Midwest favorite Founders Brewing expands to Southern California

Los Angeles craft beer fans have another reason to get excited. Beers from Michigan’s Founders Brewing, one of the top 20 largest craft breweries in the country, will soon be available in Los Angeles.

As the L.A. craft beer movement continues to grow, America’s big regional craft breweries are looking to establish a foothold in L.A.’s developing marketplace. Founders Brewing follows other fan-favorite Midwest breweries that expanded to California, including Bell’s and Boulevard. Founders, based in Grand Rapids, Mich., began sending beer to Northern California markets in October.

Founders beers should be available in Southern California shops and bars in January with a mix of seasonal brands in bottles, cans and kegs.

Founders offers a lineup of eight regular-production beers and a few more seasonal releases and specialty brews such as Centennial IPA, a classic hoppy ale, and the All Day IPA, which was a runaway hit for the brewery. The light, crisp and hoppy All Day IPA is available in 15-packs of cans and should find many fans on the West Coast.

One of the most beloved Founders brews is the coffee-fueled Breakfast Stout. There is also a bourbon barrel-aged version of Breakfast Stout — Kentucky Breakfast Stout (known as “KBS” by beer lovers) — released in April. There’s no word on whether any bottles of KBS will be sent to California, but we can hope at least a few kegs will find their way to local bars.

Another well-loved regular release from Founders is Dirty Bastard, a rich and malty scotch ale with a hint of peat-smoke, and like Breakfast Stout, there’s a barrel-aged version of the Scotch ale. Backwoods Bastard adds oak and vanilla notes to the already complex 12%-alcohol base ale, and it may see limited distribution in California next year.

No SoCal launch events have been officially announced, but the brewery has set up a webpage for the rollout; check out www.Foundersbrewing.com/california for all the details on where to get a first taste of Founders’ beers in L.A. (Or, pay a visit to K&L Wines in Hollywood, where a small selection of Founders’ offerings is available.)

K&L Hollywood Store, 1400 Vine St. Hollywood, (323) 464-9463, www.klwines.com.

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