Founders KBS Day 2012 – Recap and Pics
Our Michigan corespondent Kyle experienced the madness known as Founders KBS Day, here is his recap with pictures. Hope you enjoy, Cheers!
People reportedly set up camp as early as 4 pm the day before. Tents, grills, outdoor space heaters, and RVs were in abundant presence with several hundred people claiming their spots in line before sunrise. Arriving by 6 am seemed to be the latest time if you wanted to beat the cutoff for some KBS. By 7 the end of the line had reached the start and the entire block became an army of beer enthusiasts armed with bottles to share and conquer the frigid cold with.
Allotments were also cut in half from one case per person to half (three 4-packs) from the start of ticket handouts, which allowed 600 plus people to collect some bottles. Even those who arrived at 4 am stated they would have missed the original allotment tickets without the limit change. Numerous complaints on-site and on Founders’ facebook page would ensue due to this decision however.
Final allocations were handed out around 2 pm, only two hours short of a full day from when the line was first started by brave campers.
Inside the pub, special offerings such as KBS, Frangelic Mountain Brown, & Bourbon Barrel Sumatra Brown were pouring alongside seasonal and other pub-only brews. No new KBS glasses were available, but newly redesigned scripted Founders snifters and various tees were well stocked. The pub seating and arrangement was much more spacious than 2011’s release and much of that was thanks to an organized separation of pub goers and bottle buyers.
Later that same day, Founders posted a statement on their website addressing the KBS Release Party (http://www.foundersbrewing.com/blog/beer-releases/kbs-release-party ) addressing reasons for cutting the allotments in half and asking KBS release attendees to voice suggestions and constructive criticism through email. They also stated next year’s event will offer three times the amount of KBS with their upgraded brewhouse.
It’s difficult to predict what changes may be in store for KBS Day 2012, but if turnouts for craft beer releases persist within their current trend, there are bound to be smaller allocations for everyone as breweries struggle to meet exponentially growing demand.
