Beer

Bell’s Brewery is again participating in Ales for ALS, a program that brews beer to raise money for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. The program started in 2013 by Loftus Ranches and Hop Union, and Bell’s has been involved since the beginning. The farm donates a special hop blend to breweries to make a special beer. A dollar from each beer sold will go to the ALS Therapy Development Institute. The 2015 Bell’s Ales for ALS IPA has tropical, grapefruit, silky and oatmeal notes. It comes in at about 6.5 percent abv. “It’s important that the brewing industry gives back,” said John Mallett, Bell’s director of operations and one of the designers of the hop blend. “It’s a pretty fun program. Good hops, great beer, great cause.” It was brewed with the same hop blend, which includes equinox, mosaic and experimental hops. (See the full blend here). The blend was designed by Bell’s Mallett, as well as Bear Republic's Rob Kent, Sierra Nevada's Ken Grossman & Brian Grossman and Beachwood BBQ and Brewing's Julian Schrago. Learn more about the Ales for ALS program on their website.    

Bell’s Brewery is again participating in Ales for ALS, a program that brews beer to raise money for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. The program started in 2013 by Loftus Ranches and Hop Union, and Bell’s has been involved since the beginning. The farm donates a special hop blend to breweries to make a special beer. A dollar from each beer sold will go to the ALS Therapy Development Institute. The 2015 Bell’s Ales for ALS IPA has tropical, grapefruit, silky and oatmeal notes. It comes in at about 6.5 percent abv. “It’s important that the brewing industry gives back,” said John Mallett, Bell’s director of operations and one of the designers of the hop blend. “It’s a pretty fun program. Good hops, great beer, great cause.” It was brewed with the same hop blend, which includes equinox, mosaic and experimental hops. (See the full blend here). The blend was designed by Bell’s Mallett, as well as Bear Republic's Rob Kent, Sierra Nevada's Ken Grossman & Brian Grossman and Beachwood BBQ and Brewing's Julian Schrago. Learn more about the Ales for ALS program on their website.

In 1985, Larry Bell set out on a quest for better beer with his 15-gallon soup pot. Thirty years later, we will release our 30th Anniversary Ale. An American Imperial Stout, Bell’s 30th Anniversary Ale is also a nod to another beer and one of the earliest examples of the style released here in the United States, Bell’s Expedition Stout. “This beer is a testament to three-plus decades of hard-work. It honors all that has helped us get to this point – hard work, quality and authenticity,” said Larry Bell, Bell’s President and Founder. “It reminds us of where we’ve been, how we’ve grown over the years, the challenges we’ve faced and at the same time, looks forward to what comes next,” he added. Flavors of dark chocolate and fruit meld to create a full-bodied, roasty stout. A fair amount of Polaris hops lend a brightness and a nice character that will help carry the beer in its early stages making it incredibly drinkable and interesting. Malt characteristics will continue to develop over time, so that beer drinkers who choose to cellar it can enjoy the beer for years to come. This celebratory beer (11% ABV) will be released in September coinciding with our 30th anniversary celebration.   It will be available in bottles (6-packs) and on draught. The label will feature a special seal designed and made specifically to commemorate and celebrate our anniversary. Look for more information here and on our social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, Google+) as it becomes available.

Ever since we announced our Planets Series, a certain beer (Uranus) has inspired some pretty interesting comments. We’ve been keeping track and made the video below to share some of our favorites.  Enjoy.

The sun is out and spring is around the corner and to top it off, we are enjoying the winning beer from our first ever employee homebrew challenge, Thruway IPA. As a team building activity, over 50 employees entered the competition and were divided into 13 homebrew teams with the goal to develop the best beer to then be voted on by all Bell’s employees. Each team consisted of employees with homebrew experience ranging from little to none to our very own brewers. It included employees from almost every single department here at Bell’s. Our New York sales team, one of the more recent additions to the Bell’s Family, developed Thruway IPA in their home state and brought it back to Kalamazoo to be entered in our employee homebrew challenge. Thruway IPA ran away with the popular vote and was crowned the first ever Bell’s employee homebrew challenge winner! After winning the homebrew challenge, our New York sales team came back to Kalamazoo to brew their beer on our experimental 15 barrel system (our original brewery) located right next door to the Eccentric Café and is now on tap for anyone to enjoy. Thruway (7% ABV) presents with a very pungent, tropical hop aroma and finishes with a luscious malt backbone. In homage to Bell’s NY Sales Team, the name Thruway IPA comes from the New York Thruway, a toll road that starts in NYC and runs to the Pennsylvania state line, connecting major cities across New York state. Congratulations New York sales team!

More than 60 breweries from 22 states have signed on to participate in this year’s Ales for ALS and Bell’s is proud to be one them. Ales for ALS was created by B.T. Loftus Ranches and Hopunion LLC to support ALS research. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to paralysis due to the death of motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain. In exchange for participating, breweries gain access to a proprietary hop blend. This year’s blend was designed by Russian River’s Vinnie Cilurzo, Sierra Nevada’s Ken Grossman and our very own John Mallett. It uses Citra and Mosaic hops along with four other experimental blends that are so new, they do not have official names yet. [Read more about them.] A portion of the sales from each beer in this program will go to ALS TDI, the world leader in ALS research. You can also donate here. Bell’s Ales for ALS IPA (6.5% ABV) is an oatmeal IPA brewed with malted and flaked oats with notes or tropical fruit and grapefruit with a silky mouthfeel. It is currently on tap at the Eccentric Café (be sure to check our Draft Cam before heading out the door) and $1 will be donated for each pint sold.  

We are celebrating diversity at this weekend's Kalamazoo Pride, June 13 and 14, at Arcadia Creek Festival Place and marking our second year in a row sponsoring this event in our hometown. Proceeds will go to support the Kalamazoo Gay Lesbian Resource Center - this is the KGLRC's largest fundraiser of the year. Sparkleberry Ale will return and Bell's Lager along with Kalamazo IPA and Oberon will be on tap all weekend long. In addition to a great music lineup, we're also giving away six Bell's Summer Swag Bags. To win, all you have to do is take a photo of yourself at Pride with anything related to Bell's. Then post it to either Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #lovewhoyouare and tag us (@BellsBrewery on Twitter and Instagram OR Bell's Brewery, Inc. (Official) on Facebook). One winner will be announced on stage during Pride at 6:30 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Friday as well as 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. For more information on tickets, the music lineup or anything else, please visit kglrc.org/pride. Hope to see you there!  

With a foundation firmly rooted in homebrewing, Bell’s Brewery is proud to be a part of the 2014 American Homebrewers Association National Homebrewers Conference, June 12-14, at the De Vos Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. As a Local/Craft Brewery Lounge Sponsor, a special Bell’s lounge will be available for all conference attendees to enjoy. Bell’s beer, including a special commemorative Michigan barleywine that is currently fermenting just for this conference, will also be on tap. Made with Michigan grown hops from Hop Head Farms in Hickory Corners and barley from the Bell’s Farm in Shepherd, Bell’s Beer Michigan will be bottled exclusively for conference attendees to take home. A variety of unique foods, including house smoked meats, from Bell’s Eccentric Café in Kalamazoo, will also be available to sample in the Bell’s Lounge. “We are always thrilled to support the homebrewing community. It’s a natural fit since that’s how we got our start,” said Laura Bell, Bell’s Vice President. “To have a gathering like this, practically in our backyard, is a great way to give a little back and get a chance to talk with so many of those who share our passion,” she said. Bell’s president and founder, Larry Bell, will also be in Grand Rapids for the conference and will be available to chat with homebrewers at the Bell’s Lounge during the first day of the conference. Later that night, Larry Bell will kick-off a multi-day tap event at Logan’s Alley, located a short distance from the conference. Two Hearted, Oberon, Black Note, Bourbon Barrel Aged Kalamazoo Stout, Berry Ale and many other Bell’s beers – 16 different beers in all plus a firkin – will be featured. A special Bell’s brunch will also be offered on the final day of the conference at Logan’s Alley. There’s still time to register and enjoy the largest annual gathering of homebrewers from all over. 55 different seminars 80 expert speakers—the rock stars of the homebrewing world Keynote address by the founders of Founders Brewing Co. A welcome reception and toast spotlighting Michigan’s finest commercial brews Club Night—wacky and tasty as ever Thousands of delicious homebrews Not sure what to expect? Have a look at last year’s photos, the first time attendee guide, and this video overview. CAPTION: Brewing our Michigan barleywine in our 50-barrel brewhouse in Comstock.