Founders CBS: A Tale of Luck, Gouging and Availability

My Precious...

Like a hurricane, Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout has come and gone through the South Bend area, leaving a path of destruction, sadness, and about 24 smiles.

For those that follow beer news closely (obsessively?) and called their local bottle shop immediately upon Founders making CBS official, a bottle was theirs to be had. Even calling a few weeks ago would have likely snagged you one, but as it turned out, most people have lives outside of this thing of ours and missed the boat.

I was lucky enough to snag a couple, one for now and one for later. One of places I scored a bottle (will remain nameless to protect further hook-ups) gouged me a bit on it, however it wasn't nearly as bad as some reported stores selling a bottle for $40 or more when they were going for $15 at the brewery on October 1st. Founders Brewing Company released a post today commenting on the issue of gauging by saying, "Lastly, we've noticed that retail price gouging is also being discussed. I can only give you the brewery's position on this, but please note that, legally, once we sell our products to our wholesaler, they in turn sell it to retailers throughout our states of distribution. We have no control over what this retailer will charge for beer. We do establish our suggested retail pricing, but we cannot enforce this whatsoever. When we hear of retail price gouging, it annoys us as much as it annoys you. Our recommendation to our wholesalers in dealing with retailers that are gouging is to communicate that, if the retailer does not stop overcharging, they will jeopardize their ability to receive Founders specialty items in the future."

Also addressed in the statement was the issue of availability in which they mention their expansion plans by saying, "As some of you are aware, we have been undergoing constant expansion for the past few years and have been working toward a master plan that will increase our annual brewing capacity by four times our current level."

The rumor mill was saying Founders released approximately 1,000 cases (12,000 750ml bottles) of CBS. Definitely not a lot, but I applaud them for spreading the wealth, unlike other breweries that release special beer only at their brewery on one specific day. Also, even though I don't live in Michigan, I admire them taking care of their own state by distributing 21% of the release within that state, while all other states saw 12% or less.

What I'm trying to say here is that Founders did a tremendous job of listening to the customers and releasing as much of what they demanded as they could, given their current capacity. Any issues with availability and cost should be taken up with the store you frequent, as well as their distributor. In the end, Founders will never make everyone happy, especially with this being a leading First World Problem. Hats off to Founders for yet another amazing beer!