Founders Brewing Co. today announced it will release Dark Penance, an imperial black IPA, in October.
The specialty beer will be available throughout the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based brewery’s distribution footprint until the end of the year.
Dark Penance is the first new beer the brewery has added to its portfolio since it launched All Day IPA, a low ABV session beer, in 2012. That offering has quickly evolved into the company’s flagship brand, growing sales 138 percent as of June 26.
The latest offering, however, is the ying to All Day’s yang. It boasts a much higher alcohol content while more than doubling the IBUs.
“Our Backstage Series is for experimentation and keeping things fresh, and we still only put those out a few times a year,” Dave Engbers, the brewery’s co-founder said in a press statement. “Dark Penance, on the other hand, went through many recipe iterations before we were willing to put it up there with the other beers that we release again and again, year after year.”
The full press release is below:
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Founders Brewing Co. announced today that it will introduce Dark Penance, an Imperial Black IPA, as a specialty release this October 2014 with availability through the end of the year. Dark Penance will be available throughout Founders’ distribution footprint both on draft and in 12 oz. bottles with a suggested retail price of $11.99 per 4-pack.
Dark Penance is the newest addition to the brewery’s lineup of world class IPAs, which includes Centennial IPA, Red’s Rye IPA, Double Trouble, Devil Dancer and All Day IPA, a session IPA.
“We don’t just add beers to our lineup to have something new on the shelves,” said Dave Engbers, co-founder and vice president of brand and education at Founders Brewing Co. “Our Backstage Series is for experimentation and keeping things fresh, and we still only put those out a few times a year. Dark Penance, on the other hand, went through many recipe iterations before we were willing to put it up there with the other beers that we release again and again, year after year.”
The recipe for Dark Penance took about a year to develop, time that was mostly spent perfecting the beer’s balance and hop profile. It’s the first new beer to be added to Founders’ lineup since All Day IPA, which was released in spring 2012 following three years of development.
Dark Penance starts with a heavy malt foundation of Crystal malt for sweetness and just enough Midnight Wheat to push the color to black. The bitterness is huge (100 IBUs huge), but balanced by malt sweetness and alcohol burn. The hop flavors and aromas range from citrus to floral to pine—most everything that hops can be—thanks to a delicious blend of hand-selected Chinook and Centennial hops. The Imperial Black IPA is 8.9% ABV.
“Black IPAs are becoming more common, but Imperial Black IPAs aren’t, and imperializing things is what we do,” said Brewmaster Jeremy Kosmicki. “Plus, we thought this beer would fit in well with our specialty lineup alongside Imperial Stout, Curmudgeon Old Ale and Double Trouble.”
Dark Penance will be available as the follow up to Double Trouble in Founders’ specialty calendar, from roughly October to December, dependent on distributor shipments. It will be released in the brewery’s taproom on draft and in bottles as of October 2014.
About Founders Brewing Co.
Established in 1997 by two craft beer enthusiasts—Dave Engbers and Mike Stevens—with day jobs and a dream, Founders Brewing Co. brews complex, in-your-face ales, with huge aromatics and tons of flavor. Founders ranks among the top 30 largest craft breweries in the U.S. and is one of the fastest growing. The brewery has received numerous awards from the World Beer Cup and the Great American Beer Festival and RateBeer and BeerAdvocate users often rate its beers among the best in the world. Located in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, Founders is a proud member of the Michigan Brewers Guild and the Brewers Association. For more information, visit foundersbrewing.com.