Founders Brewing Co. Reviews

A classic, Midwestern, iconic, staple of a brewery. If you haven't been there, do your self a favor and check it out. It's great.

One of my favorite brewery experiences. They have custom flights so you can try all sorts of beers. The food is very good too, worth going to Grand Rapids just for this.

Great atmosphere busy though. Went during harvest party and got a pint glass and beer for it 10 bucks a person. Bought shirts and stuff there too

This was our first spit in Grand Rapids. It being 5pm on a Friday this place was packed yet all the bartenders were still very helpful and the service was quick. I didn t get to try any of the food but they have so many choices on sandwiches. Definitely will be trying the food next time I m here. Thanks for the great service can t wait to visit soon.

4 stars because always room for improvement but food was great, service was fast and friendly, and beer was delicious! A must if you're in the area!

Had a great sandwich and a few beers after the grand rapids 25k. They did a great job making a brewery welcoming with a great vibe.

The standard for breweries country wide. The only one I've been to that compares is Wicked Weed in Asheville N.C.

Great beer. Always something fun on tap that isn't available outside of the taproom. Great music. Food is solid. Beer cheese.

Great beer, decent food, huge space with plenty of seating.

By far the best brewery in Michigan! Best service, beer and food in Grand Rapids! Sitting outside is awesome, but typically has a wait.

Their sandwiches are as great as their beer, which is really saying something.

Paid a $5 cover for a band that did not care to see or hear. The beer was pretty good though.

My favorite all time brewery in GR. These guys have the winning model for the beer scene. If there's a place that paves the way in putting Grand Rapids on the map, this is it. The food pairs excellently with the beer, try any one of their sandwiches and you will know that this is the place to be.

Best brewery in Michigan, and if I were Doofenschmeirtz I'd even say the best in the tri-state area

So glad I was finally able to come here!! Founders has always been a favorite of mine and it did not disappoint from the moment I walked in to the time I left! The vibe was incredible, weather it was sitting inside with the open relaxed space to enjoying the patio with the outside bar. The food was on point and so fresh! So many options to choice from on tap from what s new to the classics! A must stop when visiting Grand Rapids, MI.

Enjoyed their samples of beers with a large selection... very busy place be parpaired to wait for your server and you have to order your own food then your given a pager to let you know its ready.

Devil dancer sandwich is the best. Service was lacking tonight. Lots of employees standing around talking to each other while I waited 15 minutes to cash out.

Founders is ubiquitous in Grand Rapids, and known nationally for their craft beer. The craft beer boom has made them all the more popular, and business is obviously very good for them. And for the most part, it's very well deserved. Some of their beer is fantastic, well balanced, and the flavors subtle in some beers and not as subtle in others (which both of them work in the respective beers). Their one-off's at the taphouse are really where Founders gets to shine. In these beers, they really get to be creative in what they create. The blushing monk is really a great brew, and every time I've had it, I have been blown away. They also have had a Franghellic stout on nitro that was truly fantastic. Now onto why I decided to leave it at four stars instead of five. I think that their staple dark beers aren't that great. The breakfast stout is not very full bodied and doesn't have as much flavor as other oatmeal stouts that I've had. Beyond that, I ordered their version of a Cuban sandwich and it was 90% bread and 10% meat and toppings which was severely disappointing. I can't say that all of their food is sub-par though, as their cheesy bread appetizer is really excellent. If you're in GR for any reason and haven't been to Founders, you absolutely need to go. Just maybe don't order their sandwich and order their taproom specials.

Incredible beer!!! Loved our bartender, loved the scenery, and love the location!! First photo: Comet IPA, Second: Oatmeal Stout, and Third: Imperial Stout.

Because why wouldn't you want to drink beer from one of the best breweries in Beer City USA!? From the atmosphere, to the food and live music, if you are visiting our beautiful city, this place is a must!

This review is in regards to the distribution practices of the Founders Brewing Company. I am a small mom and pop liquor store owner and a member of the AARA Midwest and would like to bring this finding up to the attention of the executive team of the company's bias towards distributing their speciaity products to the big box stores instead of small mom and pop liquor stores like mine and many others in the reviews below. I encourage your team to look at these unfair practices in the distribution of your speciaity products. We find it quite unfair of your brewing company's practices of selling us and distributing your products to us that are new and experimental, however when it comes to your speciality products you choose to distribute them out to the big box stores instead. I am a member of a large organization that finds this practice unfair and so I encourage you to revisit these practices and/or open an dialog with us.

Sincerely,
Member of AARA Midwest

Just went there last week. Walked in to the bathroom and a cook stepped out of the stall. Didn t wash his hands and went back to work. Food might be good but yuck!

Beer is fantastic, sandwiches are the best you've ever had.

Nice place with a huge variety of beers. Very busy, arrive early to get a seat.

This place is always busy and for very good reason. If you haven't had any Founder's beer then you are in for a fantastic surprise. They have something for everyone....from sours and breakfast stout to a ton of excellent pale ales. There really will be something for you, and the food is pretty good too. But definitely go here to fall in love with a beer!

Not happy at all from your allocation policy for new and seasonal releases so decided not carry any founders products in our all stores

Proud Member Of AARA MIDWEST

Good food, great beer, cool staff. Atmosphere not as good as prior location,, but much bigger & busier.

I have been drining Founders since the Monroe Street days, and I could not be happier to see them in Oregon! Thank you for all the amazing beers. (Reds Rye on nitro is still the best)

One of the best breweries in town. Great options for a quick bite and all the beer you could ask for. Also offers a gift shop in case you want something to take with you.

It would be an easy five star if it wasn't a rat race for a table.

Stopped in lastnight and I amd going to have to try this one again. Music at first was gteat then a band came on it I felt like a gangster

I'm completely aware that this place is the highlight of Grand Rapids. The beer was great. However, we did have to wait around for a table with 2 small children. Once we got a table, we knew exactly what we wanted. Pizza for the kids and sandwiches for us. Hard to believe the pizza took 20 minutes to serve..but took over 1 1/2 hrs for 2 sandwiches. It seemed understaffed since we NEVER met our orginal server after the order. I Have no desire to go back.

Great place to stop for lunch. Husband and I stopped for sandwiches one day and were both extremely pleased with our choices. Fun atmosphere even in the middle of the day! Our server was pleasant and attentive.

The beer at this brewery is what you would expect from a national chain. It is consistnat in flavor and beers are fairly true to style. However, something has been lost as beers are produced so commercially that they are a shadow of beers of the past.

It fairly tough to get a table in the winter unless you want to sit by a fire outside. These are beautiful locations to sit by. They are very cold though. In the summer seating and standing is abundant.

The place is child friendly until 6 or 7 then you might not want to bring your child here.

The beers are very tasty, there are so many of them, the prices are good and the service is fast.

Great salads, sandwiches and pizza. I usually don't go for 5h4 wings but they were excellent! Very friendly and helpful staff.

Food was overpriced for the quality, and our waiter was super rude. Will not be going back.

One of finest breweries, their all day IPA is a must try & some great food.

Good beers and best food.. great ambience and service

Service is a bit scattershot, but that's expected.

Caprese sandwich was quite good, just a bit bread heavy. Maybe slightly less butter. The balsamic sauce on the side was perfect.

The cheese steak Philly, without horseradish was on the money.

The pretzel is a bit harder than I would prefer, but at least it was hommade.

The pickles that come with the sandwiches look like the should be sweet pickles, but be warned, they are not. If you're not expecting it they will take a bite out of you.

Tour and tasting highly recommend!! Red's Rye Delicious!!

Extremely crowded atmosphere, no method for seating. You feel like you have to stalk tables just to sit down. The beer is good, but never got to try the food since we never found a table to sit down. We found it very uncomfortable and left after 45 min of waiting.

First time at Founders since before 2020. The beer and food is just as amazing as before with a couple of changes. We felt very safe. I have not felt this safe anywhere else.
When you get there, use your phone to take a picture of a QR code which registers you in the wait line. We had a table in about 10 minutes. The frangelico and cerise beer was very good.
WE MISSED YOU!

BEFORE 2020- Good food, atmosphere, music and beer. The employees were very friendly and helpful. Sitting outside by the fireplace was great. Very good vibe.

What a great place! I had no idea this place existed, since ei hadn't been back in many years. A good friend of mine brought me here for a reunion and it was awesome. It was cold but we had a few drinks outside and stayed by the firepit. The food and beer were great. I wish ibwould have had more time, but I will make it a point to come back here again

Loud, nowhere to sit, zero organization, and they do not properly clean tables.

This place was amazing! All of the staff was very friendly and always ready to help. The beer is super good and make sure to keep an eye out for the ones with stars. Those are the ones that are taproom only releases. The food is also top notch! Make sure to order the beer cheese as an appetizer, it's enough for the whole table. If you're still hungry, the "Castro" is a unique take on a Cuban sandwich, that's not to be missed.

1 of best craft breweries in america. Great service and great food to boot. Highly recommended

Great beer great service Sunday Jazz first Sunday of the month is worth checking out.

Beer was great. Food was great. Service was really bad. We understood waiting an hour to be seated and all the rules in place due to Covid but our server was very attentive to start and then when other tables in our area filled up we were completely ignored. She never even let us get a second round of drinks. Buy the beer skip dinner here. Too many options to waste your time.

Fantastic place, great staff and tasty beers. Didn't eat here only because I don't like deli type foods. Also I guess one of the other people who complained about no wine or liquor doesn't understand how Michigan licensing works. Great brew house and I can't wait to return on my next visit.

The best sandwich in the world lives here. Their beer is good too.

I like the atmosphere and beers are good a good place to chill

Literally the worst service we have ever had. I will never come back!

Of course love Founders beer. The venue can be overwhelming though, kinda like a beer Disneyland...loud, crowded, long lines. But was just there on a Saturday night and it wasn't too bad. Bartender was very helpful. The specialty beers were insanely good.

One of the top brewery tours in the world along with some of the best beers in the world. Even if you are not a beer lover you need to check out Founders for the building and logistics.

Awesome beer, friendly staff, and a cool environment. Only negative is it's seat yourself and on a busy night it's nearly impossible to find a seat if you're with more than two people.

Great food and great beer! Outdoor area is amazing! Wish they had something on their drink menu that was gluten free.

Great food. Great beer. Great service in the midst of apparent chaos.

Took the brewery tour and it was awesome. It was cool seeing and hearing about how they make their beer. And the tasting at the end made it even better. I highly recommend it.