Homebrewing

The winners of Bell’s 9th Annual Homebrew Competition were announced during the 10th Annual All Stouts Day at the Eccentric Café this past Sunday (Nov. 3). Four homebrewers placed out of the 113 entries submitted this year. First place went to Matt MacQuillan for his Apricot IPA. The recipe was created by MacQuillan after he was asked by a friend to help teach her how to homebrew. MacQuillan will brew his Apricot IPA recipe at Bell’s original brewery to then go on tap at the adjacent Café. “I never in a million years thought I would win. It’s hard for me to put into words how extremely excited I am,” MacQuillan said. He will also head to the 2019 Great American Beer Festival in Denver as a guest of Bell’s and compete alongside a Bell’s brewer in the Pro-Am Competition. “Overall, we saw a lot of very solid entries this year. There was definitely a lot of experimentation and interesting ingredient additions as we have seen in the past. Choosing an overall winner is getting harder and harder to do because of the talent we are seeing,” said David Curtis, Bell’s General Store Operations Manager and competition organizer. Second place again went to Ryan Schippers for his North East IPA, this is the second year in a row Schippers has claimed this prize. Third place went to Andrew Brouwers for his Session Farmhouse Ale. Fourth place went to Jim Milotz for his Sour Ale brewed with coriander. This year’s honorable mentions are (in no particular order): Leah Helzerman – Mangosteen Gose Jason Glatz – Baltic Porter Andrew Hansen – Pumpkin spiced beer Ray Bilyk – Chocolate Covered Strawberry Stout Kevin Rayl – Kettle Soured Ale Mark Hofmann – Cherry Saison Steve Morren – Chocolate, peanut butter & hazelnut stout All were recognized during Sunday’s announcement and received a prize. From ingredients, to equipment to advice, the Bell’s General Store continues supporting the homebrew community that helped Larry Bell get his start before the brewery sold its first commercial pint. Originally founded as the Kalamazoo Brewing Co., the Bell’s General Store opened in 1983. Look for more information about when this year’s winning recipe will be tapped at the Café as soon as it is available online at bellsbeer.com and on Bell’s social media. Follow the brewery and the Eccentric Cafe on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Cheers and congratulations to everyone! Previous first place winners 2017: Damson Plum Crisp Saison – Steve Vroegop 2016: Freedom of Peach, a hoppy saison brewed with peaches from Evan Monroe 2015: Bale So Hard, a farmhouse ale brewed with HBC 438 and Mosaic hops, from David Hellen 2014: Coffee Mustache, a California common style beer brewed with coffee, from Matt VanNatter 2013: Proud Mitten, a dry hopped IPA/pale ale made with Centennial, Citra and Simcoe hops, from David Lyman 2012: Manden Med Leen, a black IPA brewed with Belgian yeast, from Nick Rodammer 2011: A Bit of Heat from Geoff Groff, brewed with paradise seeds, rose hips and habaneros 2010: Oscar’s Folly, a collaborative IPA from Jarrett Cupp, Bailey Cupp and Paul Gentz

Question: I have been drinking Two Hearted for a long time. Just had Roundhouse for the first time at the Eccentric Café . As a homebrewer, Roundhouse is a beer I would love to make over and over! Can you provide any direction on grain bill/hops/yeast to make this? Answer: Roundhouse uses a pretty basic red ale recipe – base malt, a mix of light and dark caramel malts for color and flavor, some Munich and/or Carapils for body, Then, a dose of honey or sugar to help dry it out. I’d use no more than a pound of either (honey or sugar – we use honey) in a 5 gallon batch. Hops use a mixture of Amarillo, Citra and Simcoe primarily – use a lot of them at the end of your boil, then dry hop with a mixture of those same hops. Again, use your favorite clean American yeast. - David Curtis, Bell's General Store Manager and resident homebrew expert This post is a part of an occasional homebrew Q&A series. Bell’s founder and president Larry Bell began brewing his own beer in the late 1970s after working at Sarkozy Bakery in Kalamazoo where he learned about yeast and fermentation. Larry opened his homebrew supply store, Kalamazoo Brewing Co., in 1983, which later became Bell’s Brewery. Homebrewing is still a big part of who we are. This series is an homage to our homebrew origins - one of the ways we give back to the community that helped us get to where we are today.  Homebrew equipment and supplies can be purchased online or in person at our General Store. Have a question of your own or need some homebrew advice? Drop us a line.  Looking for homebrew supplies and ingredients? Check out our online store or stop by. 

Things to keep in mind if you decide to enter this year's homebrew competition: Homebrewers should bring a sanitized vessel with them to transport their wort home. Buckets, carboys (please be extra careful handling glass carboys) and cornelius kegs are the most common vessels. You can leave them in your vehicle until it’s time to pick up your wort, but again, please sanitize your vessel prior to your pick-up time to help us make sure everyone gets their wort. Make sure to get there early, as supplies will be limited. Signing up early (starts at 11 a.m.) will help guarantee wort. We will start distributing wort at 1 p.m. You can send someone else to pick up your wort. We aren’t concerned with who takes it, just who turns in bottles to be judged in October. We do ask that you don’t bring friends or relatives who don’t brew, just so you can have an extra 5+ gallons of wort. We are relying on the goodwill of homebrewers to help each other out and share the wealth. Please help us make sure all who want to compete are able. You can add whatever you like to your recipe/submission. However, if your entry is chosen as the winner, we will have to be able to figure out a way to make your beer on a much larger scale. So please, take good, detailed notes of everything you do to the wort. We won’t know exactly how much we will end up with until the wort is made, but last year we were able to give 5 gallons of wort to more than 200 homebrewers. We hope to be in that ballpark again this year, but things happen during wort transfers that can affect that number. We recommend arriving early to sign up and make sure you get your wort. The wort will be made with 100-percent Michigan Pale Ale malt. The initial OE of the base wort will be roughly 12 Plato (+/- 1 degree plato) or about 1.048 gravity, which will yield a knock-out gravity of 13+ Plato (about 1.052 gravity) after the final boil. Left unchanged, the fermentability will result in a beer with approximately 6% ABV. The wort will be minimally boiled and entirely unhopped, giving you complete freedom for recipes and allow your imagination to fun (run?) wild from there. Since the wort is only briefly boiled, homebrewers will have to do a complete kettle boil on their own systems. There are no restrictions or style guidelines for the final beer, so long as it uses the base wort from Bell's Brewery, Inc. Competition entries (four 12 oz. bottles) are due to the Bell’s General Store by 7 p.m., Sunday, October 28. For more on this year's competition, go here. 

The 9th Annual Bell’s Homebrew Competition Kick-off and Expo will be held this year on Sept. 8 at Bell’s Eccentric Café in downtown Kalamazoo. The homebrewer who takes first place will get to brew their recipe at Bell’s original brewery to then go on tap at the adjacent Café. The first place winner will also attend the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado as a guest of Bell’s Brewery. That person will team up with Bell’s for the 2018 Pro-Am Competition and attend both the awards ceremony and members’ only session. Bell’s will cover the cost of airfare to Denver and back (must be within the continental U.S.) and provide lodging for two nights. “Supporting the homebrewing community is very important to Bell’s and to me personally. We will always support those who are on their own quest to make a better beer, just as I set out on my own path 35 years ago,” said Larry Bell, Founder and President of Bell’s Brewery. As in previous years, there is no cost to enter the competition and the only requirement is that you use Bell’s wort, which will be available for free at the kick-off, while supplies last. This year’s Expo will run from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. and will feature local homebrew clubs, local vendors as well as the American Homebrewers Association. Sign-up times for wort pickup will begin at 11 a.m. It will be distributed beginning around 1 p.m., first come, first served. In past years, more than 200 homebrewers have been able to receive wort. Competition entries (four 12 oz. bottles) are due to the Bell’s General Store by 7 p.m., Sunday, October 28. The 2017 winning recipe, from Steve Vroegop, will be tapped for the first time at 2 p.m. on Aug. 26 at the Café. Damson Plum Crisp Saison (8.4% ABV) was brewed with damson plums and toasted sugar. All are welcome and encouraged to stop by the Café and try this first-place homebrew recipe (those 21-and-up). Other Previous winners 2016: Freedom of Peach, a hoppy Saison brewed with peaches, from Evan Monroe. 2015: Bale So Hard, a Farmhouse Ale brewed with HBC 438 and Mosaic hops from David Hellen. 2014: Coffee Mustache, a California Common style beer brewed with coffee from Matt VanNatter. 2013: Proud Mitten, a dry hopped IPA/Pale Ale made with Centennial, Citra and Simcoe hops from David Lyman. 2012: Manden Med Leen, a black IPA brewed with Belgian yeast from Nick Rodammer. 2011: A Bit of Heat from Geoff Groff, brewed with paradise seeds, rose hips and habaneros. 2010: Oscar’s Folly, a collaborative IPA from Jarrett Cupp, Bailey Cupp and Paul Gentz. [[{"fid":"2943","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"default"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"1"}}]] [[{"fid":"682","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"2":{"format":"default"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"2"}}]] [[{"fid":"7532","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"3":{"format":"default"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"3"}}]]  

Question: I recently tried and fell in love with the Quinannan Falls Special Lager; however no one where I am located carries it. I know that I can’t get the recipe for this delicious brew, but any information regarding grain bill, hops, etc. would be appreciated so I can try and recreate this at home. Answer: Start with a base of Pilsner malt and add a touch of Carapils or other dextrin malt for some body. Shoot for a gravity just shy of 1.060. Hopping is simple – use your favorite American hop for bittering and a flavor addition (60 and 30 minute additions) – shoot for around 50 IBUs. Ferment with your favorite German lager yeast – something clean. Dry hop with a moderate amount of Simcoe and a small amount of something noble, like Saaz or Hershbrucker. That’s it. Ferment cool and lager cold. - David Curtis, Bell's General Store Manager and resident homebrew expert This post is a part of an occasional homebrew Q&A series. Bell’s founder and president Larry Bell began brewing his own beer in the late 1970s after working at Sarkozy Bakery in Kalamazoo where he learned about yeast and fermentation. Larry opened his homebrew supply store, Kalamazoo Brewing Co., in 1983, which later became Bell’s Brewery. Homebrewing is still a big part of who we are. This series is an homage to our homebrew origins - one of the ways we give back to the community that helped us get to where we are today.  Homebrew equipment and supplies can be purchased online or in person at our General Store. Have a question of your own or need some homebrew advice? Drop us a line. 

Question:  What are 3 tips to a homebrewer that you can give to help them achieve batch consistency from one brew session to the next? Answer: 1. Fermentation temp control. To me, this is the biggest challenge to homebrewers getting started and makes the biggest difference in the finished product. 2. Pitch healthy yeast. Making proper sized yeast starters for liquid yeast and rehydrating dry yeast are critical to healthy fermentation. 3. Give it time. Never rush a fermenting beer by racking it too early. Off flavors that need more time won't get cleaned up if you do. - David Curtis, Bell's General Store Manager and resident homebrew expert This post is a part of an occasional homebrew Q&A series. Bell’s founder and president Larry Bell began brewing his own beer in the late 1970s after working at Sarkozy Bakery in Kalamazoo where he learned about yeast and fermentation. Larry opened his homebrew supply store, Kalamazoo Brewing Co., in 1983, which later became Bell’s Brewery. Homebrewing is still a big part of who we are. This series is an homage to our homebrew origins - one of the ways we give back to the community that helped us get to where we are today.  Homebrew equipment and supplies can be purchased online or in person at our General Store. Have a question of your own or need some homebrew advice? Drop us a line. 

Question:  Just brewed a new batch of IPA 3 days ago and the bubbler is not showing any bubbling activity. Just wondering if I need to add more yeast? Just trying to knock out some ideas. Answer:  Bubbling is not always going to be a dependable sign of fermentation. There are ways that gas can escape out the bucket lid (I’m assuming it’s in a bucket) or the airlock can kind of get stuck in a spot that lets gas escape. I recommend pulling the lid off and looking for foam on the top of the beer (or signs that there was foam). If you see foam, fermentation is happening. If there’s no foam, take a gravity sample. If the gravity is unchanged from when you pitched your yeast, then you need to repitch. Assuming you added healthy yeast at roughly the proper temperature, it’s very unlikely that nothing happened or is happening. -Bell's General Store Manager and residential homebrew expert.  - David Curtis, Bell's General Store Manager and resident homebrew expert This post is a part of an occasional homebrew Q&A series. Bell’s founder and president Larry Bell began brewing his own beer in the late 1970s after working at Sarkozy Bakery in Kalamazoo where he learned about yeast and fermentation. Larry opened his homebrew supply store, Kalamazoo Brewing Co., in 1983, which later became Bell’s Brewery. Homebrewing is still a big part of who we are. This series is an homage to our homebrew origins - one of the ways we give back to the community that helped us get to where we are today.  Homebrew equipment and supplies can be purchased online or in person at our General Store. Have a question of your own or need some homebrew advice? Drop us a line. 

Question:  I have a hard time getting 5-6 hours to spend on a brew day. I was wondering if you had advice on splitting a brew day into a two-day brew process. Not to be confused with overnight mash. I am thinking of making wort and chilling (or maybe not chill?) on day one then boiling and completing the process on day two. What are the effects and impacts of this on an ale - or other styles? I know that Bell's provides wort to homebrewers for the annual contest, is there something you do to prepare the wort for dispensing and boiling later? I would like to understand the best practice for what I want to try. Answer:  I feel your pain – brewing takes a pretty good time commitment which isn’t always the easiest thing to fit into life. I know of others who split the day into two, but I think you’ll find that it’s even more work and time doing it that way. If you chill your wort after the mash, you’re opening your wort up to lots of bugs that can do their work at those temps. I know you’ll be boiling the next day, but there are bacteria and other wild yeasts that can impart their tangy flavors in a very short time – this is why we have people that do sour mashes. On top of that, you’ll now be bringing wort from a cooler temperature all the way to a boil rather than starting with wort that’s in the 170 degree range already. Doesn't seem like a huge deal but that’s a lot of propane/gas and time. When we do our wort giveaway, we bring the wort to a simmer to kill off anything that might be living in it and then chill it down – this is so that carboys don’t crack by us putting hot wort into them and to keep things safe. We recommend people get their boil going as soon as they're able. Certainly it’s possible to throw it in the fridge and brew later, but it’s a big risk and something you wouldn't want to do with each batch. My recommendation is to try to streamline your day as best as you can. My brew days take 4 hours from the time I mash-in to the time I’m done cleaning up. My system is fairly automated (it’s a Blichmann Brew-Easy electric system) and was quite an investment, but I’m able to set things up and dough in, then kind of let it take care of itself for an hour during the mash. Then once I’m on to the boil, it doesn’t need much babysitting. I know this is something that not everyone can accommodate in their house and it’s a big investment, but I think just planning out the flow of your day can give you a similar result. What can you prepare while the mash is doing its thing? What can you clean to be ready for the next step or to get out of the way before the next brew day? Have you considered brew-in-a-bag? If you can find a way to swing your beers in 2 days, I say go for it. But I think you’ll find that once you have everything out and you’re brewing, finding ways to cut time off your day will be the way to go. I hope that’s helpful. - David Curtis, Bell's General Store Manager and resident homebrew expert This post is a part of an occasional homebrew Q&A series. Bell’s founder and president Larry Bell began brewing his own beer in the late 1970s after working at Sarkozy Bakery in Kalamazoo where he learned about yeast and fermentation. Larry opened his homebrew supply store, Kalamazoo Brewing Co., in 1983, which later became Bell’s Brewery. Homebrewing is still a big part of who we are. This series is an homage to our homebrew origins - one of the ways we give back to the community that helped us get to where we are today.  Homebrew equipment and supplies can be purchased online or in person at our General Store. Have a question of your own or need some homebrew advice? Drop us a line. 

Homebrewing is a part of our roots at Bell's, and we continue to honor that tradition by promoting it both with our fans and within our brewery. Every year, we host a homebrew competition for our employees, and this year's winning beer is Leaf Peeper, an IPA with big dank and tropical fruit aromas. It was dry-hopped five times over five days and comes in at 6.8 percent ABV. This year, 56 employees in 12 teams took part, coming up with new recipes and brewing them. The winning team team consisted of Kevin Ahn, Matt Moberly, Sarah Bauman, Anne Moore and Josh Vigansky, who work in a variety of departments including the General Store, Safety, Marketing, Logistics and Sales. This is the fourth annual employee competition. Homebrewing is an important part of Bell’s culture and we want to make sure every employee has a chance to experience what sparked the love for brewing for so many, including our Founder and President Larry Bell, more than 30 years ago. The teams brew their beers over the summer and submit them during Skills Week, our annual company meeting. [[{"fid":"6470","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"default"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"1"}}]]   The beers are judged by other employees. The winning team brewed their beer at our original downtown Kalamazoo brewery and had the first pints from the Eccentric Café. Check to see if Leaf Peeper is on tap using our tap cam and growler list. [[{"fid":"6472","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"2":{"format":"default"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"2"}}]]  

The winners of our Bell’s 8th Annual Homebrew Competition were announced during this year's 9th Annual All Stouts Day at the Eccentric Café on Sunday. Six homebrewers placed out of the 136 entries submitted this year. First place went to Steve Vroegop of Kalamazoo for his Saison brewed with Damson plums and New Zealand Rakau hops. Vroegop will brew his recipe at our original brewery to then go on tap at the Café. He will also head to the 2018 Great American Beer Festival in Denver as a guest of Bell’s and compete alongside a Bell’s brewer in the Pro-Am Competition. “This year’s competition brought plenty of experimentation and interesting ingredient choices, said David Curtis, Bell’s General Store Operations Manager and competition organizer. There was also a strong representation of New England style IPAs, Belgian beers and sour beers.” Second place went to Ryan Schippers for his Northeast IPA. Third place went to James Weber for his ale brewed with Indiana plums. This year’s runners up are (in no particular order): Patrick Coonan – Belgian-style dubbel with blueberries David Fulkerson – New England IPA Ben Hoff – Ale brewed with cilantro, lime and tomatillos  “This competition is an incredibly important part of how we support the homebrew community here in our hometown and beyond, said Laura Bell, Bell’s CEO. From ingredients, to equipment to advice, our General Store team is continuing a legacy started even before we were a brewery. It is incredible to see the enthusiasm and passion for this craft is so many.” Look for more information about when this year’s winning recipe will be tapped at the Café as soon as it is available online here and on our social media. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram. Cheers and congratulations to everyone! PREVIOUS FIRST PLACE WINNERS 2016: Freedom of Peach, a hoppy saison brewed with peaches from Evan Monroe 2015: Bale So Hard, a farmhouse ale brewed with HBC 438 and Mosaic hops, from David Hellen 2014: Coffee Mustache, a California common style beer brewed with coffee, from Matt VanNatter 2013: Proud Mitten, a dry hopped IPA/pale ale made with Centennial, Citra and Simcoe hops, from David Lyman 2012: Manden Med Leen, a black IPA brewed with Belgian yeast, from Nick Rodammer 2011: A Bit of Heat from Geoff Groff, brewed with paradise seeds, rose hips and habaneros 2010: Oscar’s Folly, a collaborative IPA from Jarrett Cupp, Bailey Cupp and Paul Gentz