Grandville Ave SW, Grand Rapids
June 19, 3-11 p.m.
$15
foundersbrewing.com, (616) 776-1195

Welcome to the best roadblock of your life.

Founders Brewing Company will be blocking off its home street for the third annual Founders Fest. The festival includes a diverse entertainment lineup, an expanded "Local Artists' Row," a handful of local food vendors, and, of course, Founders' beer. Festival Coordinator and Director of Retail Operations, Mark Dorich, expects 4,000 beer enthusiasts to attend. The giant party is meant to be a hearty pat on the back for the community that makes Founders' success possible.

"We boast one of the nation's largest mug clubs, which really attests to the support our community gives us," Dorich says.

Indeed, the founders of Founders, Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers, have much to be grateful for. Since 1990 they've transformed their college-day "pipe dream" into an internationally acclaimed brewery, taking home four medals from the most recent World Beer Cup. Along the way, they survived one near-bankruptcy and two large-scale renovation projects in order to create what well could be called the Hofbräuhaus of the Midwest.

"The day of the festival the entire taproom is transferred outside," says Dorich. "Our regular beer menu will be available, including one beer we brew each spring just for Founders Fest, called 'Founders Fest Wheat.'"

The entertainment lineup for the Fest cuts across genres and boasts national and regional musicians. Nationally touring Lotus serve as the event's headliner, with Kalamazoo's Greensky Bluegrass, Detroit's Frontier Ruckus, Oregon's Larry & His Flask, and Grand Rapid's The Wildfire, brothers Michael and Benjamin Riley, and DJ Spydre Murphy taking the stage throughout the day. Apparently a "super-group of Founders' employees," calling themselves the FBC All-Stars, will also perform.

The diverse musical palette reflects Founders' diverse following.

"We have a widespread, diverse crowd with one thing in common," says Dorich. "A love for great beer."