FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
San Diego, CA – July 7, 2011 – Attention all craft beer evangelists, brewers, bloggers, and suds-savvy citizens! On Thursday, August 4, 2011, you are cordially invited to participate in the largest international craft beer celebration and virtual conversation the world has ever seen.
International #IPADay is a grassroots movement to unite the voices of craft beer enthusiasts, bloggers, and brewers worldwide through social media. On Thursday August 4, craft beer drinkers across the social sphere and across the globe will raise pints in a collective toast to one of craft beer’s most iconic styles: the India Pale Ale. This celebrated style represents the pinnacle of brewing innovation with its broad spectrum of diverse brands, subcategories, and regional flavor variations–making it the perfect style to galvanize craft beer’s social voice.
#IPADay is not the brainchild of a corporate marketing machine, nor is it meant to serve any particular beer brand. #IPADay is an opportunity for breweries, bloggers, businesses, and consumers to connect and share their love of craft beer. Getting involved is easy; the only requirements are an appreciation for great beer and the will to spread the word. Anyone can participate by enjoying IPA with friends, making some noise online with the #IPADay hashtag, and showing the world that craft beer is more than a trend!
Tips on How to Take Part:
- Organize an #IPADay event at your brewery, brewpub, restaurant, bar, home, or office (Ex: An IPA dinner/cheese pairing/comparative or educational tasting/cask night/tap takeover…). Share your events on the official #IPADay forum at http://www.ratebeer.com.
- On August 4, share your photos, videos, blog posts, tasting notes, recipes, and thoughts with the world. Be sure to include the #IPADay hashtag in your posts Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WordPress, RateBeer, Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp, Untappd, or any other social media site.
- See what other people are saying by searching “#IPADay” on Google, search.twitter.com, et cetera…
- Track down your favorite IPAs, those that you’ve been meaning to try, and those you’ve never heard of; share them with friends and share your thoughts with the world.
- Have a good time and know that by sharing your experiences online, you’re strengthening the craft beer community at large.
About International #IPADAY
Founded in 2011 by beer evangelists and social media personalities Ashley V Routson and Ryan A Ross, International #IPADay is the largest grassroots social media-based celebration of craft beer. The goal of #IPADay is to use social media to strengthen the collective voice of craft beer through the simple celebration of beer itself. The success of #IPADay hinges on the passionate voices of beer enthusiasts worldwide and their willingness to share that passion across the social sphere.
For more information on events or how you can support #IPADay, visit http://ipaday.eventbrite.com or comment on this blog post and we’ll respond directly!
Hashtag: #IPADAY
These are our favorite kind of emails to receive:
Yo Founders!
I just wanted to send you a brief email to tell you that I love your beer. In fact I love KBS so much that I actually brought a bottle to Africa on my honeymoon last year. My wife thought I was nuts bringing beer all the way to Africa, but I wanted it to be the perfect trip. A year later she is now a beer geek and totally gets it. Attached are two pictures of the beer and some elephants that were at a near by watering hole in the background. Your beer is excellent. Keep it up.
Ryan
Here are the photos that were attached:
Sometimes we live vicariously through our beer. This would be one of those times.
Thanks to Ryan for sharing!
A group of our employees plays in a local hockey league—check out the winning goal they scored in a recent game!
Just over 48 hours remain before our biggest party of the year: Founders Fest!
Scroll past the photo of the extra tall Backwoods Bastard that showed up last year to find answers to all of your last minute questions (if you have any others, please feel free to post them in the comments, and we’ll respond ASAP).
TICKETS
- Advanced ONLINE ticket sales have ended (there is no longer enough time left before the event to mail tickets out).
- Advanced IN PERSON tickets will be available through the end of day Friday at both our Taproom and our Company Store ($15).
- All remaining tickets will be sold at full price ($20), on Saturday, AFTER the event begins at 3pm.
You cannot purchase tickets over the phone and put them on will call. You either had to buy advanced tickets online, in person, or wait until the event begins and pay full price.
Everyone attending Founders Fest has to be at least AGE 21. No exceptions!
Current Mug Club Members may purchase ONE ticket for themselves in advance, here in person in the Taproom, or on the day of the festival AFTER it begins at 3pm.
All Ticket Sales are final. There are no refunds, exchanges, etc.
RULES
Re-entry is allowed but not guaranteed. We will allow people to re-enter only if they have a valid wristband and hand-stamp, and if our capacity allows it. Attendees assume the risk of not being able to re-enter once they leave.
The following items are not allowed:
- Pets
- Outside food and beverage (water is OK)
- Vehicles of any kind (bikes, skateboards, rollerblades, etc.)
- Illegal substances
- Bad attitudes
Collapsible camp chairs are allowed, but cannot be set up directly in front of the stage. Violators are subject to removal from the event without refund.
MUSIC SCHEDULE
3:00pm DJ SPYDRE MURPHY (and in between sets)
3:30pm A.B! & COCONUT BROWN
4:15pm STEPPIN’ IN IT
5:15pm FBC ALL-STARS
6:15pm THE RAGBIRDS
7:15pm TERRAPIN FLYER with MELVIN SEALS
8:15pm RUBBLEBUCKET
9:30pm GALACTIC
Founders Fest ends as soon as Galactic completes their encore.
BEER
We will have the following beers on draft…plus a few surprises!
PARKING
Our parking lots will be closed during Founders Fest, so please plan ahead for parking. Ellis Parking will have the following lots available: 100 Grandville, Grandville/Oakes, Custer, Avis and 90 Market. Check their online map to locate these. Other street parking is available through the city. You can also contact a local cab service to drop you off at the festival and pick you up after; two options are Calder City Taxi (616.454.8080) and Yellow Cab (616.459.4646).
We received our shipment of Founders Fest t-shirts today! They’ll be available at the festival merch tent, which will be across the street from the beer tent. Check ’em out!
If you’re a frequenter of our taproom—whether you live in the Grand Rapids area or not—we have something that may interest you: an RSS feed for our tap list.
What this means: you will be able to receive live updates whenever we update our tap list.
Been wanting to try CBS? Were you sitting at home, playing online poker the last time we put it on? If you sign up for this feed, you’ll be updated immediately after we update the list ourselves.
Don’t miss out again.
Looking at our entertainment calendar, one can’t help but be taken aback by the incomparable quality of entertainment we’re offering this month. We at Founders strive to not only bring you some of the best beer in the world, but to bring you high-quality, affordable entertainment that resonates personally, while contributing to the surrounding culture.
Take a look at June’s events, then keep reading for more info on each show.
Thursday, June 2nd, saw Randy Marsh’s Big Organ Trio entertain a lively crowd with their upbeat, jazzy take on the classic organ trio. A great way to kick off an incredible month!
On Saturday, June 4th, we’re pleased to welcome the return of two of Michigan’s most iconic singer-songwriters, Seth Bernard and May Erlewine, both a part of the legendary Earthworks music collective. Seth and May are both beautifully-voiced storytellers, oozing sincerity and compassion. The show is just $5, and begins at 9:30pm.
Click this hyperlink for more information, videos, artist info and more!
On Sunday, June 5th as well as Sunday, June 19th, you can enjoy a free afternoon performance from the Grand Rapids Jazz Orchestra, an extremely talented 16-piece ensemble playing classic arrangements as well as original compositions. Catch them starting at 5:30pm!
On Thursday, June 9th we’re pleased to welcome the return of Friction Records’ Charles the Osprey, a furious, yet fascinating math-rock duo from Grand Rapids. Joining them will be Reverend, Tokyo Morose, and Jake Simmons. It’s an incredible, eclectic bill that will begin at 9:30pm and be absolutely FREE.
Click this hyperlink for more information, videos, artist info and more!
On Saturday, June 11th we will once again be the presenting sponsors for The Local First Street Party, conveniently located a block north of Founders, in front of Bistro Bella Vita. It all begins at 3pm, then make sure NOT TO MISS the Official Afterparty, located in our Taproom, which is FREE with your Local First wristband.
For more info on The Local First Street Party, click here.
On Saturday, June 11th, we are absolutely elated to welcome one of indie-rock’s hottest bands, Lovers, from Portland, Oregon. Lovers plays some of the most beautiful, catchy, well-written, yet heart-string-tugging songs you’ll ever hear. Finan will start off the evening with a DJ set beginning at 9pm, followed by Nervous but Excited, and Founders-fave Jes Kramer. Then the Afterparty TRULY gets going at midnight when Lovers take the stage, followed by a very special closing dance set from DJ Muchas Gracias.
Click this hyperlink for more information, videos, artist info and more!
On Thursday, June 16th, we’re so very excited to be hosting one of our BIGGEST, BESTEST ‘No Cover Thursdays’ ever, starring Portland, Oregon’s Horse Feathers, on the legendary Kill Rock Stars record label. Also joining them will be Portland’s Hello Mtn, as well as St. Louis’ Benjamin Riley Band and Kentucky Knife Fight. Don’t miss this special engagement beginning at 9:30pm, also dubbed, ‘The Official Founders Fest Pre-Party’!
Click this hyperlink for more information, videos, artist info and more!
On Saturday, June 18th, it’s the event you’ve all been waiting for, a year in the making…2011 Founders Fest, a full day celebrating the things we love most: great beer, great music, great food, and the city of Grand Rapids. The musical lineup features: legendary New Orleans band Galactic, Boston’s Rubblebucket, Chicago’s Terrapin Flyer featuring Melvin Seals of The Jerry Garcia Band, Ann Arbor’s The Ragbirds, Lansing’s Steppin’ In It, Grand Rapids’ own AB! & Coconut Brown and DJ Sypdre Murphy, as well as The FBC All-Stars, our employee all-star band rumoured to feature iconic actor and Founders superfan Mark-Paul Gosselaar!!
All your favorite Founders beers will be on tap, including a bunch of surprises, some made just for the event, and the long-awaited debut of Blushing Monk!! Food will be available from The Cottage Bar, The Pita House, Maggie’s Kitchen, and The Corner Bar of Rockford. Founders and band merchandise will be available for purchase, as well as a local artist’s row featuring some of the area’s finest artisans.
Advance tickets are available in our Taproom and Company Store as well as at the gates day of the fest.
For all of the Founders Fest info you can handle, click this hyperlink for more information, tickets, videos, artist info and more!
On Thursday, June 23rd, we’re pleased to welcome Denver’s folk-heroes The Chimney Choir, making their first Founders appearance alongside Midnight Cattle Callers. We hope you can join us at 9:30pm for this special free engagement.
Click this hyperlink for more information, videos, artist info and more!
On Saturday, June 25th we’re very pleased to welcome the long-awaited return of the area’s favorite progressive jam band, Glean Infusion! Show starts at 9:30pm, and is just $5.
Click this hyperlink for more information, videos, artist info and more!
On Sunday, June 26th, come down to the Taproom at 9:30pm for what will be yet another rousing Discfunktional Sunday starring The Boogiman, featuring special guest DJs from all over the world, spinning the rarest classic funk ever committed to vinyl. Bring your dancing shoes and your thirst for delicious beer, but don’t worry about paying a cover…it’s ALWAYS free!
On Thursday, June 30th, we’re happy to continue the tradition of providing you with the coolest free shows ever, welcoming the return of Ribbons of Song! Joining them on the bill will be The Soil and the Sun, as well as Vermont’s Chamberlin, and Connecticut’s Bronze Radio Return. What an incredible way to round out an incredible month. We hope you’ll join us, beginning at 9:30pm.
Click this hyperlink for more information, videos, artist info and more!
Miscellaneous: All Thursday and Saturday shows begin at 9:30pm unless otherwise noted. For a complete list of upcoming shows, check out our live music calendar.
Coming out and want to take a look at what’s on tap? Click here.
Hungry and want to look at our deli menu? Click here.
Thank you so much for supporting Founders and supporting live music. We are so SO lucky to be able to do what we do, and to serve you. Hope to see you soon, and thank you again. 🙂
We’re extremely excited to be participating in SAVOR, in Washington, DC, for the first time this year. This annual event takes place at the National Building Museum—which is well worth a visit in its own right—on June 3 and 4 and celebrates some of the finest craft beer in the nation by offering samples paired with artisan appetizers.
Check out our event listing to see what we’ll be serving!
You may have seen that we plan to release a 750 mL Backstage Series. Well, we recently announced that Blushing Monk will be the first in the series.
Partner and Vice President Dave Engbers explains, “We haven’t produced this product in over four years and people have been begging for it—so this is the perfect time to bring Blushing Monk back to market.” Blushing Monk is a decadent Belgian Raspberry Ale that was last produced in 2007, and is still highly sought after.
We’re not going to reveal the entire lineup yet, but it will be full of taproom favorites that have been offered throughout the years. We plan to release two or three in the series this year.
We recently opened an on-site company store, connected to our taproom! It has a to-go beer cooler (bigger than the one in the taproom—don’t worry, the original is still there) and room to for you to check out all of our one-of-a-kind gear. We’re opening with limited inventory, but things will start picking up and we know the space will fill up quickly. Also, an updated gear site is in the works. Check back for more information!
Founders Company Store Hours
Monday to Thursday: noon–8pm
Friday and Saturday: noon–10pm
Sunday: 3–6pm
**Every purchase of $10 or more comes with a free bumper sticker!
We’re extremely proud of our bike team, Founders Alger Racing—eight members made podium at the Yankee Springs Time Trial on April 17, 2011. Here are photos from the race, many of which show the racers on the podium, holding the mugs that they received for placing! (Click on one of the thumbnails to launch a mini photo gallery.)
Check our Adventure page to see what we’re doing to support an adventurous lifestyle, in our community and beyond.
We’ve made a couple of adjustments to our availability for 2011, most notably by changing the seasons a bit for our seasonals. Please see the updated chart below.
This is too fun not to share…
Ozim is the dog of Ben Robbins, who works at our Indiana distributor, Cavalier (based in Indianapolis). He’s protecting some fresh cases of Centennial IPA, which had just been delivered to their warehouse. “My two favorite things: Founders Centennial IPA and my dog,” Robbins says.
We say, “That sure is one smart guard dog.”
Thanks for sharing, Ben!
As was announced in this MLive article, we are planning to release specialty beers in a 750mL bottle format later this year. Our new packaging line allows us to use this new bottle size—and we’re excited to be able to distribute some of our limited release beers, which were previously only available in kegs and almost exclusively in our taproom, in bottle form for more to sample.
We’re not ready to announce what our first few releases will be yet, but only a couple have been confirmed. That being said, if you’d like to share what beer you think we should offer in a 750 in the comments, know that we WILL read it—though we’re not making any guarantees.
We’d been working on developing a cutting edge beer for two years or so, and we were able to perfect the recipe recently. Unfortunately, we ran into some rights issues with the working name we’d been using. But we’re brewers and craft beer geeks. When we run into obstacles, we see opportunities. We realized this was our chance to see what the people who drink our beer think. Hey, if you like us, then we respect your opinion, because we know you know what’s good. So we’re asking for your help in choosing a name and a label for this new beer.
Now, imagine yourself sitting around a table, beer in hand, brainstorming with a bunch of brewers, cellar masters, packaging whizzes, and other beer geeks.
Here are the materials you’ll need to help you make your decision:
- A description. The beer you’ve been waiting for. Keeping your taste satisfied while keeping your senses sharp. An all-day IPA naturally brewed with a complex array of malts, grains, and hops. Perfectly balanced for aggressive aromatics, moderate bitterness and a remarkably clean finish. It’s the perfect companion for tall tales around the bonfire, working around the yard, or introducing great craft beer to your Uncle Ernie and Aunt Claudia.
- The stats. 4.7% ABV, 42 IBUs, 6 SRM
- Tasting notes. Fresh and hoppy, tropical fruits, oats and wheat.
- Ingredients. Three varieties of malts, Simcoe and Amarillo hops (among others).
- The accolades. Won a silver medal at the 2010 GABF.
And, by the way, you only get to vote once—there’s no wavering in the craft beer world. Make your decision by 5pm on Monday, April 4, or else it doesn’t count. OK, you’re ready:
We have the “original Red” painting hanging up in the brewery (above). It’s the basis for the label of our Red’s Rye PA, which started as a taproom-only beer for a few years and went through a few name changes before becoming what it is today. This painting was done from a photograph of a man in Kalamazoo by Justin Bernhardt.
We’re in the running for the brewery with the best handle on social media, according to this survey by the Beer Wench. We’re super excited because it’s something that we’ve worked to improve over the past ten months or so. We’d appreciate it if you could support us by filling out the survey‚Äîand feel free to comment on this post with what you think we could do to improve our social media presence.
Here are links to our social media outlets:
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