Founders Brewing Co.

Review by Julia Hawkins

Founders is easily the most widely-recognized Grand Rapids brewery.  They have brews on tap as far away as Dallas, TX, and with good reason: their beer is great.  Admittedly, I am biased in this review; Founders is my favorite brewery in Grand Rapids and the surrounding cities.  But this bias is also with good reason: they are the best.

Founders beers, save maybe one or two, are brewed to kick you in the face. They have bold flavors and a deceptively high alcohol content disguised by a floral hoppy finish or a rich caramel malt.  This is American beer.  There is no mistaking it for anything else.

While the beer is well worth buying by the six-pack, it is best to go to the actual brewery to enjoy the brews on tap.  The taproom is right next to the brewery itself, with only glass panes separating drinkers from the brewing equipment.  It creates the feeling that you are a part of the process.

Founders serves only beer at the bar, but they have a deli if you happen to get a bit peckish.  The food is sandwiches and snacks and it seems like, somehow, they created a menu that perfectly compliments Founders beer.  I want to know how they did it, but I fear it may ruin the magic.

As for the prices, the beers in Class 1 (standard brews) are only $3.50 a pint. Classes 2 and 3 (specialty beers) are $4.50 and $6 respectively, and rotate out depending on the season. This is reasonable, but Monday night is the night to go if you want a deal.  They offer $1-off Class 1&2 beers from 6:00pm to midnight.  It’s crowded, but if you can get a table I highly recommend sampling as many as possible.