Founder’s is doing something a little different for the KBS release in Grand Rapids this year.
Kentucky Breakfast Stout (KBS) is on of their most infamous beers. It’s included in lists of the best beers in the world by sources ranging from RateBeer to Men’s Fitness. It’s inherently a limited release because it ages in bourbon barrels for a year in the caves beneath Grand Rapids. In years past, beer enthusiasts have crashed web servers with the traffic caused by their interest in this beer, and we’ve had people camping outside the brewery in frigid temperatures so they can be first to get their share.
This year Founder’s decided to open up the release so that people coming to Grand Rapids for KBS can enjoy all of Beer City USA. They’ll still be releasing bottles in Founder’s taproom, through a pre-ticketed release that lasts Tuesday, March 18, through, Saturday, March 22. Tickets will go on sale via EventBrite on Saturday, March 1, at 11am EST. What’s changing this year is they are giving fifteen Founders-supporting craft-beer-centric bars and restaurants in the Grand Rapids area each a keg of KBS to tap on a day of their choosing throughout the same week.
KBS will still be released starting on April 1 in limited quantities throughout Founder’s distribution footprint. KBS bottles will be released to their local market starting on Tuesday, March 25.
They’ve created a separate website with http://kbsweek.com to provide all the details and keep you up to date on the KBS release.
For those of you wondering where the heck does Founder’s age the barrels of KBS for a year here is an interesting video of the caves that age the KBS for a full year to import the unique flavors.