Mike Stevens of Founders Brewing is no ordinary brewing company. With their ambitious goal to create beers that their brewers themselves want to drink, they are smashing every traditional brewing rule in the book and gaining a passionate fan base in the process. Founders Brewing stand for distinct flavors, quality ingredients and a commitment to creating something extraordinary. So grab a beer and see for yourself!
Mike Stevens grew up on the east coast of Michigan immersed in the culture of craft beer, and quickly found himself part of the burgeoning craft beer movement. After starting his career as a home brewer, Mike earned the distinction of becoming the co-founder at Founders Brewing Co in 1997. Over twenty years, Mike and the company have continually pushed the boundaries of creating flavorful, complex craft beer while working their way up the ranks of American craft beer royalty.
At the time, Founders Brewing Company was a small, two-person operation housed inside a 120-square foot building. Against the odds, Mike Stevens and co-founder Dave Engbers forged ahead and brewed bold, flavorful craft beer unlike anything else anyone else was making. As Mike describes it, the beer made by Founders “was for us and the kind of beer we wanted to drink.” By gleefully smashing conventions, the founders grew their brewery into an internationally-recognized name.
From the start, the mission at Founders has been to create beer for the founders and their drinking partners. “We brew complex, in-your-face ales, with huge aromatics, bigger body, and tons of flavor” explains Stevens. “Our goal is to brew something we want to drink and it comes down to very simple integrity around the craft of making beer.” Core offerings such as All Day IPA and Centennial IPA remain a big part of the Founders lineup and the brewery has introduced a wide variety of seasonal and specialty releases.
The commitment to quality that has been a hallmark of Founders since its inception has not gone unnoticed by industry experts and competitions. The brewery has been named Brewery of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival® multiple times and recently was recognized as Brewery Group of the Year at the World Beer Cup 2019. Founders also earned medals for eight of their beers from the 2019 U.S. Open Beer Championships, including a gold medal for the sweetly savory Imperial Stout, KBS.
As Mike Stevens explains, the choice to select Founders beer is an easy one: “Our beers are crafted with care, are brewed to be balanced and complex, and they are definitely brewed to be enjoyed fresh.” With so many options available on the market, selecting Founders means raising a glass to the exceptional craft beer found inside each bottle.
From the beginning of Founder Brewing Co., Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers have strived to maintain an uncompromising commitment to quality. “We have chosen to make the hard decisions to stay true to ourselves, our mission statement and our beers,” explains Mike. “These decisions have paid off in the long run because we have a devout following of people who really appreciate our more complex offerings. That’s really what drives it - our fanatical followers.”
One of the challenging elements of brewing is achieving balance in beer. To accomplish this, Mike cites the importance of having strong relationships with suppliers, carefully maintaining the chemistry of the water used during the brewing process and endlessly tinkering with small details of the beer recipe and ingredients. This laser focus on quality has earned Founder’s the loyalty of craft beer fans across the nation and around the world.
The future is bright for Mike Stevens and Founders Brewing Company. The brewery continues to explore every convention it can get its hands on, creating innovative beer with bold yet balanced flavors. Mike and his passionate team plan to keep leading the craft beer movement and continue to create great tasting beer fans can’t seem to get enough of.
Founders Brewing offers a vast selection of world-class beer that has earned the loyalty of die-hard craft beer fans across the nation. Here’s a look at some of the beer offerings coming out of this Michigan-based brewery: