Gravity Head 2013: Back to the Founders future with mystery on Friday, March 8.

01/31 Update: Gravity Head's 62 beers here

At roughly the same time that my projected mid-January Gravity Head update was about to come due, our Founders Brewing Company representative, John Host, messaged to say he had procurement matters in hand for what has become an annual Founders showcase on the third Friday of Gravity Head, which doubles as a Southern Indiana field trip for Cavalier Distributing’s team.

Just a couple of days later, further word came that John Host no longer was employed at Founders.

Understandably, this surprising turn of events caused some measure of confusion. I felt compelled to formulate a back-up plan, just in case one was needed. However, yesterday I spoke with Cavalier, where Aaron and Jen have been working the phones. Happily, we’re going to be able to keep the Founders third weekend Gravity Head focus alive, albeit with a touch of short-term mystery.

Alongside these kegs from Founders, there’ll be blocs of Flat12 and NABC beers, all slated for tapping on March 8.

13F RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT

Founders Imperial Stout (2011)
Founders Brewing Company

Grand Rapids MI

Malts: Ten varieties

Bitterness: 90 IBUs

Alcohol by volume: 10.5%

www.foundersbrewing.com

Gravity Head Twist: The Publican endorses the use of terms like “jet black” and “motor oil” to describe this straight, unadorned, perennially honest Imperial Stout.

19A. OLD ALE

Founders Curmudgeon Old Ale

Founders Brewing Company

Grand Rapids MI

Malts: “Insane malt bill” and

molasses as an adjunct

Bitterness: 50 IBUs

Alcohol by volume: 9.8%

www.foundersbrewing.com

Gravity Head Twist: Founders suggests we think about “classic sea faring ports, local pubs, and weathered old fisherman,” but shouldn’t the imagery be about the Great Lakes? The Publican prefers thinking about his own nickname, prefixed with Potable, and also appropriately weathered.

21A. SPICE, HERB, OR VEGETABLE BEER

Founders Breakfast Stout (2011)

Founders Brewing Company

Grand Rapids MI

Malts: Indeterminate, but includes flaked oats, bitter and sweetened imported chocolates, and Sumatra and Kona coffees.

Hops: Why do you ask?

Bitterness: 25 IBUs

Alcohol by volume: 8.3%

www.foundersbrewing.com

Gravity Head Twist: Has any single beer been used as the base for more fascinating experiments than this one? From beerhaikudaily.com, come words for living:

bacon, eggs, and beer
everyday should start with
breakfast stout at 10!

22C. WOOD-AGED BEER

Founders Backwoods Bastard (2012)

Founders Brewing Company

Grand Rapids MI

Base style: Strong Scotch Ale

Malts: “Ten varieties of mported malt”

Bitterness: 50 IBUs

Alcohol by volume: 10.2%

www.foundersbrewing.com

Gravity Head Twist: Founders makes a Scotch/Wee Heavy called Dirty Bastard, and bourbon barrels come from the backwoods of Kentucky. Put the two together, and you have a familiar stereotype, complete with bearded hillbilly on the label. But where’s the hootch, the shine, the mountain dew? Coal smoke instead of peat?  

Founders Bolt Cutter

(15^th Anniversary)

Founders Brewing Company

Grand Rapids MI

Base style: American Barleywine

Hops: A “mountain” of Cascades for dry-hopping

Bitterness: IBUs

Original Gravity:

Alcohol by volume: 15%

www.foundersbrewing.com

Gravity Head Twist: The Founders Backstage Series presents this 15^th anniversary Barleywine, with portions barrel aged (bourbon barrels and maple syrup-bourbon barrels), and blended with portions non-barrel aged. Named for the bolt cutter acquired by a Founders founder more than ten years ago when foreclosure seemed likely.

*Founders “Mystery Ale” ? 10%-20% ?*

I’ll step out on a limb and suggest that once I’m able to reveal the identity of the mystery ale (announced on January 31), the timing of which is entirely up to Founders, you’ll understand why its very presence bolsters the Michigan brewery’s Gravity Head lineup in an otherwise leaner year. Note that Bob Kaiser of Founders will be on hand March 8, along with the Cavalier crew. I’ll know what Flat12 is sending soon.

NABC’s March 8 lineup is here.

Thanks to everyone for making this happen, and to John: Hope to see you soon for a civilized pint somewhere.

Founders invades Gravity Head on Friday, March 9 ... and a look at the Gravity Head schedule in 2013.

(March 8 update: To a non-Gravity Head keg of Founders Centennial IPA added yesterday to Friday's tap list, Eric has sourced a Gravity Head special cameo keg of Founders Backwoods Bastard, bringing the number of Founders ales to be poured Friday to 11. You're welcome.)


Gravity Head 2012 rolls forward, albeit with ranks thinning more rapidly than ever before. At 11:00 a.m. on Friday morning (March 9), Gravity Head’s third weekend will open at NABC’s Pizzeria and Public House with this powerful wave of ales from Founders (Grand Rapids, Michigan):

13F RUSSIAN IMPERIAL STOUT
Founders Imperial Stout (2010) 10.5%

14C IMPERIAL INDIA PALE ALE
Founders Double Trouble 9.4%

16E. BELGIAN SPECIALTY ALE
Founders Blushing Monk Founders Brewing Company 9.2%

19A. OLD ALE
Founders Curmudgeon Old Ale 9.8%

19C. AMERICAN BARLEYWINE
Founders Nemesis (2010) 12%

21A. SPICE, HERB, OR VEGETABLE BEER
Founders Breakfast Stout (2010) 8.3%

22C. WOOD-AGED BEER
Founders CBS Imperial Stout (Canadian Breakfast) 10.6%
Founders KBS Kentucky Breakfast Stout (2011) 11.2%

But there’s even more, because we happened upon yet another Founders specialty, and will sacrifice it on Friday, too:

22C. WOOD-AGED BEER 

Founders Curmudgeon's Better Half 11.9% (unlisted cameo)

If you’re keeping track, this makes a total of nine Founders on Friday (that’s catchy: “Gravity Head 2012: Founders on Fried Day”), but we’ll also extend the merriment of F’s to include our pals at Flat12 Bierwerks (Indianapolis), and two of their ales also will be tapped at 11:00 a.m. on the 9^th:

14C IMPERIAL INDIA PALE ALE
Flat12 Vulgar Display of Hops 9.7% (unlisted cameo)

Flat12 Winter Cycle 9.3%

Naturally, there’ll be other listed Gravity Head selections pouring, as well as plenty of other beers on tap from NABC, America and the planet. For frequent lineupdates, go here, and follow @nabcnews on Twitter.

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Lastly, the coming third weekend of Gravity Head has become synonymous in recent years with the arrival of John Host, genial Founders sales impresario, in the company of a visiting delegation of revelers from Cavalier Distributing, the official Indiana wholesaler for Founders. They’ll be on hand in the early evening, and for those still wondering, this is why we’ve started reserving Founders ales for their third weekend starring slot.

As advance notice, the schedule will work the same way in 2013, barring the unexpected (like the end of the world as we know it, or other interruptions in routine).

Friday, February 22, 2013

Gravity Head 2013 will open at 7:00 a.m. for tailgate breakfast, with an opening weekend tap takeover by featured guests from Sun King Brewing Company in Indianapolis.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

You may see an expansion of breakfast hours to Saturday morning, although this hasn’t yet been conclusively approved.

For the first full week of Gravity Head 2013 and its second weekend, we will keep dates open and free of special promotions, having learned by costly experience that it’s the most likely time for the business to suffer closures owing to impromptu, unannounced ritual screwings by public utility monopolies, like Indiana American Water (2010) and Duke Energy (2012). The gas company presumably is next in line, although I hope they’re not reading anything except meters.

Friday, March 8, 2013

The unleashing of accumulated Founders kegs, as before, along with the usual delegation’s visit.

Founders Brewing's John Host is coming to Gravity Head on Friday, March 11.

Mark your calendars, because John Host of Founders Brewing Company will be in the house on Friday evening, March 11, and a wave of Founders ales for Gravity Head will be here to greet him. John will be accompanying the merry crew from Cavalier Distributing, and we're looking forward to a fun and educational drinking evening.

The following listed Gravity Head selections from Founders will be on tap for the occasion. Recalling that nine beers from Three Floyds opened Gravity Head on February 25, it seems appropriate that eight from Founders will kick off the symbolic "second half." Note that the numbers denote BJCP style categories.

22C Founders Backwoods Bastard 9.2%
22C Founders Black Biscuit 10.5%
13F Founders Breakfast Stout (2009) 8.3%
14C Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA 12%
14C Founders Double Trouble IPA 9.4%
22C Founders KBS Kentucky Breakfast Stout 2010 11.2%

Also:
13F Founders Imperial Stout (10.5%), a bonus unlisted Gravity Head selection, and 22C Founders Newaygo County Cherry (7%), a barrel-aged version of Founders Cerise, which normally would land at 20 (Fruit Beer).