About
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.

Our taproom experience was born in 1997 in downtown Grand Rapids, MI, when our Co-Founders decided to start a brewery and realized immediately that the only way they could earn some cash (the brewery was losing money during those first years) was through bartending. With its super-casual vibe, gritty feel and amazing beer, the taproom quickly became a haven for many misfits, artists, musicians and more in Grand Rapids, outgrowing its tiny space quickly. The good news was, so did the brewery. Our entire operation moved to its current downtown Grand Rapids location 10 years ago to accommodate this growth and has since maintained the relaxed atmosphere and “all are welcome” approach to those who walk through the door. What’s next for our taproom? A second one, of course! We’re headed to Motown and hope to bring our Founders feel to the heart of the Cass Corridor in downtown Detroit.
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Dogbrick (24514) reviewed
Breakfast Stout from Founders Brewing Co.
21 years ago
8.4/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 9 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8.5
Pours pitch black with a garnet hue around the edges. Thin dark brown head that beat a hasty retreat. Thin and sticky lacing too. The aroma is really roasty with coffee and a bit of chocolate. Full-bodied and creamy, with a smoky flavor that came out of nowhere. Coffee, roasted malt and chocolate flavors are present too. The aftertaste is bitter and lasting, and the smokiness lingers long after. All in all this beer met my expectations but I am not sure that it lives up to all the hype. Still I wouldn’t kick it out of bed in the morning.
Tried on 24 Jan 2005 at 16:40
Dogbrick (24514) reviewed
Devil Dancer from Founders Brewing Co.
21 years ago
8/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Is it just me or does the number preceding "IPA" seem to be loosely following the number of blades on Gillette razors? I anxiously wait to find out if we will see a quadruple IPA before a 4-bladed razor. As for the beer, it is a simmering reddish orange color with a thin and compact light beige head. Very little lacing. The aroma is peppery, with hops, citrus and a baby’s breath of malt. Very rich-bodied. I like to drink even the hoppiest IPA normally but this is definitely a sipper. Citrusy hops and alcohol dominate but do not overpower. Surprising amount of sweet malt to balance, which lends to the Barley Wine characteristic this beer has. The finish is long and hot. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Tried on 18 Jan 2005 at 12:59
Dogbrick (24514) reviewed
Red's Rye IPA from Founders Brewing Co.
21 years ago
8/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
Sampled at From The Vine beer tasting Jan 14th, 2005: Two beers in a row that exceeded expectations. This beer is a light amber color with a medium thin off-white head and minimal lacing. Rye is prevalent in the nose, along with some hops and caramel. Medium-bodied with a blast of citrus and floral hops flavor. Rye and grain is much more understated than in the aroma and it works well. The finish is lightly sweet with a touch of spice. Well-done.
Tried on 15 Jan 2005 at 22:55
Silphium (4337) reviewed
Little Devil ESB from Founders Brewing Co.
21 years ago
7.6/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
On tap at Founders. Hazy coppery body, medium off-white (light cream) head. Caramely aroma with notes of earthy hops. Very rich malty body, somewhat unusual for the style, with plenty of sweet caramel and fruits, including melon and a touch of peach. Earthy hops are present but understated; the malts have top billing. A good beer to get a feel for the brewery’s distinct malt bill and yeast character. Very clean and fresh-tasting; this is the best new beer I’ve had at the brewery in some time, despite the fact that it strays from the ESB "guidelines."
Tried from Draft on 15 Jan 2005 at 16:53
Silphium (4337) reviewed
Frangelic Stout from Founders Brewing Co.
21 years ago
7/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 7
On tap at Founders. Poured (via nitro tap) deep opaque brown, topped by a medium creamy cream-colored head. Light aroma of roasted malt, coffee, and a touch of amaretto. The flavor is basically a cross between their Nutty Professor Nut Stout and Coffee Stout, with amaretto flavors playing off of somewhat bitter coffee and roasted malts. Creamy body. Another play off their basic nitro stout, and another good beer, but I wish they’d try a different stout recipe every now and then.
Tried from Draft on 15 Jan 2005 at 16:49
Silphium (4337) reviewed
Primetime Brown from Founders Brewing Co.
21 years ago
6.1/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6.5
On tap at Founders. This beer confused me a bit so I confirmed my original thoughts by having another on a fresh palate. Cloudy orange-red body, thin off-white head. Fruity, toasty, caramely aroma. Tart, fruity body with plenty of caramel. Really, this seemed like a watered-down Dirty Bastard with lower ABV and a toasty kick. No nuts or smoke, nothing really indicative or unique to the style. Musty, yeasty finish. I’m one of the few people here who really likes brown ales, but this is scouting team material.
Tried from Draft on 24 Dec 2004 at 01:08
Silphium (4337) reviewed
Honey Rye from Founders Brewing Co.
21 years ago
5.4/10 — Appearance 6 Aroma 5 Flavor 5 Texture 6 Overall 5.5
On tap at Founders. Clearish golden body, thin off-white head. Sweet light fruity aroma. Sweet, floral body with honey and tangy rye notes, cerealy and weak. Thin-bodied. Go for their other rye beers!
Tried from Draft on 24 Dec 2004 at 01:03
Silphium (4337) reviewed
Yukon Cornelius' Christmas (Holiday) Porter from Founders Brewing Co.
21 years ago
6.2/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 6 Overall 6
On tap at Founders. Deep brown pour, medium/thick creamy nitrogen (no!) head leaving nice lacing. Cinnamon toast crunch aroma. Heavy anise (another no!) flavor with notes of cinnamon. Much of the underlying chocolatey malt character is dominated by the over-the-top anise. More or less the brewery’s version of Anchor Our Special Ale.
Tried from Draft on 23 Dec 2004 at 23:45
Clarkvv (17430) reviewed
Black Rye from Founders Brewing Co.
21 years ago
8/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 7 Flavor 8 Texture 10 Overall 8
2004 bottle. Wonderful deep burgundy-violet hued brown ale, with some darker, almost black tinges and a small off-white, old piano key colored head. Aroma of sweet milk chocolate, light roasted notes, pieces of hops hit the nose as well. Some dry, herbal/anise-like notes on the end. Flavor begins, quite unexpectedly, with a dose of very sweet toffee and light rye notes. The beer progresses through a thick bodied godiva liqueur-like flavor with toasted malts providing some nutty nuances. Syrupy (almost) caramel and roasted grains round out the finish, with some very bitter citric hops. Kind of tastes like one of those chocolate oranges that you smack and then they break apart. Just an all out unique and flavorful beer which gladly follows no real style guidelines. After finding the red rye very boring, this was a marvelous surprise. WIll be buying more of it.
Tried from Bottle on 20 Dec 2004 at 10:43
BoiseBrewBlog (9283) reviewed
Imperial Stout from Founders Brewing Co.
21 years ago
8/10 — Appearance 8 Aroma 9 Flavor 7 Texture 8 Overall 8
Bottle Pours an extremely thick opaque black with very little head that is a dark brown. Seems to have roughly the viscosity of half and half. Lacing is thin and spotty. Aroma is a sweet molasas and brown sugar with a little smoke and licorice. Flavor is much more bitter and smokey. Some coffee as well. Feel is very rich and smooth. The finish is a charcoal bitter that is right for hte style. Thanks to Secret Santa who ever you are.
Tried from Bottle on 12 Dec 2004 at 22:23