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Founders Brewing Company, located in Grand Rapids, Mich., has been concocting beer since 1997. Ratebeer.com ranked Founders as the world’s second best brewery in 2011, up from fourth in 2010. Founders was the second fastest growing brewery in the U.S. in 2009 and expected to produce 43,000 barrels in 2011 on a 30 Barrel brewing system, an increase of 57 percent from 2010.

The brewery recently installed an additional 85 Barrel brewing system, which increased its capacity to 200,000 barrels per year and expects to produce 75,000 barrels in 2012. Locally, these beers can be found in Virginia and Washington D.C., with expansion into Maryland expected early this year.

Started by homebrewers Mike Stevens and David Engbers, the company was near bankruptcy brewing "balanced but unremarkable beers" when the college friends decided to make the "types of beer that got us excited about brewing: in-your-face ales with huge aromatics, bigger body and tons of flavor." Stevens says that they "brew across multiple styles, seeking a depth in brewing, but not sticking to style guidelines."

The brewery bottles 15 beer styles. Five are year-round, three are seasonals, seven are specialty, and an additional three or four are one-time brewings under the new Backstage Series. Founders’ two biggest sellers, Centennial IPA (India Pale Ale) and Dirty Bastard, a Scotch Ale, account for about 40 percent of sales. Beeradvocate.com lists two of the Founders’ beers, Breakfast Stout and Kentucky Breakfast Stout, an imperialized version of Breakfast Stout aged in Bourbon barrels, as among the world’s 10 best beers.

Breakfast Stout (8.3 percent Alcohol By Volume, ABV) has a nose of big espresso, roast, with a whiff of chocolate, segueing into a creamy, muted roast front with a hint of sweetness. The middle displays modest espresso as the roast continues, all melding into the finish where the espresso increases slightly, with added notes of dark fruit, roast, bitterness and a soft sweetness. The sweetness increases in the aftertaste, joined by a dry, dark chocolate and restrained bitter hops. The alcohol is dangerously well hidden. Ratings: 8/9

Old Curmudgeon Ale (9.8 percent ABV), an Old Ale style, has a caramel malt, mild candy aroma with wisps of apricot and raisin. The medium sweet front continues into the moderate candy sweet middle with a pinch of apricot. The finish adds a modicum of apricot and bitter hops. A toffee flavor emerges in the aftertaste, together with the apricot, bitter hops and a tempered warming alcohol presence. Ratings: 8.5/8.5

Porter (6.5 percent ABV) has a nose of bittersweet chocolate and roast. The front displays a faint sweetness with roast undertones. The roast continues in the middle, merging with medium coffee and dark chocolate. The dark chocolate increases in the finish and comes to the forefront, although the roast increases a bit. In the delicately dry aftertaste, the roast re-emerges and lingers along with added medium bitter hops and dark chocolate. Ratings: 8.5/9

Cerise (6.5 percent ABV) is a fruit beer with a base of fresh Michigan tart cherries, adding the cherries at five stages of fermentation. Cerise has a surprising lemon zest nose leading into a competing moderated sweet and sour cherry front. The sweet cherry flavors grow a trifle in the middle and stay in the finish. The aftertaste displays a resurgent increase in sourness which fluctuates with the sweetness in successive sips. Ratings: 7.5/7.5

Dirty Bastard (8.5 percent ABV) has a bouquet of candi sugar and caramel. It has a front exhibiting a gentle apricot sweetness and malt. A medium caramel malt arrives in the middle and continues into the finish where slight bitter hops are added. In the aftertaste, the hops intensify a shade, the caramel disappears, and a genial alcoholic warmth is present. There is too much hop bitterness for the style, and no peat character. Ratings: 7.5/7.5