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My wife and I share a favorite season and it’s finally here – Autumn! Not only can we put on our favorite sweaters but we can finally go on walks with our pup without worrying about overheating, hot pavement, and bringing enough water for all of us. As part of the season, everyone seems to go pumpkin crazy, and though many people love that flavor, there are lots of other great fall flavors to enjoy with the cooler weather. We have some amazing brands in our portfolio make delicious beverages that highlight some favorite fall flavors.
Don’t get me wrong – I don’t hate pumpkin spice – I don’t like it because I think it overshadows all the other amazing flavors of fall. During this season, I really enjoy the flavors that bring warmth to the palate with a little bit of spice. I really enjoy all the individual ingredients in pumpkin spice but when all four (sometimes five) ingredients are put together, I just don’t enjoy them as much. Luckily, we have some amazing brands in our portfolio that think the same and make delicious beverages that highlight some of these favorite fall flavors. (Click on the images to try them yourself)
Founders French Toast Bastard is a deliciously decadent beer that would be great any time of year but I particularly enjoy it in the fall. It’s got so many things that just make it an autumn drink for me. The cinnamon, vanilla, and maple notes in it create a spiced sweetness that makes me want to put on my flannel and start building a bonfire. On top of that, it’s a barrel aged beer in bourbon casks that imparts that flavor in a way that simple extracts can’t match.
Another fall activity that I have enjoyed with my family since we’ve lived in this country is apple picking. I have so many vivid memories of driving up to Michigan and visiting the farms out there. We would picnic and I would stand on my dad’s shoulders to get the “good” apples as my mom would point to the ones she wanted for our bags. Eris E-Phoria drinks very nicely as their fall seasonal because it is more of a pastry baked sweetness that I enjoy as the weather cools. With a nice touch of vanilla, I can see this as a perfect way to spend the last few weeks on the deck watching the leaves change.
The golden hues of the senescing leaves reminds me of another fall flavor that I enjoy – caramel. No matter how you pronounce it (I personally change based on the context), the rich complex sweetness of caramel feels like a great fall complement. Caramel alone is a bit too much for me but when paired with the tartness of an apple like in Blake’s Caramel Apple Cider, it is a perfect combination when pulling a taffy apple isn’t convenient.
Ginger is also part of the pumpkin spice medley but it’s probably the most subtle of all the flavors in there. Growing up in a Korean household, if it had ginger in it, you knew it had ginger in it. I think that early high exposure has really numbed me to a lot of ginger flavored things but one drink in our portfolio that still wakes up my ginger senses is the Sprecher’s Ginger Beer. It’s part of my recipe for Vodka Mules that I make for guests during Thanksgiving. Here’s the recipe if you want to give it a try:
Ingredients
If you’re in need of a bar quality Vodka Mule but you’re not near one or you don’t want to make one yourself, you should try Cutwater Vodka Mules – a great cocktail for fall concerts or bonfires.
If you’re someone who wants to try something different this fall, I hope these drinks I mentioned will help complete those fall-vibes for you.
With Mother’s Day coming up you may be wondering how you can still keep your traditions alive. These traditions may include getting Mother’s Day brunch, going out to dinner, or just having some drinks, and there are still plenty of great options available for takeout and delivery. We wanted to highlight some of these options for you as well as offer some great beverage pairing options. Can’t find the pairing option at the restaurant? Look for it on Drizly!
After what seemed like a perpetual winterspring, Chicagoans can finally rejoice and bask in the glorious summer season — we made it. Get ready for concerts in the park, patios, rooftops, farmer’s markets, and oh yes, grilling out with your friends! We’ve hand-selected some of our go-to beverages for when it’s time to cookout and enjoy the sounds of fireworks in the distance. And to sweeten the pot, we’re partnering with Drizly to offer $5 bucks off your order when you use the code 5OFFLSB courtesy of Drizly*. Cheers to summer in Chicago!
*Must be 21+. New users only. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Per applicable law, value may be applied towards order total or shipping or delivery fees. Includes orders of non-alcoholic items.
The highly acclaimed Founders KBS lands in Chicago on Friday, March 15 and we’re here to help you locate a tasting near you. Be sure to use our BEER FINDER to locate a KBS near you.
These times are to our best knowledge but are subject to change. Please arrive early and plan ahead to secure your KBS. Read More
A tour of Michigan’s hop industry leads to the release of Founders wet hopped Harvest Ale.
BY JACK MULDOWNEY OF THE HOP REVIEW
According to a recent report from Hop Growers of America, your next craft beer is more likely than ever to contain Michigan hops. In Grand Rapids, Founders Brewing Co. is celebrating the rise of local state hops with this year’s release of Harvest Ale–a wet-hopped IPA–working around the clock to add the un-kilned hops into the brew within hours of harvest. The beer, an annual mainstay at the brewery since the early 2000s, showcases a recipe complete with 100% Michigan hops for just the second time, after last year’s batch.
We recently followed the Founders team around the Great Lakes state, as we visited the three hop farms that would supply the Cascade and Crystal hops for this year’s ale: Northern Michigan’s MI Local Hops, and Southwest Michigan’s Hop Head Farms and Pure Mitten Hops. Each of these three operations provided a unique scale and approach to their harvesting techniques, allowing us several perspectives into the beauty of American hops grown right in the brewery’s home state.
There are literally hundreds of festivals in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs throughout the summer. Whether they’re showcasing a specific neighborhood, food, or beer, these festivals bring people together from all over the city. Our Special Events team is often the unsung heroes at many of these events, making sure the beverage operations run smoothly and that the beer continues to flow. We went behind-the-scenes to see what happens in order to make these festivals happen.