Founders – Curmudgeon’s Better Half Bottled 19 Jan 2012—Coming Feb 13th

Here’s a great new beer coming from Founders Brewing in 750ml bottles.  This “old ale brewed with molasses & aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels” comes in at a BIG 11.9% ABV.  Sounds like the guys at Founders are making good use of the CBS (Canadian Breakfast Stout) maple barrels and filling them with Founders Curmudgeon….and for once he actually looks happy on the label (with his pancakes.)  This is likely a Backstage Series release (base don the bottle size but not necessarily the timing) and an astute reader said this looks a lot like Kaiser Curmudgeon previously released as a keg-only beer from Founders…stay tuned.

UPDATE 1/19/2012:  Bottled TODAY!

UPDATE 12/14 Looks like the release date will be Feb 13, this is the next Backstage Series beer and this IS a sweeter version of Kaiser’s Curmudgeon…from Founders Brewing Blog: 

Grand Rapids, Michigan, December 14, 2011 — Founders Brewing Co.’s Co-Founder and Vice President of Marketing, Dave Engbers, announced today that Curmudgeon’s Better Half would be the next release in the brewery’s 750mL Backstage Series, with availability beginning on February 13, 2012, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

There has been a great deal of anticipation and speculation on the upcoming Backstage release because of the success of the first two large bottle format releases: Blushing Monk and Canadian Breakfast Stout earlier in 2011. The purpose of the series is to bring some of Founders’ most sought after beers, which had previously been available primarily at the brewery taproom or at a few select events, to a much larger audience.

“It’s been a lot of fun to watch the beer enthusiasts speculate,” explains Founders’ President, Mike Stevens. “We really try to keep people guessing, but at the end of the day our focus has always been on making beers that over-deliver.

”

Curmudgeon’s Better Half is a re-branding of the beer formerly known as Kaiser’s Curmudgeon, which has only been served at Founders’ taproom and in extremely limited draft distribution. Curmudgeon is an old ale brewed with molasses and aged on oak; it becomes Better Half after aging—for 254 days—in bourbon barrels that have more recently been aging Michigan maple syrup. As a result, Curmudgeon’s Better Half is a bit sweeter than her miserly counterpart. Appropriately, the beer label depicts her holding a pitcher of syrup for the Curmudgeon’s breakfast, and is released at the perfect time of year for you to buy one for the Better Half in your life.

“The goal of the Backstage Series is to allow those beer enthusiasts who don’t have the ability to make it to our taproom an opportunity to experience some of the beers that, historically, have been limited to our taproom and a handful of high exposure events,” Engbers said. “Although these beers are not brewed in large volume, it is our intention to distribute them to all of our markets.”

The company is not revealing any additional releases in the series, but Engbers said it would consist of many of the “popular one-offs and possible big experiments” that have been offered in the taproom over the years and have become favorites among patrons and brewery staff.

The company expects to release two additional products in the Backstage Series later in 2012.

Feb 13th 2012

11:00 AM

Location: Founders Taproom

Cost: $17 per 750mL bottle

Description:

The latest in our Backstage Series release, Better Half (formerly Kaiser’s Curmudgeon) will be available for purchase in the Founders Company Store on Monday, February 13th, 2012 at 11am.

Better Half is an Old Ale brewed with molasses and aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels and clocks in at 11.9% ABV. Available as part of our Backstage Series in 750mL bottles, they sell for $17 each, limit 2 per person.

As usual, bottles will be available on a first come, first served basis. Better Half will also be featured on draft, and like all of our specialty products, will be unavailable in growlers