Homebrewing

The wait is over! The winners of our 7th Annual Homebrew Competition were announced during this year's All Stouts Day at the Eccentric Café. Eleven homebrewers placed out of the 146 that submitted this year. First place went to Evan Monroe for his hoppy saison brewed with peaches (Freedom of Peach). Monroe will get to brew his recipe at Bell’s original brewery to then go on tap at the adjacent Café. He will also head to the 2017 Great American Beer Festival in Denver as a guest of Bell’s and compete alongside a Bell’s brewer in the Pro-Am Competition.  “Our judges saw a lot of experimentation again this year and overall, there was a solid mix of traditional beer styles and those that pushed style definition. Our top winners reflect that mix very well,” said David Curtis, Bell’s General Store Operations Manager and competition organizer. Second place went to brothers Chad Hutson and Daryl Hutson for their Belgian double IPA. Third place went to Jay Vanbuskirk for his black IPA. This year’s runners up are (in no particular order): Ross Winter – Imperial stout w/bourbon soaked oak chips Steve Morren – Sour brown ale Kevin Kolk – Hibiscus and ginger fruit beer Andy Akers – Belgian wit/American pale ale hybrid David Cohoe – Golden ale with a roasty character David Lyman (2013 competition winner) – IPA Stephen Hardy – IPA David Nowell – Grape saison “The number and skill of those who have competed over the years is incredibly inspiring. We are very proud to support this community and to see that familiar drive and passion reflected by so many,” said Laura Bell, Bell’s Vice President and Co-owner. Look for more information about when this year’s winning recipe will be tapped at the Café as soon as it is available. Judges' comments for all homebrewers who submitted entries this year are available to be picked up at the Bell's General Store. Cheers and congrats to everyone! Previous first place winners  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.

Whether you're just getting into all grain brewing or a seasoned homebrewer who can name every type of malt, our General Store can provide you with all the resources you need. Find all of your grain needs in our online store or better yet, stop by our grain room and chat with our knowledgeable and friendly staff at the General Store. They can guide you through our wide selection of top quality malt from both local and international maltsters. Scoop and weigh out your base and specialty malts or flaked adjuncts to get the exact amount your recipe calls for, or grab a 10 pound bag of base malt to save some time. Once you’ve got the malts you need, our motorized mill makes quick work of safely, crushing your grains. To ensure we have the freshest supply at all times, our grains are rotated often and per-pound pricing helps you get the amount of grain you need at the right price. New to all grain? Join us on Sunday, December 4, for our FREE All Grain Demo. Our General Store staff will help ease you through the transition by taking you step-by-step through the entire process. Capacity is limited to 20 people, with pre-registration required.

11/23/2017 This past Saturday, we kicked off our 7th Annual Homebrew Competition.  Part of the festivities that day also included a fundraiser for Pints for Prostates, a grass roots campaign that uses beer to reach men and start crucial conversations about their health.  With help from Pints for Prostates, we shared statistics about prostate cancer including information about risk factors. We also accepted donations for them, which were personally matched by Larry Bell, president and founder of our brewery. Thank you to everyone who helped us support this cause! For more information on how you can contribute, go here.  And be on the look out for special blue Crowns for a Cure on bottles of Bell's beer!

Our 7th annual Homebrew Competition Kick-off and wort giveaway was this past Saturday.  Just over 200 homebrewers signed up for wort, the first of which lined up just after 5 a.m.! Thank you to all who joined us for wort, the Expo (especially our vendors) and our brewers who worked through the night to get everything ready! Check out the photo gallery below and remember, competition entries (four 12 oz. bottles) are due to the Bell’s General Store by 7 p.m., Sunday, October 30. Also, if you haven't tried Bale So Hard (the winner from last year's competition), be sure to enjoy some while it lasts!

We hosted a special tapping of the 2015 Bell’s Homebrew Competition on Aug. 13 at the Eccentric Cafe. Bale So Hard is dry-hopped farmhouse ale developed by David Hellen. It beat out 131 other entries that were submitted and judged by Bell's employees during our sixth annual competition.  Hellen and our Pub Brewing Operations Manager, Zeke Bogan, brewed Bale So Hard at our original brewery in downtown Kalamazoo. Bale So Hard has pungent hop aromatics, mild yeast spice and fruity Brett notes. The beer was brewed with HBC 438 and Mosaic hops. HBC 438 is an experimental hop, available exclusively to homebrewers. All proceeds from the sale of this variety go toward finding a cure for ALS via the Ales for ALS program that Bell’s has been a part of since it started in 2013. The yeast blend mixes a saison yeast and brettanomyces which in conjunction with the hops, creates a unique pungent, fruity, tropical, spicy aroma and flavor.  The Annual Bell's Homebrew Compeition kicks off annually in Sept. 10 with a wort giveaway and homebrew expo. (More details here). Homebrewers are given 5 gallons of wort to take home and add their own malts, hops, spices and yeast. Samples of the resulting beers are turned in and judged by a panel of Bell’s employees and other brewing industry members.

Our 7th Annual Bell’s Homebrew Competition Kick-off & Expo is coming up on Sept. 10 at Bell’s Eccentric Café in downtown Kalamazoo. The homebrewer who takes first place from this year's competition will get to brew their recipe at our original brewery to then go on tap at the Café next door. The first place winner will also attend the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado as our guest. They'll team up with us for the 2017 Pro-Am Competition and attend both the awards ceremony and member’s only session. We'll cover the cost of airfare to Denver and back (must be within the continental U.S.) and provide lodging for two nights. “Homebrewing is how we got our start and this competition is one of the ways we honor that heritage. To be able to offer this kind of opportunity to a community that has given us so much is incredible and we are very happy to do it,” said Laura Bell, Vice President of Bell’s Brewery, Inc. As in previous years, there is no cost to enter the competition and the only requirement is that you use our (Bell’s) wort, which will be available for free at the kick-off - while supplies last. The Expo will run from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. and feature Blichmann Engineering, Briess Malt, Pilot Malt House, Stir Starters, Whirlpool, Kalamazoo Libation Organization of Brewers (KLOB) and others. Sign-up times for wort pickup will begin at 11 a.m. Wort 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 30. Check out What you need to know for our 2016 Homebrew Competition The 2015 winning recipe, from David Hellen of New Hudson, MI, will be tapped for the first time at 2 p.m. on Aug. 13 at the Café. Bale So Hard is a Farmhouse Ale brewed with HBC 438 and Mosaic hops. Check out the gallery below from last year's Expo and competition judging and from brewing Bale so Hard.  Previous winners 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.

Brewing a cider? One of the most important things is picking out the right ingredients, in this case, apple cider. In the video below, TJ from our General Store explains what kind of apple juice you need to start brewing. If you are interested in homebrewing or have any specific questions, stop by our General Store or sign up for one of our homebrewing classes. Have a question about homebrewing and can't make it to the store in person? We're here to help. Our General Store also sells homebrewing equipment, ingredients and more online.  

We’re excited to announce that our General Store will be offering classes this summer on homebrewing, cheese making and draught line management. Each class begins at 6 p.m. and doors open at 5:45 p.m. Each class costs $10 per person and there is a limit of 12 people per class. Each participant must be 21 years of age and over. Below is a list of current classes. Registration is not yet open for all classes. Beginners Malt - June 6th Learn the ins and outs of all things grain! We will cover the basics of how beer gets its sweet goodness. Hands on demonstrations, class room activates and beer samples help drive home one of the most important aspects of beer making. Get tickets. Draught Class -June 13th Want to bring the bar home? Now you can! Sign up for the class that will teach you everything you will need to know on how to set up a home draught system and how to trouble shoot those pesky, kegerator problems. Get tickets. Advanced Malt - June 27th Do you have a grasp on all things malt? Think again, join us for our Advanced Malt class where we will dive deeper into the wonderful world of brewing sugars! Some homebrew experience or our Beginners Malt class is required. Get tickets. Beginner Hops - July 5th (Monday, July 4th is a holiday) Beer wouldn’t be the same without those juicy, dank, delicious hops. Attend our Beginner Hops class to learn everything you need to conquer those green, resinous cones. Get tickets. Cheese Making - July 11th Do you like cheese? Of course you do. Do you want to learn to make it at home? Of course you do. Join us for our cheese making class where you will gain hands on experience crafting your very own cheese! Get tickets. Advanced Hops- July 25th Can’t get enough hops in your life? Dive deeper into this immense topic and learn the math and methods behind formulating your next, great, hoppy brew.  Get tickets. Yeast - Aug 1st Hands down, the most important ingredient in crafting a great brew are those tiny, delicious fungi. Come learn the basics of these tiny powerhouses we call yeast. Get tickets. Cider Making - Aug 8th Fall is right around the corner and few things scream chilly nights, changing leaves and crackling bonfires like a hard cider. We take you from the apple to pint glass in this hands on, informative class. Get tickets.            HOMeBrew 101 - Aug 22nd Want to start brewing your own beer? This introductory class will help get you started. We will cover the history, ingredients, equipment, and process of home-brewing. Get your brew on! Get tickets. Beer Styles - Sept 6th (Monday is Labor DAy) Can you name the differences between an American IPA, English IPA and a Belgian IPA? How about categorizing one of the over 100 BJCP beer styles? Come taste your way around the world with us while learning all about the styles of beer. Get tickets. Mead Making - Sept 12th Join us in learning how to make honey into happiness with our mead making class. This is your hands on opportunity to Wow you neighbors with your ability to craft a delicious glass of mead. Get tickets. Recipe Development - Sept 26th     Our recipe development class teaches you to become half mad scientist, half master chef. We combine hands on learning and the necessary brewing equations to develop your next great beer idea into a pint you can share with friends. Get tickets. Four Month Beginner’s Program Want to make your own beer at home? Do you have any idea what a yeast starter is? What about IBU, SRM, FG or OG? Learn all of this and much more with our four classes aimed at amateur home brewers. Join us for Beginner’s Malt, Beginner Hops, Beginner’s Yeast and Recipe Development over the next four months to start your way down the path of a true brewer.  Four Month Advanced Program Join us for our Advanced classes aimed at diving deeper into the wonderful world of Advanced Malt, Advanced Hops, Advanced Yeast, Beer Styles and Recipe Development. All we ask is that you already have a few batches under your belt, or that you have completed the Beginner’s class we offer for the class you want to attend. Take your brewing to the next level with our experienced staff. 

Today we celebrate National Homebrew Day. It all began for us when our founder Larry Bell started brewing with a 15 gallon soup pot. More than 30 years later, homebrewing continues to be an important part of who we are as a brewery. So, how are you going to celebrate? Here is a link from the American Homebrewers Association of a clone recipe brewed by two of our resident homebrew experts, for one of our most popular beers: Two Hearted Ale. Two Hearted is a favorite of homebrewers. Readers of Zymurgy, published by American Homebrewers Association, picked the IPA as the second best beer in America. We also sell everything you need to start brewing at our General Store, both in Kalamazoo and online. If you have any questions about your brews, we’d love to help.

If you’ve been to the Eccentric Café recently you may have have tried Wide Eye PA, but may not know it was the winner of our Employee Homebrew Competition. Now in its second year, teams are made up of employees from across the brewery. Each group presents the beer they brewed together over the summer during our annual Bell’s Family Meeting in September. Wide Eye PA was selected by a panel of Bell’s judges as their top choice. The team — Sid, David, Devin and Chris — came up with the idea over a “shifty” after they finished working third shift. They knew they wanted to brew an IPA, but since it was 9 a.m. and they had stayed up all night, all they could think about was coffee. The seeds of Wide Eye PA were sown. Wide Eye straddles the line between an American Pale Ale and an IPA with a firm bitterness and bright hop aromatics. Instead of dry-hopping it, the team decided to go another route and added whole coffee beans during fermentation.The coffee is sourced from ChocolaTEA Café in Portage, Michigan. They tried several different ways of mixing coffee and beer — including brewing hops in a coffee machine and tasting it, which result in wrecked pallets for a week. Ultimately, dry hopping with coffee beans provided by far, the most interesting taste. Given their schedules, they ended up brewing on a Wednesday morning after working 8 and 12-hour shifts. The team brewed Wide Eye PA at our original brewery in downtown Kalamazoo, where so many other new beers are now born. Wide Eye PA is now available at the Eccentric Cafe, but before you visit, always be sure to check our Draft Cam (it updates throughout the day).