Founders Brewing Company

Founders Brewing CompanyFounders Brewing Company
Founders Brewing CompanyFounders Brewing Company
Brewery, Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

235 Grandville Ave SW
Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49503
United States

(616) 776-1195 | map
foundersbrewing.com

Mahou San Miguel has a 30% ownership stake since 2014. Mahou San Miguel increased its ownership to 90% by purchasing an additional 60% of Founders Brewing in August 2019.

Non-smoking Indoors, huge front porch for smoking. Much larger room, with huge 25-seat custom mahogany bar.
Live Music Thursdays and Saturdays featuring Stage, House PA and Sound
Pool Table, and Real Dart Board.
BEER STATS
Average:
4.01
Beers:
204
Ratings:
158,059
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.53
Reviews:
346
Ratings:
1,156
pDev:
10.15%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by TCgoalie:
Photo of TCgoalie
Reviewed by TCgoalie from Michigan

4.48/5  rDev -1.1%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.25
I really like the new Founders location. No smoking is a plus, with a nice deck for those that do. The glass near the Southside of the brewery showcases all of the beer equipment which is a nice touch. My girlfriend and I were watching a brewer cleaning and doing some other business inside the giant metal bins the last time I was there.
The beer is excellent. Quality beer with each beer you choose. I was once a little disappointed by the selection of beers earlier in the summer, but loved the selection the last time I was in.
If you want something to eat, you can't go wrong with the sandwich selection here. The Devil Dancer is one of the best (and hottest!) sandwiches I've had at a restaurant. The appetizer selection is enough to keep you interested too...I recommend the bruschetta.
I've never had a problem with the service, this is a quality establishment...don't miss it!
Oct 02, 2009
More User Ratings:
Photo of Lanoke12
Reviewed by Lanoke12 from Michigan

5/5  rDev +10.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Great brewery in Grand Rapids. This is the brewery that made Grand Rapids beer city USA. Great selection of beers, including some of the best barrel aged beers in the world. Good food. Great service. Highly recommend.
Dec 17, 2023
 
Rated: 3.76 by Sparty1965 from Michigan

Oct 29, 2023
Photo of Roguer
Reviewed by Roguer from Connecticut

3.96/5  rDev -12.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4
I didn't know what to expect from visiting Founders. Would it be great, because, you know, it's Founders? Would it be mediocre, because they're one of the biggest (i.e. most macro) craft brewers in the country, owned by a massive macro beverage company? Would it be awkward, because of the recent controversies involving employment and employee treatment?

It definitely leaned toward great.

Food was very good: creative and upscale pub fare, done right. The environment was nice, and the attached bottle/gift shop was a nice touch.

More importantly, however, was the beer. The selection was very, very good. It's impossible to offer everything Founders has available, but they nailed the essentials, while also having some special offerings available. Beer quality was excellent.

Overall, I'd put this one on the MUST SEE list if you're visiting the area for work or pleasure.
Sep 24, 2023
 
Rated: 4.43 by Jimpanzee from Michigan

Jul 07, 2023
Photo of mpruden
Reviewed by mpruden from Ohio

4.89/5  rDev +7.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Here in person for the first time this weekend, having enjoyed Founders beers “from a distance” for years!

This has in two visits become one of our top five favorite brewpubs anywhere. We love the beer garden.

The vibe is easy, active, relaxed, and energetic — all at once.

The food is quite good, as is the service.

But it’s the beer — as it should be — that makes this place.

We can’t imagine returning to this part of Michigan without again visiting here.
Jul 04, 2023
 
Rated: 4.75 by atlbravsrno1 from Maine

May 03, 2023
 
Rated: 4.95 by MJSFS from Florida

Mar 18, 2023
Photo of Whyteboar
Reviewed by Whyteboar from Michigan

4.39/5  rDev -3.1%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.25
I don’t get here nearly enough, it’s still one of the best places in West Michigan to grab a beer with friends. Excellent vibe even in the afternoon and if you get here in the evening, it’s often wild.
Feb 11, 2023
Photo of BigIronH
Reviewed by BigIronH from Michigan

4/5  rDev -11.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Staff was nice, very helpful and happy to answer questions. Beer was excellent as always. Definitely blown away by the taproom only beers. The company store was well stocked with apparel and beer. Overall, would definitely return.
Oct 28, 2022
Photo of Redrover
Reviewed by Redrover from Wisconsin

4.31/5  rDev -4.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Our first stop on our MI visit.

This is a large venue with a swag shop, long bar, large dining area and a big outdoor drinking space. Soaring ceilings, lots of exposed wood, tons of natural lighting, very good looking spot.

Staff was friendly but a bit slow, we were in no hurry and enjoyed not being rushed to turn over a table.

Food was good, our group got sandwiches and apps and everyone was pretty happy with what they got.

Beer - Lots of choices that encompassed a wide range of styles. Everything from lagers to barrel aged. They had APA, IPAs, sours, a marzen and my favorite Red Rye.

It was a great introduction to the MI craft beer scene.
Aug 08, 2022
Photo of zeff80
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri

4.01/5  rDev -11.5%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.75
This place is huge. And it has a huge selection of beer. I like how their beer menu marked the brews that were exclusive to the taproom. I was there with a party of 12 and right when we arrived several other large parties arrived. They couldn't handle it. I gave up ordering beer from the server on the patio and went inside to the bar. I assume the poor service was an outlier which is why I didn't score it even lower. Food was good and so was the beer.
Jun 27, 2022
 
Rated: 5 by Mildoze from Kansas

Jun 26, 2022
Photo of John_M
Reviewed by John_M from Washington

4.28/5  rDev -5.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.75
Like Bell's in Kalamazoo, visting Founders in Grand Rapids had been a big want on my list of places to visit. Unlike my Bell's experience, I was very impressed with the pub/cafe at Founder's.

The Founder's facility is good size, with a modernistic decor vibe to it. There are a few TVs throughout the restaurant and bar area (we perched ourselves at the bar during our visit), but otherwise the vibe here is pretty sterile. Even so, Founder's seemed like a comforable enough place to hang out with a beer or three during our Monday afternoon visit. In terms of the beer selection here, I was pretty impressed. They had sometihng like 37 beers on tap, organized into 3 price categories (the more expensive, limited release and BA beers being the more expensive on the draft list). They're pretty flexible here in terms of serving size; you can order a pint, 10 ounce glasse or sample size pour of pretty much everything (growler fills as well). The wife and I ordered 9 sample size pours while at the bar, and then the bar tender brought by one of their agave flavored gose style sours (which was excellent). My wife, who generally abhors all beer, liked the blushing padre so much that she ordered a 10 ounce pour of it. That being said, pretty much everything we tried was excellent, which consisted of IPA's, a BA coffee brown, hazelnut KBS, FBS on nitro and BA nemesis.

In terms of service, it was OK. I thought our bartender was a bit slow (he apologized, noting that they were unusually busy for a Monday), but he was otherwise friendly, funny and quite knowledgable. In terms of food, I got an order of hot wings and my wife got the blushing monk salad. The wings were nothing special (though the homemade blue cheese dressing was outstanding), but the salad was pretty terrific. After our visit we stopped by the company store and picked up a 6 pack of the x-mas version of the blushing padre for a $20 walk out price.

In the end, we had a very good time at Founders and even my wife indicated that she would have no problem going back any time we're in the area (which says a lot about this place, given that she generally does not like beer or beer bars). If you're a fan of Founders beer, this is a must visit at some point in your life I would say.
May 27, 2022
Photo of Pivopijak
Reviewed by Pivopijak from Washington

3.82/5  rDev -15.7%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.25
A big building with a sizable gift shop that ushers one into and out of the tasting room. Standard semi-woody interior. This is brewery well known for some stalwart beers but one finds out the average beer here is average indeed. Out of the four beers tasted, 4 Giants imperial IPA was quite good.
Oct 29, 2021
Photo of Stooven
Reviewed by Stooven from Illinois

4.95/5  rDev +9.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
One of my favorite breweries in the US. (The Heineken experience is still my favorite overall, perhaps because I was 22 at the time). Great selection, one-offs, decent store, one time when food was late they comped a meal. Parking can be a hassle, but unless you're from out of town you shouldn't be driving anyway!
Feb 11, 2021
Photo of DecaturCarl
Reviewed by DecaturCarl from Illinois

2.4/5  rDev -47%
vibe: 1.75 | quality: 2.75 | service: 1.75 | selection: 2.75 | food: 2.75
Don't bother trying to get in the taproom if you are not young and hip. Signed in to the wait-list app and got a reasonable wait time. Waited 45 minutes more than the initial wait time and still kept getting updates of my wait time being increased. My number in line seemed to be moving in the right direction but the time that I would be seated kept getting pushed further in the future. Then I realized I never saw anyone entering or exiting that looked older than 25. They want old fat guys to stay at home and drink Founders beer not show up at the trendy tap room.
Sep 13, 2020
 
Rated: 4.2 by slasich from Pennsylvania

May 16, 2020
Photo of bob22andy
Reviewed by bob22andy from Ohio

4.5/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | food: 3.75
This is one of my favorite breweries in the country. It is what you hope a brewery would be. Great selection of beers and all that I have had are incredible quality. This place can get real pack and hard to find a seat at times. The servers tend to be a bit on the relaxed side so get yourself a beer before you sit down and expect to spend some time there. Yet every server I talked to seems to have excellent knowledge of beer in general and even more of what is on tap there. Food is solid for a bar or brewery.
May 13, 2020
Photo of jaz58
Reviewed by jaz58 from Canada (ON)

4.6/5  rDev +1.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.25
Cool brewery with a great indoor restaurant/bar. Lots of room, live music most nights, very good food menu, awesome beers on tap and bottled. Excellent outdoor patio too.
Feb 15, 2020
Photo of Chris-547
Reviewed by Chris-547 from Michigan

4.79/5  rDev +5.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75
Very cool brewery, everyone working was very friendly, the beer selection was fantastic, and many of the menu items had the beer implemented into the sauces or marinades, which was great. The all around vibes were nice, and it was definitely worth the trip, and I'll be back for sure.
Jan 08, 2020
 
Rated: 4.1 by Seal4676 from Michigan

Jan 04, 2020
Photo of Blogjackets
Reviewed by Blogjackets from Ohio

4.53/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
Good place to visit as you never know what will be on tap. When I visited we had some Lizard of Koz despite it hadn’t been for sale for a year or two. Service was outstanding with talkative staff members helping anyone. Food is just favor, but we just tried several appetizers. Need to try sandwiches during next visit.
Dec 16, 2019
Photo of TooManyGlasses
Reviewed by TooManyGlasses from Canada (AB)

4.59/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.25
Return visit from Edmonton, Alberta - here in March 2018 and again now Nov 2019 (clearly impressed as 3 visits last time and dinner and beer here twice this year).
Massive facility - loud and hopping on Saturday PM, busy but not as hectic on Monday PM. Nice options for seating - bar, individual tables, communal tables - the communal tables are great - get to meet some really nice people from all over.
Service is great - numerous staff checking on you regularly!
The selection is probably second to none and the quality of the beer is incredible - how can it not be from Red’s Rye IPA to Breakfast Stout and options of vintages and versions of CBS and KBS, seasonals - Harvest Ale etc. Phenomenal.
The food is fairly standard pub fare sandwiches etc but really good quality.
This is a bucket list visit (my bucket twice now, and will go back!). Worth the journey.
Note also the store is packed with treasures and great beer to go.
And the tour we did last visit also great.
Nov 24, 2019
Photo of VoxRationis
Reviewed by VoxRationis from New York

4.69/5  rDev +3.5%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.75
I had the better part of a day looking for something to do in Eastern Michigan, so decided to drive from Brighton and visit the Founders Brewing Company. What an extraordinarily fun place! Basically it is a beer-oriented theme park. A broad selection of Founders brews. Multiple serving areas and table service. A pool table and other bar games. Indoor and outdoor seating arrangement (the latter had a fire pit). Excellent food and service. Bonhomie (my wife and I chatted and joked with two long distance truckers much of the time we were there). A separate, dedicated sales area for souvenirs and pre-package beers (that allows for purchase of single bottles). Did I say the food was excellent? A long drive, but it is surely worth it.
Oct 05, 2019
 
Rated: 3.74 by rmarquardt17 from Michigan

Aug 29, 2019
 
Rated: 3.58 by RachMuss from Michigan

Jul 29, 2019
 
Rated: 4.81 by Rubezahl from Pennsylvania

Jul 09, 2019
 
Rated: 5 by Samnem from Pennsylvania

May 22, 2019
Photo of DoctorZombies
Reviewed by DoctorZombies from Florida

4.36/5  rDev -3.8%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Great pub grub, and very good service for as busy as the place was the afternoon we went. Lots of Founders beers/styles to choose from and we enjoyed sitting outside. Would gladly go back for the beer and food.
May 10, 2019
Photo of wmscottsimpsonjr
Reviewed by wmscottsimpsonjr from Missouri

4.58/5  rDev +1.1%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.75
Nice open food-courty area plus a large patio. Food was excellent. I had the best Reuben of my life her, and of course founders makes excellent beer, with many options available. Service was very attentive. Three different employees attended to us and they all made frequent stops haha
May 04, 2019
 
Rated: 4.1 by Richard-Scott from Georgia

Mar 24, 2019
 
Rated: 4.1 by thegink from New York

Feb 18, 2019
 
Rated: 4.21 by Burgy from Minnesota

Dec 29, 2018
 
Rated: 4.16 by ProNR from Florida

Dec 28, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by wolffish61 from Ohio

Nov 21, 2018
Photo of flhTK
Reviewed by flhTK from Michigan

4.84/5  rDev +6.8%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 5 | food: 4.25
This is possibly the best tap room we have visited, and we pretty much seldom pass one without stopping. Great selection of really good beers with a very knowledgeable staff and decent eats.
Nov 11, 2018
 
Rated: 4.53 by LiquidEgo from Ohio

Oct 29, 2018
 
Rated: 4.34 by walkabout from Michigan

Sep 20, 2018
Photo of cjgiant
Reviewed by cjgiant from District of Columbia

4.3/5  rDev -5.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 3.75
Fairly large place with inside and outside seating, a couple of bars, and a live music stage, Busy place with a bar that can back up but a good number of servers going by the tables and taking orders. They had a tap list of about 30 beers, including their big beers, core lineup, and some brewery only exclusives. Had a fun and relaxing time enjoying a few beers there.
Sep 11, 2018
Founders Brewing Company in Grand Rapids, MI
Brewery rating: 4.01 out of 5 with 158059 ratings