• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

Craft Brewing Business Craft Brewing Business
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment & Systems
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

Watch the story: Founders’ first batch of beer has been its only recall ever

August 14, 2017Keith Gribbins

Founders Brewing Co. has one of those great redemption stories. Two college buddies quit their jobs, take out big loans and almost go bankrupt brewing bold beers that they love, but they bounce back. The company celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2013 by releasing another beer in its avant-garde Backstage Series called Bolt Cutter. It’s a dry-hopped, malty sweet, barrel-aged barley wine, named after the bolt cutters Engbers bought in 2001, fearing the bank might chain his brewery doors shut for defaulting on loans. That same year, Founders revisited its recipe book and redefined its mission statement: Make uncompromising craft beer that they loved.

The learning process took a while. In fact, the first time Founders brewed beer, they contaminated their entire debut batch and had to recall it. Enjoy the story from co-“Founders” Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers in the video above. Because Founders didn’t have all the necessary equipment at first, the duo had to contract brew with Ambleside Brewing in Minnesota, armed only with a homebrewing background. After 18 hours of nonstop work (peeing in trough drains and showering via hot liquor tanks), they had their first batch packaged and ready to head back to Grand Rapids, Mich.

Their launch event took place at a local pub Flanagan’s on March 13. The result? “About two weeks later, we started to realize that all that shit we made at Ambleside is starting to taste like apple cider, and it’s going south, and to this date, it’s the only recall Founders has ever had,” explains Stevens in the video above.

Watch this video on Founders Brewing’s new Detroit taproom, replete with funky beats
20 Years Over Beers Episode 1 Hopes and Drinks Founders Brewing Co. JP
Founders Brewing goes back to college, a video about connecting
Prairie Street Brewing cbb crop
Watch this pristine marketing video from Illinois’ Prairie Street Brewing
Watch: Grab a beer and get smart with these four Founders Beer University videos

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • Anderson Valley Brewing promotes price stability amid Big Beer price hikes: ‘We actually like our customers’
  • Ohio how has 400 craft breweries! Here are some other Buckeye beer stats to know
  • IBA hits milestone – 1 million bbls of buying power – what’s next for the co-op?
  • Plastic can carrier recycling co-op debuts in Chicago

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • The-IBA-TeamIBA hits milestone – 1 million bbls of buying power – what’s next for the co-op?
    May 19, 2022
  • 2022 beer branding trends part 1: reinvention
    May 17, 2022
  • satisfaction surveysAre brewery employees happy? Depends on the department
    May 16, 2022
  • Male hand closes hatch of brewery tankUnfiltered: Do I need to clean tanks between transfers?
    May 11, 2022
  • Hard seltzers: Achieve high alcohol fermentations in a clean and neutral way with the proper nutrient aids
    May 9, 2022
  • Paxton Products uses air and ionization to rinse and dry beer bottles and cans
    May 9, 2022

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2022 · CBB Media LLC

Posting....