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The color and scent of a summer afternoon is about to get a twist… of mango! We are set to release Mango Oberon (5.8% ABV), an American Wheat Ale brewed with real fruit, in mid-July. A limited specialty offering, it is the first Oberon variant to see wider distribution in bottles. Four-packs will start to ship right after the Fourth of July holiday weekend. They will join Oberon in its traditional packaging, this year’s limited edition packaging and mini-kegs on store shelves. “We have heard from a lot of fans asking for something like this and the response to a small release here in Kalamazoo was incredible. Oberon season will be over before you know it, this is a perfect way to celebrate those last bit of summer,” Larry Bell, president and founder of Bell’s Brewery said. Mango Oberon was first released as part of the Bell’s General Store Exclusive Series; small batch beer releases that continue the vision of Larry Bell and celebrate the innovation he started. All beers are released exclusively where it all began - at the Bell’s General Store in downtown Kalamazoo. Other variations of Oberon have included fan favorites like Mango Habanero Oberon, but also Pineapple Jalapeno, Guava, Raspberry (also a General Store exclusive) and Cucumber Basil Oberon. With the exception of Raspberry Oberon, all were draft only, limited releases.

This recipe uses our Official Hazy IPA and can be enjoyed year-round! Ingredients 1 ½ cups (14oz) plain white flour – all purpose 1 ½ TSP Cornstarch 1 ½ TSP salt 1 ½ TSP paprika, substitute with chili if you want spicy! Zest and juice of one lime 12oz can of Bell’s Official Hazy IPA 1/3 cup buttermilk Directions Use raw, large peeled, tails on and de-veined shrimp. We recommend 16/20’s or 26/30’s. For one pound of shrimp, place in zip lock bag with zest and juice of one lime and gently shake. Leave in bag for 15 minutes. Sift flour along with all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl, add 8oz of Official and buttermilk. Whisk. Adjust with more Official as needed, until a smooth batter mixture is achieved. It should coat the back of a wooden spoon and will thicken slightly before use. Add more Official Hazy IPA if too thick. Place shrimp, zest and juice into a large bowl and pour batter onto them until submerged and mix. Let them rest in the batter for a few minutes. Pull each shrimp out by its tail, hold above bowl and allow excess to drip off, 2-3 seconds. Carefully lower battered shrimp into 365 degree oil. Be careful, as they will splash. Use a high quality frying oil or vegetable oil such as Canola. Keep it clean and fresh. Fry the shrimp until golden brown and crispy. Remove from oil and place onto paper towel to soak up excess oil. Enjoy with an of Official Hazy IPA! Also try: After coating shrimp with batter and before lowering into oil, press battered shrimp into sweetened flaked coconut and then fry.    

Bell’s is very excited to party with one of our favorite festival partners, Blue Ox, to bring you a truly unique virtual festival experience in our new (COVID-19) landscape.  Blue Ox Music Festival will offer fans a mix of live streamed performances from the festival site in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and artists playing from their homes on June 12 and 13.  Pert Near Sandstone will host and perform both nights on stage. Other live performances include Charlie Parr and Them Coulee Boys. Artists performing from home include Sam Bush, Del McCory, Molly Tuttle and more.  One of the other best parts (aside from incredible music)? The festival will be streamed for free on YouTube and Facebook – and right here on the Bell’s website.  For those who can, we encourage you to help support the performing artists as well as the event’s non-profit partners; The Cleghorn Lion’s Club National T.T.T. Society CVTC Radiology Department Feed My People Food Bank Donate via PayPal (@blueoxmusic), Venmo (@BlueOxFest) or the Blue Ox GoFundMe Page.  For more information on the upcoming virtual event, go here. Live stream embeds are below.  Blue Ox 2020 was rescheduled for Au. 27-29. You can read more about that here.  Friday night show (June 12)   Saturday night show (June 13)  

For eight years, Bell’s Brewery has been proud to support our local Kalamazoo Pride event in downtown Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo Pride is the largest fundraising event of the year for OutFront Kalamazoo, whose mission is to create a just, inclusive, equitable, and supportive environment in Southwest Michigan for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities and expressions. This year is no different; while we cannot celebrate in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic we are very proud to continue our support of OutFront with #StillProud, the first-ever virtual Pride Fest in Kalamazoo. This year’s Pride event will be held virtually with events and programming throughout the month of June ranging from book clubs, civil rights panels and musical performances. “We believe in the great work that OutFront does in our community and in fact, their message about diversity and inclusion needs to be heard now more than ever before. While we can’t be together in person, we will be united online,” said Larry Bell, president and founder of Bell’s Brewery.  “With that said, let’s get our sparkle on!” he added.  As the presenting partner for the month-long celebration, Bell’s is the also the Signature Sponsor for the #StillProudStillPerforming Drag Show on June 12 at 8 p.m. and the final Friday night event, a musical performance from Hannaniah on June 26, at 6 p.m. The kick-off for virtual Pride Month was postponed from June 5 to clear the way for online and social media attention to be focused on uplifting the messages of Black Lives Matter.  “Over the past several days we have watched as historic events have unfolded,” said OutFront Kalamazoo Executive Director, Amy Hunter in a press release on June 3. Rallies and protests against the brutal killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and others echo a familiar rallying cry; the end to deadly oppression of marginalized peoples. “Demands for liberation are not unlike the pleas of Black trans women that started the 1969 uprising at New York’s Stonewall Inn,” Hunter continued. “Then, as now, police brutality and injustice are fueling heartbreaking expressions of rage and pain.” Sparkleberry Ale, a Belgian Triple brewed with raspberries, has annually been released in celebration of Pride in June. This year, it will be released in July, giving all an additional reason to continue the celebration beyond the month of June. For a complete schedule of events and additional information, go here.  About OutFront Kalamazoo  OutFront Kalamazoo's mission is to create a just, inclusive, equitable, and supportive environment in Southwest Michigan for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities and expressions. To be ‘out front’ means to be honest. To be visible. To lead. OutFront provides a place to be seen and heard; and is dedicated to co-creating a community that is safe, strong and #AlwaysOutFront.

This recipe calls for our brand new Lo-Cal IPA, Light Hearted! Check back often for others. You can always find our recipe collection here.  INGREDIENTS 2 cups All-purpose flour – sifted Teaspoon of salt 4 egg whites 12oz can of Cold Light Hearted 4oz – ice cold water DIRECTIONS Sift flour into a large mixing bowl with salt. In a separate bowl whisk egg whites until they form a soft peak. Gradually stir in ¾ of the Light Hearted to sifted flour. Add egg whites and fold into flour and beer mixture. Use the remaining Light Hearted and then the ice cold water, folding the batter as you add it, to achieve a perfect tempura batter consistency. Make fresh every time and use immediately, it does not hold up well as you are looking to benefit from the carbon dioxide in the beer and aerated egg whites to have a light and airy batter. Use ice cubes to keep cold if making more than one hour ahead, substitute cold water for ice cubes. Oil for tempura, high quality frying oil, rapeseed (canola) or peanut oil 355 degrees - 365 degrees HOW TO USE THE TEMPURA LIGHT HEARTED BATTER It is important to allow vegetables to dry for 30-45 minutes before frying; slice, place on paper towel, turn after 15-20 minutes. This will give you the best results. Sweet potato into rounds with the skin on. Sweet Vidalia onion rings, thinner slice than pub style! Eggplant, slice into wide strips lengthwise or in rounds if a large one. Baby zucchini you can leave whole, just cutting off the ends, cut regular zucchini into wide strips. Carrots, slice on a diagonal, nice and thin or into matchsticks. Green beans, leave whole, just cut off the ends Asparagus, use the tips for best results, 3-4 inches in length. Seafood and meats, again allow meat and seafood to dry for 15-20 minutes before battering and frying, follow same directions as for vegetables De-veined and butterfly shrimp, leave tail on – 16/20 recommended. Thin fresh chicken strips, 2-3 inches long Thin slice sirloin with soy, garlic and ginger After drying, sprinkle with salt and pepper, try using a little white pepper and fine Himalayan salt mixture and a light dusting of cornstarch to help batter adhere to your food choice . Run vegetables/seafood/meat through the batter and allow excess to fall back into bowl, carefully drop into oil, don’t overcrowd oil when doing Tempura. Fry until cooked, floating, turn over when on the surface. Remove from oil, drain excess cooking oil on absorbent paper. Serve immediately with fine salt, lemon wedges and a can of Light Hearted Ale (of course)! Enjoy!

Who couldn’t use an excuse to eat pizza and drink beer right now? We’re celebrating National Pizza Party day with one of our own: Bell’s Pizzapalooza, a digital pizza party featuring four pairings for four beers. The pizza party will take place Friday, May 15 at 7 p.m. EDT and be streamed on our Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages. Several bars and restaurants across the country are participating with a special quad pizza with the pairings. We’ll post more details here, stay tuned.  As our brewery founder and president Larry Bell said: “This event combines two things that should be readily available no matter where you live. Comfort food meets delicious beer in a way that will hopefully help people feel a little connected, something we’re all looking for these days, and help support nearby restaurants and bars.” Pairings Here are the pairings for the pizza party: Light Hearted Ale with a chicken, bacon and ranch pizza; or a seafood and citrus pizza. Official Hazy IPA with hot Hawaiian pizza or a pizza with goat cheese, hot pepper and peach. Porter with sweet sausage crumbles and mushroom pizza or a pizza with peppers. Lager of the Lakes with a Margherita pizza or a pizza with prosciutto and arugula. Picky eater pairings Don’t like to have a complex pizza or ordering one to share with some picky eaters? Here’s a list of alternative pairings: Light Hearted with a pepperoni pizza. Official Hazy IPA with a ham pizza. Porter with a sausage and mushroom pizza. Lager of the Lakes with a classic cheese pizza. Short on supplies or can’t order a pizza? Feel free to join us to learn about how pizza and beer work together! Accounts Here are some participating accounts: Michigan Big Bob’s Pizza Louie's Trophy House Blackstone Pizza Company Long Lake Grocery Checker Bar, all pizza is buy one, get one half off. Scooters Café and Pizzeria, Scooter's House Specialty Pizza - Italian Sausage, Bacon, Spinach, Mushrooms, and Red Sauce Chicago Flo & Santo’s Lager - Margherita or Tomato, Arugala, + Prosciutto.. Light Hearted - BBQ Chicken… Official - Hot Hawaiian.. Porter Sausage + Mushroom New York Milkflower, Wu Tang Clam: Cherrystone Clams, Garlic, Fresno Chili, Parsley, Grand Padano Carson's Pizzeria & Bar, Chicken Bacon Ranch Public Display of Affection Pizza, Margherita Vermont Vermont Taphouse North Carlonia Salud Beer Shop, Assortment of 10" Wood Fired Pizzas The Flying Saucer, Flat Bread Pizza Ruckus Pizza,   Syracuse, New York Pizza Man Pub: hot hawaiian, chix ranch, margherita, sausage Kitty Hoyne: House Flat Bread (Marg) Apizza Regionale, 4 quadrant Pizza Pennsylvania The Pizza Company Dominick's Pizza & Pub, Two Hearted - Pepperoni, Oberon - Cheese Pinocchio's Restaurant Sabatini's Pizza, Cheese Pie Nebraska Backlot Taphouse, Buffalo Chicken with Blue Cheese and Green Onion St Louis Pizzeoli, Traditional Neapolitan pizza. Two options: Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza and a veggie pizza TBD Florida The Riverside Market Lee's Grocery, Mushroom Sausage The Gnarly Barley, Jalapeño popper flatbread, spicy meatball flatbread Josie's Pizza & Wings, 1/2 spicy Italian, 1/2 buffalo chicken California Pitfire Pizza (LA) Surfrider Pizza Tony Pepperoni's Prime Pizza Carson's Pizzeria & Bar Colorado Carelli's Minnesota MacKenzie Pub, Pepperoni, Thai Peanut, Margherita and Jerk Chicken Washington DC Pizzeria Paradiso Arizona Boulders on Southern Tennessee Aldo's Pizza Pie's, Downtown and Midtown, The Lombardi - Tomato sauce, Meatballs,Mozzarella and ricotta Cheese Puerto Rico Pimenton -Pizzeria & Birreria Alabama Mellow Mushroom, Mighty Meaty Wisconsin Mequon Pizza Company

We all want to stay connected during this pandemic. Here's another way you can do just that inspired by our annual Beerentine tradition. For a limited time, we are offering a special Quarantine-postcard edition Beerentine that you can send to a friend, drinking buddy, co-worker, family, pet… whoever you want to cheers from a far with. Just like Beerentines, they are free (while supplies last). Unlike Beerentines, you get to fill out a special message for the recipient similar to those books you see out and about that ask you for verbs, adjectives, pronouns and the like.  What do you have to do to send one? Pick a design, tell us who it should go to and fill-in-the-blanks. We’ll take care of the rest. Send one here.  #StayInspired!          [[{"fid":"10447","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"}}]]  

March 23 was set to be Oberon Day, but recent health events led us to release Oberon early, curtailing large, public events for safety and health reasons. Plus, who couldn’t use a little extra sunshine? But that doesn’t mean we still can’t celebrate the release of Oberon, albeit at a distance from each other. Look, you don’t need anything special to celebrate Oberon Day during these times, not even Oberon. Take a minute and enjoy the good things to come. Instead of throwing release events at bars or restaurants, join us Monday, March 23 at 6 p.m. on our Facebook page for a virtual Oberon toast. Here's a link to the stream and hit "Get Reminder" to be notified when we're live. A bunch of Bell’s employees will be on chatting and there will be a special, live, video message. Here’s a checklist of things to help celebrate Oberon Day from the comfort of your own home. You don’t need to make a special trip for any of this. Oberon Day is all about celebrating the return of summer. Oberon: or any drink that makes you happy. Favorite glass Orange, any kind of citrus, heck, any garnish. Bottle opener Food delivered from your favorite local establishment Snacks Music - we’ve got just the Playlist (Apple Music | Spotify) Check out these recipes too! Here are some Oberon snack ideas: Citrus spiced nuts Chips and queso Mango black bean salsa Pulled pork with citrus bbq sliders Orange sherbet beer floats And remember: Even though most bars and restaurants are closed, please limit social gatherings, even at a house or apartment. Group video chats are a great way to connect with loved ones while keeping safe. We’ve had some virtual shifty’s here, they’re a lot of fun. If you are in the Kalamazoo area, our General Store is offering Beer to Go with online ordering and pick up. Here are more details.

Safety is always our first priority. We are taking all necessary precautions to help keep our employees, our customers and the community safe. We are continuously monitoring the situation, taking direction from the CDC and our state officials. We will communicate any changes to how we conduct business across all of our communications platforms (here on our website and on our social media channels).  What are you doing to make sure your space is safe? Quality has always been at the forefront of everything we do. That includes how we approach cleanliness.  Our Facilities and Housekeeping teams were already following strict protocols, but those have been enhanced to focus even more on high-touch areas like switches and doorknobs while using appropriate cleaning agents. For our employees, we have put additional precautions into place. Those include canceling all non-essential business travel, limiting access to our brewery to essential personnel only and allowing employees who are able, to work from home.  Other precautions include: Daily health prescreening which includes onsite temperature checks for all employees and contractors. Close contact tracing for all employees. Social distancing Required use of face masks. Room occupancy limits. We are doing everything we can to help ensure the safety of our employees, customers, partners, and community. Check out the video below for more from our VP of Production, John Mallett.  is the eccentric cafe open?  Go here for more on our outdoor dining options and here for more on indoor dining.  Beer-to-go Our General Store does offer beer-to-go via online ordering and curbside pick-up. Please keep in mind, that masks are required to be worn inside our General Store. Check out what beer we have available in our cooler, as well as in 16 oz. and 32 oz. crowlers, by clicking the link below  Beer-to-go We do encourage everyone to utilize our curbside pick-up option for our local fans as much as possible. You can read more about how that works here.  ONLINE STORE & homebrewing Our online General Store has a variety of puzzles, games and more to help keep you busy while we all work through this pandemic. If you're looking for a new hobby, consider checking out our homebrew supplies and resources.  Concerts and other events at the Cafe For those who have purchased tickets to one of our canceled shows, you will receive a full refund if purchased via credit card. (Please be patient as refunds may take several business days due to high volumes.) For those who purchased with cash, refunds will be made in person at our General Store. If you have additional refund questions, please email us at concertinfo@bellsbeer.com. Are you offering tours? We are not offering brewery tours at this time.  What about upcoming beer releases? We are taking every necessary precaution to protect our brewery and continue brewing, packaging, and shipping that beer you know and love in addition to new favorites.  Links and resources for finding Bell's beer Bell's Beer Finder Beer To-Go (Kalamazoo only) Where available, you can also have our beer delivered via Minibar and Drizly.

We have an exciting, brand new way for our fans to show their love for Two Hearted Ale, Official Hazy IPA and the brand new Light Hearted Ale - our Fish Your Heart Out Sweepstakes. Craft beer fans can enter for a chance to win a custom grand prize adventure at one of three of the best fishing locations in the U.S. Twenty first-prize winners will win a Bell’s retro cooler filled with Bell’s swag. “These three IPAs are perfect for all adventures. Why not send some of our amazing fans on the adventure of a lifetime?” Larry Bell, President and Founder of Bell’s Brewery said. This celebrates the beauty of our home state and but also other areas that are part of the Bell’s community,” he said. The grand prize winner (and one lucky friend) will get to choose from the following locations: Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Two Hearted’s namesake, the Two Hearted River; the Davidson River in North Carolina or the North Platte River in Colorado and Wyoming. We will also cover airfare for two, hotel and money toward food and a car rental. To enter for a chance to win, visit Fishyourheartout.com or text “bellsfish” to 31996. Bell’s Fish Your Heart Out Custom Adventure closes May 31. Winners will be drawn on or around June 5, 2020. Eligible winners must be a resident of the contiguous 48 states, 21 year of age or older, and cannot be employed by a liquor license holder or wholesaler. For complete rules, visit the official sweepstakes website. Bell’s Fish Your Heart Out Sweepstakes is one of a handful of sweepstakes Bell’s fans will be able to enter in 2020. Stay tuned; we'll share more here on bellsbeer.com and on our social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn).