Founder's Releases Statement Concerning Specialty Ale Canadian breakfast Stout

This is taken from MLive and the Founders Blog and is written by Mike Stevens, Founders Brewing Company President and CEO. This article addresses mounting concerns over availability of the product, state-by-state distribution, and retailer price gouging of CBS.

From our company president and CEO, Mike Stevens:




Folks,

We feel that it’s necessary to address a few of the concerns surrounding the release of our Canadian Breakfast Stout (CBS). We understand the frustrations stemming from the lack of availability of this beer and are looking forward to the day when we can produce much more of our specialty brands. As some of you are aware, we have been undergoing constant expansion for the past few years and have been working toward a master plan that will increase our annual brewing capacity by four times our current level. We are happy as hell to share that our new brewhouse is now on line and that we just recently started brewing into the new system. We plan to use this new system in 2012 to increase production of our specialty items to better service the demand for them. It is important to keep in mind, however, that the next couple of 750ml (Backstage Series) releases as well as the 2012 KBS release will still be scarce, because these beers were brewed on the old (smaller) system. But after that we should be off and running toward much greater availability.

On another note, there seems to be some concern or confusion on how are beers are allocated per state. We are proud to be a Michigan-based brewery and all specialty releases take this into consideration. We at Founders will never forget our home state market. In terms of CBS, the state of Michigan received an allocation of 21% of the entire batch of CBS. No other state saw more than 12% of the total availability. That being said, no state is treated more fairly than another (including MI). Distributor allocations are simply based on a representation of total number of accounts they represent for Founders. Should rumors of this exist to the contrary, know that they are just that: rumors.

Lastly, we’ve noticed that retail price gouging is also being discussed. I can only give you the brewery’s position on this, but please know that, legally, once we sell our products to our wholesaler, they in turn sell it to retailers throughout our states of distribution. We have no control over what this retailer will charge for the beer. We do establish our suggested retail pricing, but we cannot enforce this whatsoever. When we hear of retail price gouging, it annoys us as much as it annoys you. Our recommendation to our wholesalers in dealing with retailers that are gouging is to communicate that, if the retailer does not stop overcharging, they will jeopardize their ability to receive Founders specialty items in the future.

In short, we just want to set the record straight on these few items floating around on the blogs and make everyone aware that we are working day and night to fix the capacity concerns with our specialty products. We make this beer because we are extremely passionate about creating the best liquid we know how to produce. We started this business as home brewers and still look at ourselves as such. We know that some of you might never get your chance at a CBS bottle, but we feel it would be a greater disappointment to have never shared this product at all.

Cheers,

Mike Stevens | President & CEO

To me, this is one of those "good problems" to have. Props to Founders for being classy and addressing something that they really didn't have any obligations to talk about in the first place.

The More Things Change...

The more they stay the same! A year ago today things in my life were eerily similar in a lot of ways, including my job, the sunny, warm weather and the fact that I had an inadvertant day off work. Yet so much has changed in that time. My outlook on life, my relationship status and how busy my schedule has become day-to-day.

Take a look back today. 365 Days ago how was your life similar and different?

The Effects of 9/11 on NYC

Here's a short clip from the Associated Press talking about the new Ground Zero memorials and the effect that the attacks had on NYC, and some of those who were involved.


Obviously the numbers mentioning the population in the one square mile around Ground Zero are awesome, and it proves that the resolve and will New Yorkers was not only un-hurt after 9/11, but it was strenghtened in many cases.

Now there is one example where it is apparent how profound the fear was and is that was created from that day. After 9/11 many of those who were present during the attacks and survived needed to leave New York City to mentally cope and move on. However in Janice Collins' case I totally disagree with her fear of her kids being victims of a subway terrorist attack. The chances of them being killed by cancer, or killed in a traffic accident driving in their suburban community is far higher.

Living your life in fear of even stepping outside your door is a terrible way to go about after an event like that. What's worse is "cities are dangerous places" message she seems to be passing on to her kids. Sheltering your family in hopes of keeping them safe, I don't know how I feel about that.

My own opinions aside, it just goes to show how traumatic those events were on those involved, and the extremes people will go to in order to mentally cope.

SF to Division Ave.

No, I didn't go to San Francisco, never have been. I have however seen close to a dozen shows and films documenting the scene in the Mission District and "The Haight", or Haight Ashbury as it's properly called. These areas were "hippie" enclaves in the '60's and beyond, and evolved into having seedy, homeless populations permeating they're existance. Despite the fact that both have a growing underground, hipster gentrification scene, the seedy underbelly side has remained giving the districts a very unique, edgy and in some lights dangerous atache.

In 1996 the Van Andel Arena opened in Grand Rapids, Michigan's Heartside district. This entire area had been beaten down for several decades, was in complete disrepair, and while not quite to the "Bronx is burning" stage, was home to mainly the homeless and drug-addict population of downtown. In fact, the night before the first act at the arena, the Grand Rapids Police did a complete sweep of the area to "move" all of the "undesirable" (homeless) populations out of the area so the white suburban populace would not feel threatened. Yes, that's a little known fact of GR history for you.

A decade and a half later that very arena is still at the top of it's game, and is continually ranked the number one mid-sized entertainment venue in the country. What has happened in downtown Grand Rapids in the decade and a half since has been breathtaking. Rarely does an arena spark a total revival and rebirth, but in GR's case, it did. Downtown GR is now THE place to be and THE place to be seen in West Michigan. It's a beautiful mix of occupied classical buildings housing offices, apartments, condos, restaurants and bars, with glassy, modern new motel, office and condo buildings fill in the mix. Gentrification to the Nth degree. From September to April, college students flock downtown. In the summer, the mix is just as heavy and palpable. The growth and gentrification has stretched all bounds of downtown Grand Rapids, and that includes Division Avenue. Yes, THAT Division Avenue.

It's an unlikely mix in a conservative, right-wing portion of the Great Lakes. Homeless, down-on-their-luck, recovering drug and alcohol addicts, missions and shelters and clinics. In their midst the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids and Catholic Central High School, and of course Van Andel Arena and what it has spurned. New bars, clubs, restaurants and apartments mix with the old population on a daily basis. Suburbanites, college students, and the new (and growing) young urban residents mix with the underbelly that city leaders sought to hide so feverishly just a decade ago. Hipster vinyl record stores, tattoo parlors, a modern Goodwill store and even a bank branch. Division Avenue is a force within a region of total change. Completely repelling change, while begrudgingly welcoming it at the same time.

The second decade of the 21st century will tell if the changes continue and push out the seedy underbelly of West Michigan in favor of a more commercially lucrative venture. Until then, the balance that has been struck in the past couple years has a striking resemblance to something that only San Francisco could offer up. Is this our gray area? Is this where our line blurs from the predjices of old generations to the more adventurous ones of the new in West Michigan? Is this a temporary arrangement, set merely for a few years to one day be talked about in local hostory books? Or is this our worm hole. Our visible and invisible zone where the total have-nots and haves mingle side-by-side with predjudices aside? Do we momentarily tolerate each other enough to have this mixing in our midst? Is this a flash in GR's evolutionary pan, or is this our Haight Ashbury and Mission District? Time will tell.

The UICA (Urban Instituate for Contemporary Arts) just opened it's new location on the corner of Fulton and Division, and September is two days away. What does that mean? ArtPrize #3 is a month away. Is there a breaking point, or simply co-existance?

Let's pray for co-existance.

PJ

9-11 - A Decade Later

Has it really been that long? What's happened in that time, that ten year gap from that shocking day to the ten-year memorial. In the time since that day a lot of things have happened. I've graduated high school as well as college, had a couple internships, witnessed two wars, two elections, two presidents, numerous scandals, 1.5 economic depressions, a massive power blackout, Katrina, the tsunamis in South Asia and Japan, the near death of the Big Three in Detroit, the Lions went 0-16, the Red Wings won two Stanley Cups, the Tigers went to the World Series, and Grand Valley becaome the predominant athletic powerhouse in Division 2. Wow has a lot happened! Let me hear your memories from the last decade since one of the most defining moments in our generation's existance.

Ron Paul 2012

I like Ron Paul's responses here. He seems even less of a conservative than Obama does. I do hope he can get some backing, but unfortunatly I see Bachmann, Perry and Romney getting backing before Paul does.

A Perfect Weekend for Planespotting

This past weekend's weather was superb, and in-lieu of our beach plans (which deteriorated due to to-do lists) my girlfriend and I hit GRR for some fun planespotting. What a great couple cloudless late-July evenings with the my better half.