Founder's Expanding Yet Again

" grr32
The squeeze will come from mid-size breweries expanding into new markets seeking growth. Founders has done a little of that but I'm told Michigan is growing at 60% for them so they needed to expand just to satisfy their home market."

I'm not sure what their numbers are exactly for Chicago but I know they're expanding here too. Seems like every bar I go to these days has at least two or three founders selections. Also, the seasonals fly off the shelves here. Expansion will be great for them and for all that appreciate what they do. And I think their everyday product is quality enough to sustain it.

 

They increase the amount of beer but spread it over a larger area. Same thing happened last year with NY/New England expansion, they made more KBS but it was much harder to find. I can only see the same thing happening with westward expansion.

 

"Everybody outside the state of Michigan?" Does that include people in CA, who don't even get Founders? What about people who can also by many of the other "session IPAs" on the market? Not to mention the hundreds of other IPAs that sit on shelves next to Centennial, where in just about every place besides Grand Rapids, at least one of those choices is made closer to home. Here in PA, I have hundreds of other IPAs to choose from that come from closer by.

I don't doubt the marketing acumen of the folks at Founders, I'm just curious as to what they think the market is going to look like in 5 or 10 years. I think most people would agree it will look very different from how it does now, and how likely is it that the market will support a dozen or more rapidly expanding mid-size brewers, when small breweries are popping up everywhere these days, seemingly overnight? Also, how are things going to shake out when competition for market share among these breweries really heats up, and will that turn consumers off?

 

Not surprising. The arrival of Founders in my state has significantly improved my beer selection.
Imperial Stout, Breakfast Stout, Backwoods Bastard and Curmudgeon are all top notch.

 

More KBS and Harvest please! Would be great if we did not have to "hunt" for the best beers out there, but agree with some people there are already a ton of standard IPAs (and maybe few other styles) to choose from so eventually if some of the mid-size breweries grow and local small breweries keep forming there is going to be some places left with too much supply.

 

are people buying all day ipa because it tastes good or are they buying it because ipa's are the new trend now though.me personally i dont know,ive tried ipa's(the samuel adams ones) and thought they were gross and would rather stick with beer so it makes me wonder if there is a difference between a good ipa and a bad one

although it is like 4 percent abv.i generally like the higher alcohol stuff like dirty bastard and double trouble

 

Double Trouble is an IPA, so there you go For you, a good IPA is Double Trouble and a bad one is the Sam Adams one you tried.

 

I'm obviously a bit biased when it comes to MI beer but I think there is definitely room to grow as long as quality doesn't go with it. I know many people who would love to be able to buy Founders beers in Maryland and not have to drive down to DC/NoVa.

 

Taking out cash reserves and financing with some debt huh? Why not create a Founders Reserve where the interest payments are cases/ bottles of beer? I would be in!

 

Tired Hands/F&M/and a ton of PA distro. Most people out west don't hold Parabola for a king's ransom.

 

Sounds like a smart business move to me. What's the worst that could happen? As long as the quality doesn't drop off I'm all for it as I haven't had a bad beer from Founders, yet!
Plus a new Black IPA Dark Penance? I'M ALL IN!!

 

They need to make FBS a year round beer.

 

The fact that they have said they are coming here twice since 2012 pisses me off, but I've heard that it is the fault of the VA distributor for why we don't have it here.

 

As the article says, the expansion will be "at its downtown facility or in another location around the Grand Rapids area".

This may be irrational, but I personally feel that there is just something about being in the taproom and knowing all the beer was produced right there.

I have tons of respect for the pioneering Bell's Brewery and their fine products. But moving much of the production to sterile suburbs or rural farmland just hits me wrong. It feels like a departure from a lot of what is cool about craft beer. Like drinking quality Western USA beers made in the East or Guinness brewed outside of Dublin. The accountants are starting to have too much influence.

As mentioned, it may be irrational, but I feel it.

Here's to the expansion being at the downtown facility!

 

Finally got them here in AZ. Love it!

 

I got all you want here in AZ. Wanna trade for some Alpine and RR?

 

hahaha YES, further making MCB shake in their little booties. makes me proud to be a craft enthusiast!

 

I'm the opposite I can't think of another brewery where I'll buy at least some of most of their seasonal/special releases. Rubaeus, Double Trouble, Harvest Ale, KBS, Breakfast Stout, Backwoods, Curmudgeon, Impy Stout, Devil Dancer I will always get at least one bottle of each year, and KBS/Backwoods/Harvest I get as much as possible. And of course I will periodically pick up some of their Porter or Dirty Bastard. Founder's is my, 'if I was stuck on a desert island with only one breweries beer' brewery.

 

i feel much better spending my money on bells, shorts, dark horse, new holland, arcadia; etc. i just have a gut feeling founders is going to sell out like goose island. can't find a kbs, backwoods bastard, or a devil dancer to save my life and i live an hour from the brewery. appears founders is more concerned pumping out 15 packs of mediocre all day ipa than promoting itself as one of the best craft breweries in the world