Founders Brewing Company is an award-winning craft brewery located in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. Since its opening in 1997, Founders has garnered a great deal of national and international acclaim, with several notable beer websites ranking it among the top breweries in the world.

History

The brewery was founded in Grand Rapids in 1997 by Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers, homebrewing

Homebrewing

Homebrewing is the brewing of beer, wine, sake, mead, cider, perry and other beverages through fermentation on a small scale as a hobby for personal consumption, free distribution at social gatherings, amateur brewing competitions or other non-commercial reasons...

 enthusiasts who had recently graduated from college. Since the mid-2000s, it has become one of the most prominent breweries in Michigan, expanding its market to 15 states and its production capacity to 30,000 barrels per year. The brewery is currently expanding and will have 50,000 bbl capacity in early 2011.

As of 2011, two of its beers, Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) and Canadian Breakfast Stout (CBS), were ranked among BeerAdvocate's top 10 beers, with CBS ranked as the 4th best beer in the world by user reviews. Ratebeer.com listed Founders as the overall 4th best brewery in the world in its 2010 poll, edging out its Kalamazoo, Michigan-based rival Bell's Brewery

Bell's Brewery

Bell's Brewery, Inc. is a brewery located in Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently brewed in Comstock, Michigan. Bell's Brewery produces the Bell's brand of beers. Bell's also has a brewpub called the Eccentric Cafe which serves their beer and food....

. In April 2010, Founders won four medals at the World Beer Cup

World Beer Cup

The World Beer Cup, known as "The Olympics of Beer Competition", is one of several major international beer competitions. It was founded by Association of Brewers President Charlie Papazian....

 in Chicago, Illinois, and the brewery went on to win two more medals at Denver's Great American Beer Festival in September.

Taproom

Overlooking the brewing facilities, the Founders taproom allows customers a look into where beer production occurs and offers many beers on draft that are only available at the tap room. The offering of specialty beers and twice-weekly live music has helped make the taproom a staple in the Grand Rapids community and a destination for travelers. The deli menu consists mainly of handcrafted sandwiches, which are made using bread from a local bakery.

Founders Fest

Founders Brewing Company throws an annual festival in June called Founders Fest. The street in front of the brewery is closed down and blocked off for this celebration of beer and music. National, regional, and local acts take the stage at the south end of the brewery, local food vendors grill up their specialties, and local artists display their goods. Around 4500 people attended the festival in 2010. The brewery refers to the event as a thank you to the Grand Rapids community for their support over the years.

2011: Galactic

Galactic

Galactic is a funk and jazz jam band from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.-Origins and background:Originally formed in 1994 as an octet and including singer Chris Lane and guitarist Rob Gowen, the group was soon pared down to a sextet of: guitarist Jeff Raines, bassist Robert Mercurio,...

, Rubblebucket

Rubblebucket

-Formation:Musical couple Alex Toth and Kalmia Traver first met at the University of Vermont where they were both enrolled as music majors...

, Terrapin Flyer with Melvin Seals

Melvin Seals

Melvin Seals is an American musician, best known as a long time member of the Jerry Garcia Band.-Early life and career:...

, The Ragbirds

The Ragbirds

The Ragbirds are a 5-piece, female-led, folk-rock-world fusion band out of Ann Arbor, MI. They describe their own music as "infectious global groove". The musical roots of The Ragbirds sound are complex - with Gypsy, Middle-Eastern, Americana, rock, and Latin influences, all stirred with a Celtic...

, Steppin' In It, AB & Coconut Brown, FBC All-Stars (All-Founders-Employee Supergroup), DJ Spydre Murphy

2010: Lotus (American band), Greensky Bluegrass

Greensky Bluegrass

Greensky Bluegrass is a five-piece American bluegrass band. The band was founded in Kalamazoo, Michigan in the year 2000 and has toured consistently throughout the past decade, playing many of the nation's finest clubs, music halls and festivals.-Career:...

, Frontier Ruckus

Frontier Ruckus

Frontier Ruckus is an American folk-rock band from Michigan. The project is centered on the lyrically intensive songs of Matthew Milia, and was formed by Milia and banjo player David Winston Jones while living in Metro Detroit. The band released its debut full-length record, The Orion Songbook,...

, Larry and his Flask, The Wildfire, The Riley Brothers, DJ Spydre Murphy, FBC All-Stars (All-Founders-Employee Supergroup)

2009: Karl Denson

Karl Denson

Karl Denson is a funk and jazz saxophonist, flutist and vocalist from San Diego, California. He was a member of Lenny Kravitz's band and has co-founded and led The Greyboy Allstars. Denson has recorded with artists including Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Blind Boys of Alabama, Blackalicious,...

’s Tiny Universe, Mucca Pazza

Mucca Pazza

Mucca Pazza is a 30 piece self-described "circus punk marching band" based in Chicago. The band, whose name comes from the Italian for "crazy cow," has been performing in and around the Chicago area for over seven years. Their repertoire ranges from Balkan-brass to covers of 60's television show...

, Ultraviolet Hippopatamus, Chance Jones, Four Finger Five, Oracle, Back Forty, The Total Blam Blams, Red Frog

2008: Chicago Afrobeat Project, Four Finger Five, Ultraviolet Hippopatamus, Chance Jones, Oracle, The Total Blam Blams, Winter/Sessions

Founders Family

Founders has about 70 employees, many of whom are Grand Rapids-based musicians. Local acts with Founders Family members include Paucity, Oracle, Nicholas James Thomasma, Ultraviolet Hippopotamus, Chance Jones, and The Total Blam Blams.