E-Malt.com News article: USA, MI & AZ: Founder Brewing Company is expanding distribution

Founder Brewing, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has been churning out beers since its founding in 1997 -- but, until recently, only to the eastern half of the United States. A $26 million, 165,000-barrel expansion of its Grand Rapids taproom and production facility, however, has allowed the company to expand distribution quite a bit, Phoenix New Times reported on March 31.

When complete, the new space should bring Founders' total annual beer output to about 340,000 barrels per year, which would put it in the top 10 breweries by sales volume -- the brewery was number 30 on the Brewers Association's list of top breweries last year. The brewery announced its entrance into five new states, including Arizona, in March, and just started shipping its beer to England.

The rapid growth is exciting, especially considering the challenges Founders' founders, Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers, faced in the short period after opening the brewery's doors. Their initial offerings, according to them, were "well-balanced but unremarkable," and the brewery was on the verge of bankruptcy.

That's when the Founders team decided to change course, focusing on brewing the beers that got them excited about brewing in the first place: complex, crazy kinds of brew. Today, Founders' philosophy states: "We don't brew beer for the masses. Instead, our beers are crafted for a chosen few, a small cadre of renegades and rebels who enjoy a beer that pushes the limits of what is commonly accepted as taste. In short, we make beer for people like us."

Arizona should be receiving a good number of those beers. The first shipment will likely include the year-round stuff:

Centennial IPA: a 7.5 percent IPA.

Porter : a dark 6.5 percent ABV ale.

Pale Ale: A 5.4 percent ABV testament to Cascade hops.

Dirty Bastard: an 8.5 percent ABV Scotch ale.

All Day IPA: a balanced "session IPA," constrained to a reasonable 4.2 percent ABV for repeated drinking.

Red's Rye IPA: 6.6 percent ABV.

Nitro Oatmeal Stout: a draft-only 4.5 percent ABV stout.

The timing of Founders' entry into Arizona market works out perfectly for beer geeks, as April 1 also marks the yearly release of the brewery's most applauded and highly sought-after brew: KBS.


02 April, 2014