All Day IPA (March through September). Both of these beers will be available in six-packs and on draft. We have hop contracts in place that will allow us to brew enough All Day IPA to ship it out to all of our markets for a retail launch on March 1, and we couldn’t be more eager to share this beer with even more people than in 2012, when we had a limited release. And, yes, if you didn’t catch that, we are going to move Breakfast Stout from a four-pack to a six-pack when it is released again in October 2013, and it will maintain the same suggested retail price of $9.99. [UPDATE: As of August 2013, we made the decision to keep Breakfast Stout in a 4-pack after having switched All Day IPA into our year-round lineup and with an eye out for blended margins with our 2014 seasonal offerings. Stay tuned for the 2014 calendar.]
Specialty Updates
Double Trouble will be moving to our specialty lineup, with four-pack and draft availability in May and June.
Next, we have swapped out Cerise in our lineup with a re-release of Rübæus, our raspberry ale that hasn’t been released since 2008. This is a bittersweet change (pun intended). It’s hard to say goodbye to Cerise, but the cherry crop in Michigan this year was devastated and we had little choice. On the other hand, Rübæus is a beautiful beer and is one that we’ve been asked to bring back year after year since we retired it. Rübæus will join our specialty four-pack lineup for a July and August release.
Moving along, you may also notice that we have extended the availability of many of our long-standing specialty beers to two months rather than a one-time release. Our increased capacity has allowed and will allow us to make much more Imperial Stout, Curmudgeon Old Ale and Backwoods Bastard than we have in the past. We are going to do what we can to make each of these beers available for the two full months that are listed on the calendar above, though Backwoods Bastard availability will remain somewhat limited because of the barrel-aging process. KBS, Devil Dancer and Harvest Ale will continue to be small batch releases because of the cost and production constraints of these beers. KBS has moved from a March release to an April release to fit in with our updated calendar. More details on the KBS release will be announced soon.
In case that wasn’t enough for you, we may have some more additions up our sleeve for 2013. As we like to say, you never know what Founders is going to do next.
**Update as of 2/15/13: Please note that our 2013 calendar has changed a bit. You can find the most up-to-date version here.
We announced yesterday that we are going to donate over $5,000 in proceeds from the sale of our 15th anniversary beer reservation tickets to Grand Rapids Whitewater (GRWW). As you may recall, we used a ticketed reservation system for people to reserve their bottles of Bolt Cutter for purchase during the week leading up to our 15th anniversary party, which took place on Saturday, November 17.
15th Anniversary Party in our Taproom
As longtime supporters of GRWW, we donated the initial $25,000 needed to secure a commitment from the Downtown Development Authority for an equal amount of money that was used to get the river revival project started.
“Founders is a wonderful partner. They have played a key role in helping us get where we are today,” said Chris Muller, co-founder of GRWW. “The money will be used to help pay for the costs as we enter Phase II of our study.” Click here to read more about Phase I.
Here’s a depiction of how restoring the rapids to the Grand River will change the landscape of Grand Rapids (the top photo is the existing landscape and the bottom photo is a rendering of what the river would look like after GRWW is finished restoring the rapids):
Our President and CEO Mike Stevens currently sits on the board of GRWW, and we also give taproom customers the opportunity to donate one dollar from the cost of filling up a growler to the project.
Swooping in to visit us over the holidays? Please make note of the following special hours in our taproom:
- Thanksgiving Day (11/22): CLOSED
- Christmas Eve Day (12/24): Limited Hours – 12pm-5pm (taproom, deli and company store)
- Christmas Day (12/25): CLOSED
- New Year’s Day (1/1): Opening Late (3pm for taproom, deli and company store)
- Company Store Extended Holiday Hours
- During the Month of December, our company store will be open:
- 11am-11pm, Monday-Saturday
- 3pm-9pm, Sunday
Otherwise, our taproom’s regular hours are Monday – Saturday from 11am – 2am and Sunday from 3pm-2am.
We look forward to seeing you!
If you’ve purchased a ticket for the Bolt Cutter bottle release, then you already know what day you’re coming in to pick up your bottles. But do you know what time? Bolt Cutter bottles can only be picked up during our Company Store’s regular hours.
Here are the business hours for our Company Store during the week of Bolt Cutter bottle release:
- Day 1, Sun Nov 11: 12pm-9pm
- Day 2, Mon Nov 12: 12pm-9pm
- Day 3, Tue Nov 13: 12pm-9pm
- Day 4, Wed Nov 14: 11am-11pm
- Day 5, Thu Nov 15: 11am-11pm
- Day 6, Fri Nov 16: 11am-11pm
All ticket holders can purchase their reserved bottles in the Company Store anytime during business hours on the date specified on their ticket.
Don’t have tickets for Bolt Cutter yet? As of 9:00am on Monday, October 22, tickets are still available for days 3, 4, and 5. Head over to Brown Paper Tickets and guarantee yourself the opportunity to purchase a bottle or two of Bolt Cutter!
For the full story on Bolt Cutter, check out Sarah’s blog post.
The Bolt Cutter Bottle Release culminates at our 15th Anniversary Party on Saturday, November 17! It’s an all day, free party for those ages 21+, and we hope you’ll come celebrate with us!
Update: As of 11/7/12 at 11:27am, all of the tickets for the Bolt Cutter release in our taproom have been sold.
Today we are officially announcing the release of Bolt Cutter, a 15% ABV barley wine brewed in celebration of our 15th anniversary and the next release in our Backstage Series. The beer will be available in our taproom through a ticketed release system November 11 through 16 and in stores November 19. Tickets for the taproom release go on sale online at Brown Paper Tickets beginning Saturday, October 6, at 11am.
Bolt Cutter is a cellarable barley wine with an ABV of 15%. Dry-hopped with a mountain of Cascade hops, it’s balanced by a malty sweetness and spicy complexity, resulting from barrel aging some of it in bourbon barrels, some in maple syrup-bourbon barrels and some not at all (standard fermentation only). We’ve allowed the beer to mature in bottles and kegs since July so that it would be perfect for its release next month. Bolt Cutter pours a deep copper color and is best sampled at different temperatures to allow the flavors to unfold.
And there’s a story behind the name.
“Years ago,” says Co-Founder, President & CEO Mike Stevens, “when our brewery was located on Monroe, we were defaulting on our loan. Eventually, the bank called and threatened to chain our doors shut if we didn’t come up with the money that we owed them. We had seven days to come up with half a million dollars.”
“So I bought a pair of bolt cutters,” says Co-Founder, Vice President of Brand & Education Dave Engbers. “We were determined to keep our doors open and to keep brewing beer, no matter what it took. Luckily, we never had to use them.”
Engbers keeps the bolt cutters in his office as a reminder of how far we’ve come and the journey we’ve taken since brewing our first beer in November 1997.
To thank all of you in West Michigan and beyond for your years of support, we are throwing a free anniversary party on November 17 in our taproom. We hope to see you here so that we can all celebrate together.
It’s hard to believe, but it’s that time of year again…time for Mug Club Renewals!
The renewal period begins at 11am on Wednesday, October 3, and concludes on Friday, November 30, giving 2012 Mug Club Members nearly two months to re-up their memberships for 2013.
As in years past, it is only $50 to continue to enjoy the benefits of a Founders Mug Club Membership: a personalized mug (with a handle!); $1 off all beers, all day every day; $2 off on Wednesdays; and $2 off growler fills any day of the week! Mug Club Members can also enjoy discounted entry to select Founders events like Founders Fest, Harvest Party and Black Party, and the opportunity to be a part of a positive, welcoming, and thriving community.
Here’s how to renew:
Prior to 11:00am on Wednesday, October 3, current Mug Club Members will have a renewal form placed in their mug (if you lose yours or need another copy, a bartender or server will be more than happy to provide you with a replacement). After receiving the form, simply provide the requested information (name, current mug #, DOB, email address, what you’d like on your mug next year), show your ID, pay $50, and you’re good to go for 2013! At time of payment, a Founders employee will ensure you’ve filled out all of the necessary fields. Note: If you elect to have an image etched on your 2013 mug (instead of or in addition to a name), a $5 engraving fee applies.
Renewing during this two-month period not only ensures your spot in the 2013 Mug Club but guarantees entry at the $50 price point. Plus, if you sign up during the month of October, you’ll automatically be entered for a chance to win a $50 Founders gift card! That’s like getting your 2013 Mug Club Membership free!
After November 30, membership cannot be guaranteed. Signing up by 11/30 is the only way for 2012 Mug Club Members to guarantee being a part of the 2013 Mug Club.
On December 1 at 11am, remaining spaces in the Mug Club will be up-for-grabs for $60, on a first-come, first-served basis. However, if all 2012 Mug Club Members renew, there will be no room for new members, as Mug Club capacity is limited. Essentially, new Mug Club sign-ups work in the same fashion as renewals: Fill out the form, show a valid ID, pay $60 (or $65 if you’d like an image), and you’re good! You’ll be issued a temporary Mug Club ID card with your name and number, though your benefits will not begin until January 1, 2013. (Mug Club Membership is for the calendar year.) At that time, temporary ID cards can be exchanged for permanent ID cards, and the 2013 mugs will arrive shortly thereafter, typically by the beginning of February. (Since all the mugs are hand-etched by a real person, it takes some time.)
If you have any questions regarding these membership details, please see your bartender or server!
Update as of 11/1/12: Mug Club Member #415, Brian, won the drawing for the 2013 Mug Club Contest–he won a $50 Founders gift card!