Why something's missing from Founders Brewing Co.'s highest-rated beer

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police had a problem with one of the most-desired beers made by Grand Rapids-based Founders Brewing Co.

Canadian Breakfast Stout (11.7% alcohol by volume), which releases Friday, previously contained a Mountie seated on a horse on its label. The beer, Michigan's highest-rated by Beer Advocate users, is an imperial stout made with chocolate and coffee and aged in used bourbon barrels that previously contained maple syrup. 

Last year was the first time it was publicly available in bottles since 2011, when Founders was a much smaller brewery. And perhaps the higher profile contributed to the attention.

"The (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) is Canada’s national police force, and is respected worldwide for its professionalism and dedication to public safety," according to a statement Monday from the Mounted Police. 

"While we understand why the brewery chose to use the iconic Mountie in red serge on their 'Canadian' beer, the RCMP's image, crest and name are protected under the Trademarks Act. The RCMP Act also prohibits the unauthorized use of the RCMP name, representations of its members and marks, badges or insignia."

The 2018 Canadian Breakfast Stout label shows a lone horse in a rearing position. The Mountie is gone. 

"There is indeed a reason: A representative from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police reached out and asked if we would remove it. We complied out of respect for the agency. We wanted to maintain the original feel of the label so we kept some imagery consistent with the original label," Founders spokeswoman Francesca Jasinski said in an email earlier this month. 

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The Mounted Police statement said the agency "appreciates that the brewery respected its request" to remove the Mountie. 

Last year, Founders surpassed Bell's Brewery as the largest in Michigan. It also opened a taproom in Detroit's Midtown, where Canadian Breakfast Stout is expected to be on tap Friday. The beer is distributed in all Founders markets with a suggested retail price of $24.99 per 750-milliliter bottle. 

And Founders may be the first brewery to remove images from beer labels in response to governments in both Canada and Michigan: In 2015, the oatmeal-eating baby disappeared from the labels of Breakfast Stout. An empty chair was left in its place.

That change was made after a Michigan Liquor Control Commission investigator discovered the label wasn't registered with the state despite the beer having been sold on shelves for about a decade, according to a January 2016 report from the Associated Press. The brewery paid a $300 fine, and now, the baby is back (and the beer's availability has expanded from seasonal to year-round). 

Spirits of Detroit columnist Robert Allen covers craft alcohol for the Free Press. Contact him: rallen@freepress.com or on Untappd, raDetroit and Twitter, @rallenMI.