Grand Rapids, Mich. — The taproom at Founders Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids reopened Saturday after it was closed for remodeling.
Founders Brewing Co. says its updated space is 40 percent larger and features an extended front porch and outdoor beer drinking area.
The new outdoor beer garden comes complete with bar and special heaters and fire pits.
Co-founder Dave Engbers said the goal is to keep the outdoor bar area open for around nine months out of the year.
“It’s awesome. Obviously we’ve been working on this for a long, long time. It’s been a big project,” said Engbers. “This part of a $26 million expansion which has allowed us to increase our capacity. With the front of the house here, we’ve been able to reclaim our old bar from the Brass Works Building.”
The company says the expansion came on the heels of a production facility expansion that gave them the footprint to brew up to 320,000 bbl annually.
“Today we’re celebrating with a lot of our original mug club members and they get to come back and see part of the history of Founders they haven’t seen in seven or eight years now,” said Engbers. “Ultimately, we want to give our customers the greatest experience they can have when they come to Founders. So, you know, the beer is our number one concern. We’re constantly making improvements to our process and increasing our capacity.”
Next the brewery plans on finishing the education and event retail space and new office space.
