Breweries can be expensive operations. To run even a small brewery requires a capital investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars in equipment. Of course, you can make the money back, but when you first get going, it can be hard to know where that next sale is going to come from. Founders was no different. Shortly after it had begun, the bank came calling on some past due bills and basically gave the brewery one week to pay or it was going to foreclose on its collateral (fancy bank speak for: shut you down and sell your equipment). It was at this point, after a scramble to investors to help out, that a beer started to get some awards. This beer would save the brewery, allow for growth, and see the brewery to its newest flagship beer set to takeover later this year.
Which beer was this saving grace? The Dirty Bastard scotch ale, a rich, malty, slightly hoppy scotch ale that weighs in at a respectable 8.3% ABV. The Dirty Bastard was the flagship for Founders, bringing it the money to make it to its reputation-makers: Breakfast Stout, Kentucky Breakfast Stout, and Canadian Breakfast Stout. Surprisingly, these are not based on the same underlying Breakfast Stout recipe as the barrel aging imparts flavors that require adjusting the flavor profile of the base beer. This was something that we saw at Jolly Pumpkin and bears repeating here: beer is a living product - it changes shape over time and the beer that goes into the barrel or bottle very often is different from the beer that comes out of the barrel or bottle; thus, the brewer needs to predict what the beer will taste like after this aging and but a product in that will become what the brewer intends that you, the customer, will drink. This requires more than mere science, it requires art and craftsmanship to apply expertise and experience in predicting these flavor changes given the materials, the temperatures, the times, and a variety of other factors that impact the final product.
Which beer is poised to become the new flagship for Founders? The Centennial IPA, a classic American IPA in the hoppy, West Coast style that has become the calling-card of Founders' non-stout beers.
Also on tap was a Bourbon Barrel Red's Rye that impressed. The Red's Rye series of beers present an interesting challenge for Founders. As a grain rye can be harsh and husky and can turn off quite a few people; yet, many people like this flavor a lot. So, there's a balance that has to be struck between making beer that people can respect and appreciate, but also making beer that people will buy. It is for this reason that the Black Rye has been discontinued. Personally, I find this disappointing, as it was a great, great beer. I mentioned my love for this beer to Mr. Engbers and, while he commisserated and agreed that it was a good beer, it simply wasn't being bought on retail shelves. The bartender, Kim, had a better solution: mix about 1/3 Porter to 2/3 Red's Rye and voila(!) Black Rye.
One last tidbit about Founders: their annual production is around 22,000 bbls, making it about the size of Capital Brewery here in Wisconsin. I was amazed to hear that brewery that seems so ubiquitous is, in fact, quite small.
New Holland, in addition to being a brewery, is a distillery. They make whiskey, gin, and a few types of flavored vodkas. I had a faux-Tom Collins (one of my favorite drinks, by the way - I say "faux" because it was made with lemonade not lemon and simple syrup) with the gin that was pretty decent. Another of our group ordered a drink that turned out to be absolutely brilliant: a gin and tonic with the New Holland gin that had been soaking with cucumbers. The cucumber taste came through and the gin really shined; hands down this drink was the highlight of New Holland. The whiskey was expensive, $15 for what looked like a generous, not quite double, pour, but pretty good. Unlike many "craft" whiskey's this didn't overdo it with a heavy body and flavor; instead, it showcased some nice vanilla overtones with background flavors of cherry and oak on a light to medium body. Very nice, and not too much of a burn - easily drinkable without water to cut it.
We did manage to grab some beers before we decided to high-tail it out of there, and the golden rye ale was rye overload - which even for an avowed rye-lover proved too much. The sour rye and sour fruit beers were a little better if not overly impressive; though, to be fair, compared with Jolly Pumpkin, it would be hard to impress. So, with that, hope you've enjoyed this trip to Michigan. All said and done, including bottles that came home with me, gas and my share of hotel rooms, the trip cost about $300. It took us 3 days and I put about 1000 miles on my car, albeit most of it just getting to and from Michigan itself from Wisconsin.
So, thanks to all of the breweries that hosted us. Thanks to all of the guys that were with us. Congratulations to my step-brother. And, I hope this review has inspired you to take a beer trip.
Thanks for the details. Did you get anything else at Bell's - a sampler, the mead? I'm surprised you didn't go to Dark Horse. It was definitely the unexpected treasure of our Michigan trip (Founders, New Holland, Bells, Hideout, Arcadia, Olde Peninsula).
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I would have LOVED to go to Dark Horse, but it was at the end of the trip and it was 30-45 minutes the wrong direction. We had also contemplated Arcadia - we ate dinner at Olde Peninsula since Bells' kitchen was closed (it was fine - they were out of all of their beer except for some light ale and the red - the red was surprisingly hoppy and decent, but not great; food was good, though).
ReplyDeleteA few of us had some different stuff there, but it was kind of too crowded to pull off a sampler, I had the two sour beers (a rye and a fruit) and the raspberry ale and all were fine, though the raspberry ale was probably best - tasted a little like a raspberry version of the Sparkling Ale.