Awards

We are very proud to announce that our Brewery Tours have been nominated in USA Today’s 10Best Reader’s Choice travel awards – for the second year in a row! A panel of beer experts again nominated their favorite brewery tours in the United States and now it is up to us to help choose the winner. Bell’s Brewery Tours came in second place in 2019. “We pride ourselves on storytelling and immersing all guests, no matter their experience level, into the world of craft beer,” said Shelly Claflin, Bell’s Tour Manager. “Our tours are always free, fun and open to all.” We welcome tens of thousands of guests every year. The Eccentric Café and original brewery in downtown Kalamazoo, along with our main brewery seven miles east in nearby Comstock, are destinations for craft beer fans from around the world. “Placing second in 2019 was an incredible reflection of the experiences our guests have had, but that didn’t not mean we were going continue with the status quo. We got to work and made even more enhancements,” Claflin said. Those enhancements include the addition of a 50-foot timeline detailing Bell’s history, a selfie station and a pop-up retail shop where guests can purchase Bell’s merchandise. Many of those items can only be purchased at our Comstock Brewery. Visitors can also see the original 15-gallon soup pot Larry Bell, president and founder of Bell’s, used when he began brewing in 1985. It is a remarkable contrast to the 200-barrel brewhouse that sits nearby, showing what dedication, quality and the best fans in the industry can help accomplish. “We are delighted to learn Bell’s is being considered for the Best Brewery Tour again this year,” said Greg Ayers, President & CEO for Discover Kalamazoo. “Bell’s continues to be one of the primary reasons people visit the Kalamazoo region. No trip to Kalamazoo is complete without a Bell’s Brewery tour, as well as a visit to the Eccentric Café in downtown Kalamazoo.” You can vote once per day for the duration of the contest by clicking here to cast your vote. Voting ends Tuesday, March 17. The winner will be announced on Friday, March 27, just four days after Oberon Day. “Those looking for an amusement ride for your beer-loving senses won't be able to find a better experience than at Bell's,” said John Liberty, general manager at West Michigan Beer Tours. “Your nose will ooh and ahh at the aroma of Centennial hops. Tour guests can gawk at the height of the 800-barrel fermenters and stretch their math limits calculating the amount of spent grain produced there daily. Best of all: It's free, including samples. You don't have to buy a ticket - just take the ride.” Sign-up for a free Bell's brewery tour Never toured one of breweries? Or interested to check them our again? Join us.

We are proud to share that two of our classic beers have won medals at this year’s Colorado State Fair. Bell’s Porter received a gold medal in the competition’s American Porter category and Kalamazoo Stout won a silver medal in the Foreign Extra Stout category.  Porter was first released in 1987 and Kalamazoo Stout debuted in 1988. Both beers debuted refreshed packaging earlier this year.  “Beers like Porter and Kalamazoo Stout were some of our original brews and, along with Amber Ale, helped build the brewery,” said Larry Bell, Bell’s president and founder.  “It’s incredible to see these darker, classic beers continue earning awards today,” he added.  Upper Hand Brewery, a division of Bell’s, also brought home three medals: bronze for Laughing Fish and its SISU Stout in addition to a gold for Yellow Hex.  Here’s a breakdown of all the awards: Bell’s Silver in Category 16D (Foreign Extra Stout) for Kalamazoo Stout GOLD! in Category 20A (American Porter) for Bell’s Porter Upper Hand Bronze in Category 12A (British Golden Ale) for Laughing Fish Bronze in Category 20C (Imperial Stout) for SISU Stout GOLD! in Category 27 (Historical Beer) for Yellow Hex

We (Bell’s Brewery) and two of our beers - Two Hearted and Hopslam - were recognized again in this year’s Best Beers in America survey from Zymurgy magazine.  Two Hearted was No. 1 in the Top-Ranked Beers category and Bell’s in whole was named top brewery. This is the third consecutive year that Two Hearted has claimed this honor. It came in second to Russian River’s Pliny the Elder for seven straight years previously.  Hopslam Ale also placed in the top-ranked beers list tied at No. 7.  Now running in its 17th year, the survey asks members of the American Homebrewers Association (AHA), which publishes Zymurgy, to choose up to five of their favorite commercial beers available for purchase in the U.S.  “Receiving this honor once, twice even was incredible. But a third time? I am speechless and incredibly thankful to the homebrewing community and everyone who has helped make this beer what it is today,” said Larry Bell, president and founder of Bell’s Brewery.  The full Best Beers in America list—which includes complete rankings on all the top beers, breweries and more is available at HomebrewersAssociation.org. “Being selected as a winner for this esteemed list is no small feat. All of this year’s winners showcase exceptional flavors, expertly crafted by some of the greatest talent in the brewing industry,” said Gary Glass, director of the American Homebrewers Association. “I’d like to extend congratulations to all of this year’s winners and toast to their exemplary beers favorited by homebrewers and beer lovers alike.” The AHA announced the results of this year’s survey in a press release. “It is an honor to once again be awarded the top-ranking spots among so many great breweries and beers,” said John Mallett, Director of Operations here at Bell’s. “Only the best Centennial hops, a commitment to quality by the entire Bell’s team, and the splendor of our home state are all part of the beauty of Two Hearted Ale. There is one other vital component, the beer lover. We are truly humbled to be recognized by the finest palates in homebrewing.” The American Homebrewers Association has worked on behalf of the homebrewing community since 1978 and celebrates a membership of more than 46,000 homebrewers. The Bell’s General Store has been supporting homebrewers in Kalamazoo and beyond since the 1980s and even, predates the brewery. Larry Bell founded the company originally as a homebrew supply store in 1983.  For homebrewers interested in replicating some of the winningest beers at home, the AHA provides clone recipes in Zymurgy and online, in the recipes section of the AHA website. Clone recipes for Bell’s beers, including Two Hearted, can be found here on our website. Kits can also be purchased on the Bell’s online store here.  

We are very proud to celebrate a number of incredible achievements for one of our oldest recipes; four medals at three different craft beer competitions this year. Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale brought home gold medals at the Colorado State Fair, the World Expo of Beer in Frankenmuth, Michigan and at this year’s Indiana Brewer’s Cup. A 2015 vintage also took Best of Show at the World Expo of Beer in the competition’s aged beer category. “This is the Cognac of the beer world, and if aged properly, can be enjoyed and appreciated for years to come. It is also a perfect digestif,” said Larry Bell, Bell’s President and Founder said. “It is incredible that a recipe as old as this, is still setting the bar thirty years after its debut,” Bell said. An American Barley Wine, this award-winning beer starts with a rich, caramel base and finishes with a heavy hop bitterness. Sharply intense at first, it will age gracefully, adding complexity and subtlety the longer it ages.  With an ABV of 10.2%, Third Coast Old Ale was the muse for Bell’s Expedition Stout. Before Expedition, craft beer fans would travel with Third Coast Old Ale and send pictures of their bottles on travels back to the brewery. Bell later decided to brew a recipe that was better designed for travel and Expedition Stout was born. Third Coast Old Ale is available on draught and in 12 oz. bottles, packaged in six-packs. It debuted in 1988 and is released annually beginning in September as a specialty offering. Snifters are the recommended glassware for this Barley Wine Ale. “Third Coast” refers to the Great Lakes region and the label artwork features a dune landscape reminiscent of the Great Lakes coastline. A big beer that will easily overpower most main dishes, it pairs well with intensely sweet non-chocolate desserts or even a chocolate hazelnut torte along with cheeses like stilton, Gruyere or cheddar. The Bell’s Beer Finder can be used to locate recent deliveries nearby. And as always, for the latest Bell’s news and information, keep an eye here on our website, bellsbeer.com, or join us on social media - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Untappd.

We had a blast at this year's Great American Beer Festival!  Aside from celebrating our recent, full-time arrival in the great state of Colorado and meeting so many amazing people, our brewing team had another reason to celebrate - a silver medal for Roundhouse. Roundhouse is one of our our hoppy IPAs (7.5% ABV). It is brewed with substantial amounts of late-kettle hop additions and is also dry-hopped. Those hops yield a heady blend of fruity aromas of pineapple, peach and citrus that continue into a crisply bitter hop presence across the tongue. The judicious use of toasted and caramel specialty malts prevents the hop intensity from overwhelming the palate. Locally sourced Michigan honey creates a smooth, dry finish that pulls everything together. Currently a specialty draft offering, look for Roundhouse on tap at Bell's Eccentric Cafe or at an event near you.  Congratulations to our downtown (Kalamazoo) brewing team and everyone who has helped get this beer into a glass. Cheers!

It is always a tremendous honor to be ranked as one of the best by your fans. The readers of Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine recently honored us with a whole slew of honors including: Two Hearted – The best beer of 2016 Hopslam – The 27th best beer of 2016 4th most favorite brewery (for our size) Favorite stout or porter brewer (No. 10) Favorite Pale Ale brewer (No. 10) Favorite IPA brewer (fourth) Favorite lager brewer (11th) See the full list. Thank you, we are incredibly grateful to have the best fans in craft beer. Cheers! RELATED: Two Hearted ranked as one of the best by readers of Zymurgy magazine for the seventh year in a row.

Congratulations to our brewers for winning gold at the 2016 Festival of Wood and Barrel-Aged Beers (FOBAB) for Traverse City Barrel Aged Jupiter in the Strong Dark Beer category! FOBAB annually honors the best barrel aged beers in Chicago. This year, 422 beers from 179 brewers competed in 12 judging categories.  This version of Jupiter, an Imperial Brown Ale brewed with seven different varieties of malt, was aged in barrels from Traverse City Whiskey Company. With an ABV of 10%, it features notes of oak, bourbon, toffee and soft vanilla.  Jupiter was originally released as part of our Planets series, seven beers inspired by Gustav Holtz's orchestral suite, from Mars to Uranus. Previous Bell's winners at FOBAB 2015: Traverse City Whiskey Barrel Aged Expedition Stout - silver medal 2013: Le Bretteur - Best of Show and gold medal

RateBeer.com has released its annual RateBeer Best Awards for 2015. More than 300,000 beers from over 18,500 brewers worldwide were tallied last year. We are again, very honored and thankful for all of our fans and their support. Not only were we honored as the Top Brewer in our home state, Bell’s also was named the 9th Top Brewer in the World. Black Note, Expedition Stout and Hopslam were all ranked as Top Beers in the World. In the Best Beers by Style Category, Hopslam, Black Note and Two Hearted brought home silver medals in their respective categories (Double IPA, Strong Stout/Imperial Stout and IPA). Expedition Stout was also honored with a bronze medal. Again, a huge thank you to the RateBeer community. We are very grateful. Cheers!

We’re excited to announce that we’ve been named as one of the Best and Brightest Companies To Work For® in the country by the National Association for Business Resources. Bell’s is the only brewery to be recognized at the national level. “We are honored to receive this award – it is our amazing family of employees that makes our beer so great,” Carrie M. Yunker, Director of Human Resources at Bell’s said. “Even though we have grown quickly over the last few years, we have never wavered from the ideal that being a good employer and taking care of our employees and their families is the most important job we have," she added. To earn this honor, we were assessed by an independent research firm which reviewed a number of key measures relative to other nationally recognized winners. They include: Compensation Benefits and Employee Solutions Employee Enrichment Engagement and Retention Employee Education and Development Recruitment, Selection and Orientation Employee Achievement and Recognition Communication and Shared Vision Diversity and Inclusion Work-Life Balance Community Initiatives Strategic Company Performance Best of the Best Small Business. With over 20 years of experience conducting Best and Brightest Company competitions, the NABR has identified numerous best Human Resource practices and provided benchmarks for companies that continue to be leaders in employment standards. “Nationally recognized award recipients keep innovative human resource initiatives at the forefront of their company culture and make it a priority to consider their workforce as an essential aspect in their company success. Our Association is proud to recognize and honor these winning companies for this impressive achievement,” Jennifer Kluge, NABR president, said. The companies that have been selected to be recognized nationally as a Best and Brightest Company to Work For® will be featured Corp! Magazine in January and at an awards symposium and gala. Michigan’s oldest and largest craft brewery was also recognized in April as one of the 2015 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® in West Michigan. It recently celebrated its 30th anniversary in September.

For the 5thyear in a row, Two Hearted Ale has claimed the No. 2 spot on list. The magazine annually asks its readers to share their favorite beers that are commercially available in the United States. Hopslam also maintained its No. 4 spot for the second year. Bell’s was also ranked second behind Russian River Brewing Co. in the Brewery Rankings category and tied for sixth in Best Portfolio. Read the full list here.