Despite brewing 4,000 barrels of beer in 2006, Founders Brewing Company could fill only 60 percent of the orders for its popular beer. As of today, that’s all going to change.
Last week, the brewery added six 60-barrel fermenters to an expanded production room. Each fermenter holds 1,860 gallons. Dave Engbers, co-founder of Founders, expects the new fermenters to increase the company’s 2007 output by 50 percent. Brewing with the new fermenters begins today.
Since 1998, the brewery has operated out of a cramped production facility in the Brassworks Building, with no place to expand operations.
“We looked at moving, but we still had two years left on our current lease,” Engbers said. “Then about 6,000 square feet became available to us behind our current spot, and that freed up production space for our fermenters.”
The expanded space includes a break room for employees and three office spaces.
Founders produces 12 specialty beers and distributes them throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts. Their top seller is Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale, a beer that Engbers says pairs well with steak and other rich foods. Another favorite is Kentucky Breakfast Stout, which contains coffee and chocolate, and is aged in oak bourbon barrels.
Four of Founders beers are in the nation’s top 100 beers, and of those, two are in the top ten, according to www.beeradvocate.com, a web site for beer enthusiasts. Another site, www.ratebeer.com rates the brewery as the 17th highest in the country.
So, what accounts for the nationwide appeal?
“We’ve been a small company that really never has any marketing dollars,” Engbers said. “Fortunately for us we’re in a business where beer aficionados and beer advocates talk on the Internet to others all over the world. We have a grassroots group behind us that really is behind us.
“And we don’t brew beers for the masses. Ours are rich and complex and wonderful.”
Source: Dave Engbers, Founders Brewing Company
www.foundersbrewing.com
Photographs by Brian Kelly - All Rights Reserved
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