Founders Brewing
Founders CBS returns again in November for the last time for a while
Founders CBS will return to the brewery’s Barrel-Aged lineup again on November`1st. This is last time you’ll see it for some time.
One of the most demanded beers in Grand Rapids, Michigan based Founders Brewing’s lineup is CBS, aka Canadian Breakfast Stout.
The imperial stout is brewed with a blend of coffee and imported chocolates, then aged in spent bourbon barrels that have most recently been aging pure Michigan maple syrup. Folks go insane at the mere mention of this beer.
The first time the world saw bottles of this release was in October of 2011, as the second release in the brewery’s Backstage Series.
FOUNDERS UNDERGROUND MOUNTAIN BROWN JOINS BARREL AGED SERIES
Since then, the Backstage Series has grown eventually morphing into the Barrel-Aged Series. Fans begged, but CBS was still missing from the lineup until December of last year. Since then, CBS has made just two more times, with the latest release missing the iconic Canadian Mountie rider. Why? The Royal Canadian Mounted Police filed a legal cease & desist over the depiction of the Mountie seen in the Beer Street Journal pic below. We know it’s not a titillating story, but it solves the mystery behind the horse with no rider on the last bottle.
CBS will return November 1st as the 5th release in the brewery’s Barrel-Aged Series, in both 750-milliliter bottles and new 12-ounce bottles. According to Founders, this is the last time this beer will be released in the foreseeable future.
Style: Imperial Stout (w/ Coffee. Chocolate. Maple Syrup. Barrel Aged. Bourbon.)
Availability:750ml Bottles, 12oz Bottles, Draft. Limited Release.
Latest Return: 11/2/19
11+% ABV
Founders Underground Mountain Brown ships mid-August
Founders Underground Mountain Brown will be the 4th release in the brewery’s Barrel-Aged Series this August.
Brewery fans know this beer under a different name, Barrel-Aged Sumatra Mountain Brown. Founder takes an imperial brown ale, adds Sumatra coffee, and ages it in bourbon barrels in their caves for nearly a year. This release follows new margarita-inspired Mas Agave, presumably on shelves now.
FOUNDERS MAS AGAVE, BARREL-AGED SERIES #3
A team of malts complements the bold Sumatra coffee perfectly, while time spent immersed in oak creates layers of depth and complexity. A celebration of the barrel, the bean and everything in between.
Founders Underground Mountain Brown will be available in 12- ounce and 750-milliliter bottles, as well as draft, starting in mid-August.
Style: Imperial Brown Ale (w/ Coffee. Barrel Aged. Bourbon.)
Availability: 750ml, 12oz, Draft. Limited Release.
Debut: Mid-August 2019
11.9% ABV, 30 IBUs
Founders Pilsner gets a new look
Founders Pilsner has a fresh new look this year.
Margarita inspired Founders Mas Agave is Barrel Aged Series #3
Founders Mas Agave will be the 3rd Barrel-Aged Series release in 2019, following Backwoods Bastard and CBS.
This margarita-inspired release is an imperial gose, brewed with agave and lime, and aged in tequila barrels. According to Founders, the tequila gives this beer “just the right amount of kick”.
The label is inspired by Day of the Dead imagery, especially the altars built to honor loved ones.
Founders Mas Agave will be available in 750-milliliter bottles, 12-ounce bottles, and draft in May 2019
Style: Gose (w/ Lime. Agave. Barrel Aged. Tequila.)
Availability: 750ml Bottles, 12oz Bottles, Draft.
Debut: May 2019
?? ABV
Founders Blushing Monk returns after multi-year hiatus
Founders Blushing Monk makes a return to the brewery’s Limited Release Series in 2019.
Back by popular demand Blushing Monk, considered the older, boozier sibling to raspberry heavy Rubaeus is the first release in the brewery’s Limited Series in 2019. The fruit beer is fermented with a Belgian yeast strain on a “abundance” of raspberries.
Fruit-forward ferment aromas and spice esters combine with an abundance of raspberries for a tart and luscious, raspberry-jam character.
Founders Blushing Monk will be available nationwide in both 750-milliliter bottles, new 12-ounce bottles and draft starting January 4th.
Style: Fruit Beer (w/ Raspberries.)
Availability: 12oz Bottles. Draft. Limited Release.
Latest Release: January 2019
9.2% ABV
Image: Founders Brewing
Ed Note: Removed the 750ml bottle size. Only 12oz will be available.
Founders Brewing adds Colorado distribution in September
Founders Brewing will soon be available in Colorado. The brewery has signed distribution deals with Rocky Mountain Coors, Coors Distributing, High Country Beverage, Mountain Beverage, B&K, High Country Western Slope and A&L Coors to cover the state.
All year-round, seasonal and specialty releases will be available throughout the state in bottles, cans, and draft – the brewery’s 47th distribution state.
The only states that lack Founders will be Utah, Wyoming, and Hawaii.
Founders Curmudgeon’s Better Half is as great as we remember it
Founders Curmudgeon’s Better Half, originally the third release in the brewery’s Backstage Series, returns in August.
The grumpy “Curmudgeon” on the label is best known for appearances on hiatus old ale by the same name. In February 2012, the brewery released Curmudgeon’s Better Half as a part of their Backstage Series, now known as the Barrel-Aged Series.
Curmudgeon’s Better Half is the familiar old ale brewed with molasses and aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels. (Similar to Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout.) Fan demand prompted the return of this boozy treat.
Six years later, how is it? Let’s take it back to December. Christmas saw the return of another legendary beer in Founders lineup – Canadian Breakfast Stout (CBS). The fans clamored and traded for it like it would cure cancer. The reviews ended up being a little mixed, and here’s our theory why. It’s been a quite a while since the last release, and so many barrel-aged beers have come and gone in that time span. Folks built it up in their minds over the years to a level CBS couldn’t achieve, no matter how good it actually was.
Curmudgeon’s Better Half was pretty great in our opinion six years ago and really hasn’t been subjected to this mental buildup over the past half decade. We never thought we’d see it again. With the first sip, we are instantly reminded of the subtle beauty of this beer. There aren’t a lot of old ales running around breweries these days. The original Curmudgeon was brewed with molasses and had a touch of sweetness that mixes with hints of brown sugar and caramel. This version aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels didn’t throw “Better Half” over the top. Each sip is a subtle symphony of vanilla oak, sweet maple, caramel malt, with a finishing alcoholic heat and lingering sweetness. A slow sipper after dinner, or in a rocking chair on a porch as the sunsets. Our love affair was rekindled immediately.
Every year, the brewery plans to bring new creations to their coveted Barrel-Aged Series, but a few releases from the past beg to be re-released. Founders fans have been begging for Curmudgeon’s Better Half to return since it’s release 6 years ago. “This was a beer that needed to get back into the rotation,” says Barrel Maestro, Jason Heystek.
Founders Curmudgeon’s Better Half will make its return starting August 24th in the new 12-ounce bottle format, 750-milliliter bottles, as well as draft.
Style: Old Ale (w/ Molasses. Maple Syrup Bourbon Barrel Aged.)
Availability: 750ml bottles, 12oz Bottles, Draft.
Debut: February 2012
Latest Return: 8/24/18
12.7% ABV, 35 IBUs