Beer Me! — Founders Brewing — Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States

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Founders Brewing

(Mahou-San Miguel Group)

235 Grandville Avenue SW
Grand Rapids MI 49503-4037
Telephone: +1 616-776-1195
Hours: Monday-Saturday 11:00am-2:00am, Sunday noon-midnight.
Brewer: Jeremy Kosmicki, D.W. Deschaine, Adam Schmitt, Matt Blodgett
[Contact] [Update]

Notes

Opened: 1997

Annual Production: 140,000 bbl

Contributors: Mario Kornmesser, Dave Engbers, Diane Crawford, Thomas Dinwiddie

Formerly located at 648 Monroe Avenue NW.

Updated: November 22, 2024

News

2019-08-29: Michigan’s Founders Brewing sells to Spanish company (The Takeout)
2019-04-10: Founders Brewing Co. Beer To Be Brewed at Avery Brewing (New School Beer)
2015-07-22: Founders Officially Rips Baby from ‘Breakfast Stout’ Logo (The Brew Review Crew)
2014-12-17: Founders Brewing Co. Sells Partial Ownership to Spanish Brewer Mahou San Miguel (All About Beer Magazine)
2014-05-06: Founders Brewing Co. unveils first lager in 12 years (Craft Brewing Business)
2013-04-16: As American craft beer exports climb, Founders aiming to be 'pioneer on an international level' (MLive.com)
2012-11-16: MLive marks Founders Brewing Co. 15-year anniversary with a weeklong multimedia series, live chat (MLive)
2012-11-13: Fourth major expansion in 5 years positions Founders to be national player in craft beer industry (MLive)
2012-10-05: How flirting with bankruptcy forged Founders Brewing Co. into a craft beer industry titan (Michigan Live)
2011-06-09: Grand Rapids planners OK Founders expansion and alcohol sales at UICA, but veto dance club request (Mlive.com)
2007-11-14: Brewery's new tap room will open Saturday (MLive.com)

Beer List

4 Giants

Imperial or Double India Pale Ale

9.20% abv.
- Date: December 15, 2022 (#11283)
  
  Package: canned
  
  Place: Northbound Liquor Store, Elk River MN
  
  Score: 20 points
  
  Appearance (3)
  Bright copper color. Thick creamy head.
  
  Aroma (4)
  Graham crackers. Floral, mildly citrusy hops.
  
  Mouthfeel (10)
  Big body, smooth. Biscuity, bread crust malty background. Grassy, floral hops, nicely bitter. Great balance start to finish.
  
  Overall Impression (3)
  Real good beer.

All Day Crimson Sky

Session Beer

4.70% abv.

Date: July 19, 2023 (#11461)

Package: canned

Place: Coborn's St. Cloud, Saint Cloud MN

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Brilliant red-brown. Creamy head.

Aroma (3½)
Really citrusy, oranges. Mildly piney, floral.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium body, moderate carbonation. Big floral, fruity hop flavor with a bit of citrus. Medium bitterness. Caramel malt way in the background. Lingering grassy, fruity finish.

Overall Impression (2½)
Pretty good Pale Ale.

All Day IPA Session Ale

Session Beer

4.70% abv.

Date: December 3, 2013 (#9307)

Package: draught

Place: Crescent Moon Ale House, Omaha NE

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Golden. Dense head.

Aroma (3)
Spicy hops, citrusy.

Mouthfeel (9)
Medium body, smooth. Big tropical-fruity hop flavor, mango. Medium bitterness on top of clean pale malt. Clean fruity finish.

Overall Impression (2)

All Day West Coast

Session India Pale Ale

4.70% abv.

Date: July 23, 2023 (#11474)

Package: canned

Place: Princeton Wine & Spirits, Princeton MN

Score: 18 points

Appearance (3)
Brilliant pale golden. Thick head. LOTS of bubbles.

Aroma (3½)
Floral, fruity hops. Toasty malt.

Mouthfeel (9)
Light-medium body, surprisingly smooth. Medium floral hop flavor, fruity and grassy. Low-medium bitterness. Biscuity malt shows up in the finish.

Overall Impression (2½)
Good clean American Pale Ale.

Date: October 1, 2009 (#7915)

Package: bottled

Place: Place unknown

Score: 20 points

Appearance (3)
Brown. Opaque. Big dense head.

Aroma (4)
Big wood-whiskey-vanilla.

Mouthfeel (10)
Medium body, silky smooth. Nicely malty and nicely woody. Big whiskey flavor without a whiskey bite.

Overall Impression (3)
Really well-balanced very tasty beer. Thanks to Mike Feekart for the bottle!

Date: December 3, 2013 (#9309)

Package: draught

Place: Crescent Moon Ale House, Omaha NE

Score: 16½ points

Appearance (3)
Black. Low head.

Aroma (3½)
Roasty, malty.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium-big body, smooth. Chocolatey, malty, roasty. Grassy hop flavor and bitterness. Lots of chocolate in the finish, with some astringency.

Overall Impression (2)

Date: August 9, 2003 (#5058)

Package: draught

Place: Great Taste of the Midwest, Madison WI

Score: 19 points

Overall Impression (3½)
Amber opaque. Thick head. HUGE Centennial hop aroma. Medium body. MASSIVE spicy Centennial hop flavor. Big caramel malt base, but PHENOMENALLY hopped with Centennials.

Date: June 5, 2011 (#8586)

Package: bottled

Place: Woodman's Food Market #16, Madison WI

Score: 17½ points

Appearance (3)
Amber-red. Dense head.

Aroma (3)
Very toasty, very bready, very malty.

Mouthfeel (9)
Medium-big body, smooth. Malty, caramelly, toasty, fruity. Moldly alcoholic. Very mild grassy, fruity hop flavor, not all that bitter.

Overall Impression (2½)

Date: July 30, 2018 (#9888)

Package: draught

Place: Krug Park, Omaha NE

Score: 17½ points

Appearance (3)
Dark red-brown, opaque. Moderate dense head.

Aroma (3)
Floral, grassy. Toasty sweet malt.

Mouthfeel (9)
Thick. Sweet and grainy. Dark caramel. Big grassy hop flavor, big bitterness. Really nicely balanced, and really strong. Malty finish but not sweet, with a big grassy, mildly citrusy, grassy fairly bitter finish.

Overall Impression (2½)
Real good beer.

Date: August 15, 2015 (#9514)

Package: bottled

Place: Hy-Vee Council Bluffs, Council Bluffs IA

Score: 18 points

Appearance (3)
Black. Dense head.

Aroma (3)
Grassy, earthy hops. Some alcohol, some malt.

Mouthfeel (9)
Medium-big body, smooth. Big grassy, fruity hop flavor and bitterness. Malty, with a medium roastiness. Fruity, bitter, malty finish.

Overall Impression (3)
One of the better Black IPAs. Or as described on the label, "Imperial Black India Pale Ale".

Date: April 1, 2005 (#5612)

Package: bottled

Place: Woodman's Food Market #20, Green Bay WI

Score: 18 points

Appearance (3)
Beautiful deep red. Low head.

Aroma (3)
Hugely malty, fruity, alcoholic.

Mouthfeel (9)
Great big body, low carbonation. Fiercely malty. Lots of alcohol. Hints of roast and smoke. Lingering warm alcoholic finish.

Overall Impression (3)
Thanks to Steve & JoAnn Rott for the bottle!

Date: January 13, 2018 (#9808)

Package: draught

Place: Krug Park, Omaha NE

Score: 17 points

Appearance (3)
Bright amber. Thick head.

Aroma (3)
Whiskey-ish wood/coconut.

Mouthfeel (9)
Thick. Malty. Big wood-barrel-aged mild coconut flavor. Alcoholic, boozy, and sweet. Vaguely EKU-28-ish.

Overall Impression (2)
"Dick Kicker Malt Liquor"

Date: September 6, 2011 (#8634)

Package: bottled

Place: Woodman's Food Market #16, Madison WI

Score: 19½ points

Appearance (3)
Bright golden. Thick dense head.

Aroma (3½)
Grapefruity, piney, grassy hops.

Mouthfeel (10)
Big and bitter and biscuity. Very tasty clean malt underlies a massive bitterness: resiny, grassy, fruity, piney.

Overall Impression (3)
Great balance for a big bitter beer.

Date: December 3, 2013 (#9306)

Package: nitrogenated

Place: Crescent Moon Ale House, Omaha NE

Score: 15½ points

Appearance (3)
Golden amber. Dense head.

Aroma (2½)
Faint biscuity malt, faint fruity hops.

Mouthfeel (8)
Light body, smooth. Biscuity malt and fruity hops, with some bitterness in the finish.

Overall Impression (2)
It's a very stripped-down flavor profile compared to the bottled version.

Date: July 29, 2012 (#8892)

Package: bottled

Place: Ridgeview Liquor, Ashwaubenon WI

Score: 16 points

Appearance (3)
Golden. Moderate head.

Aroma (3)
Big citrusy hops, grassy.

Mouthfeel (8)
Medium body, smooth. Big citrusy hop flavor,low-medium bitterness. Mild biscuity malt flavor. Clean finish.

Overall Impression (2)

Date: December 31, 2023 (#11548)

Package: bottled

Place: Northbound Liquor Store, Elk River MN

Score: 18½ points

Appearance (3)
Black. Dense brown head.

Aroma (4)
Coconut, roast malt, and molasses.

Mouthfeel (9)
Thick, malty. Intensely roasty, grassy, floral, earthy. Coconut and oak. Sweet roasty finish with a mild tar-like note.

Overall Impression (2½)
Real good big beer.

Date: February 20, 2017 (#9704)

Package: draught

Place: Cask Republic, Omaha NE

Score: 13 points

Appearance (3)
Black. Moderate dense head.

Aroma (3)
Big malt. Mildly roasty.

Mouthfeel (6)
BIG and chocolatey. Really really chocolatey. Sweet. Sticky sweet.

Overall Impression (1)
A bourbon barrel aged Imperial Stout with chocolate, blueberries, and vanilla.

Date: December 3, 2013 (#9308)

Package: nitrogenated

Place: Crescent Moon Ale House, Omaha NE

Score: 18 points

Appearance (3)
Brown-black. Dense nitro head.

Aroma (3)
Mildly roasty, smoky.

Mouthfeel (9)
Light body, smooth. Creamy malt, mildly roasty. Mild roasty bitterness in the finish.

Overall Impression (3)

Date: August 9, 2024 (#11877)

Place: Princeton Wine & Spirits, Princeton MN

Score: 14½ points

Appearance (2½)
Brilliant golden-amber. Dense head.

Aroma (3)
Bready, grainy, sulfury.

Mouthfeel (7)
Medium body, fizzy. Grainy, grassy, floral. Burnt-match sulfur flavor all the way through. Grainy finish, dry.

Overall Impression (2)
This is much more of the newer Export style Festbier than the older Märzen style, despite what it says on the label.

Date: May 31, 2011 (#8580)

Package: bottled

Place: Woodman's Food Market #16, Madison WI

Score: 18 points

Appearance (3)
Very dark red. Moderate head.

Aroma (3½)
Rich coffee roastiness.

Mouthfeel (9)
Medium body, smooth. Sweet malt. Nicely roasty. Grassy hop flavor with a low bitterness. Creamy, roasty finish.

Overall Impression (2½)

Date: October 7, 2009 (#7947)

Package: bottled

Place: Avenue Pub, New Orleans LA

Score: 18 points

Appearance (3)
Red-brown. Dense head.

Aroma (3½)
Spicy, grassy, nutty, caramel.

Mouthfeel (9)
Medium creamy body. Hugely malty with lots of grassy rye flavor. Huge spicy citrusy hop flavor. Big bitterness.

Overall Impression (2½)
Real good bitter beer.

Date: March 25, 2014 (#9352)

Package: draught

Place: Yia Yia's Pizza Beer & Wine, Lincoln NE

Score: 18½ points

Appearance (3)
Dark brown, opaque. Moderate dense head.

Aroma (3½)
Smoky, grassy. Very mildly roasty.

Mouthfeel (9)
Thick and creamy. Big fruity hop flavor and roasty maltiness up front, followed by a nice smooth smoked malt flavor. Low bitterness. Malty, smoky, roasty finish.

Overall Impression (3)
Real good beer.

Date: November 15, 2018 (#9982)

Place: Wilson & Washburn, Omaha NE

Score: 16½ points

Appearance (2½)
Golden, some haze. Dense head.

Aroma (3)
Really bready, grainy.

Mouthfeel (9)
Light body, fizzy. Sweet, mildly grainy malt. Grassy hop flavor, low bitterness. Nice lingering hop in the finish.

Overall Impression (2)

Date: December 31, 2022 (#11287)

Package: bottled

Place: Northbound Liquor Store, Elk River MN

Score: 20 points

Appearance (3)
Brilliant amber. Surprisingly dense head, but it doesn't last long.

Aroma (4)
Biscuity. Coconut. Malt and a little whiskey.

Mouthfeel (10)
Thick, creamy with some fizz. Malty all the way through. Coconut and biscuits. Whiskey is obvious but not dominant. Warming but not hot. Faintest hint of dill in the finish.

Overall Impression (3)
Phenomenal balance. "Wheat wine Style Ale with Maple Syrup Aged in Bourbon Barrels".