Brewery tours

Each year we have a special behind the scenes Hopslam tour and ask for beer lovers to show their passion for our Double IPA to earn a spot on it. This year, we were again amazed by the creativity and talent of so many of you. Without further ado, here's the winner of our Brewer's Choice:   [[{"fid":"10059","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"}}]]

We only have a few spots for our 2020 Hopslam Brewery Tour. In order to decide the People's Choice winner we, need you to vote. Eligible entries are below. Please vote for your favorite. Voting will be open until 12:00 a.m. Friday, Dec. 20, 2019. We will announce Brewer's Choice, People's Choice and the rest of the randomly selected winners Friday as well.  Cheers and good luck!   (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://woobox.com/js/plugins/woo.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'woobox-sdk'));  

To celebrate the 2020 release of Hopslam, we’re hosting a unique tour experience and competition to celebrate our beloved Double IPA! This year’s hop-centric tour will again be limited to only 12 lucky winners who show their love for Hopslam in a creative way! Ten of our winners will be chosen at random and allowed to bring one guest. One runner up will be People’s Choice so tell your friends and family to vote for you. ONE lucky winner will be left to our Brewers’ Choice. We have selected a panel of three brewers from Bell’s to determine which entry is most creative. This person will be our 2020 Grand Prize Winner. This year’s Grand Prize Winner will be stay the night of the tour at the Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center in the Hopslam Suite Royale. What’s the Hopslam Suite Royale? Imagine a hoppy oasis of everything Hopslam (some items which are one-of-a-kind and custom designed just for our winner) - all of which you will take home with you after your stay! As for the tour, our 24 guests will: Hop on the Kalamazoo Brew Bus from Bell’s Eccentric Café and enjoy a Hopslam without having to worry about the drive to our Comstock Brewery. Taste the freshest Hopslam straight from the source! Engage in a hop sensory experience and learn about how we select our hops to make this special beer. Walk alongside dry hop fermenters each holding 3 stories worth of Hopslam! Watch 500 cans per minute whip through our can line with only a brief stop to grab one for you! Take home special Hopslam Swag. How do I get the chance to experience this one-of-a-kind tour? To enter for a chance to win, you must show your love of Hopslam in a creative way: write a song, compose a poem, paint a picture, take a photo, shoot a video, orchestrate a rock opera, whatever it is you do that is creative. Share your art on social media and tag us (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and use the hashtag #HopslamMe. Make sure your post and account is public so we can see it. You’ll also need to complete this form. Here are some guidelines for entries: Be sure to keep it clean — we’re thinking PG-13 here. While babies are cute, they can’t drink beer, so please refrain from including minors in your entry. This is about representing your love for Hopslam, not how many cans, mini kegs or cases you can fit into your photo. Deadline The deadline to enter is Sunday, December 15th at 11:59pm. All winners will be announced notified on Friday, December 20th. The Runner Up and Grand Prize Winners will be announced on Social Media that day as well. Travel to/from Kalamazoo is the responsibility of the individual.

Our brewery tour was voted one of the best in U.S., but that doesn’t mean we’re gonna stop looking for ways to take your favorite brewery tour to the next level.  We’ve been working very hard behind-the-scenes to do just that. Not only can you sample (for free) some of the freshest Bell’s beer you will ever taste, you can also enjoy some new, exclusive experiences.  Officially debuting June 1, our Comstock brew gallery now includes a beautiful 50-foot (and more than eight feet tall) timeline that will allow you to explore our 30+ year history in more detail and at your own pace. We’ve added a pop-up store that will be the only way to get exclusive Bell’s merchandise. You can also learn more about how a special piece of Michigan’s brewing history has become part of where we are going next, not to mention getting up close and personal to the soup pot that started it all.  All this and more: isn’t it about time you came back for another visit? Or your first? Reserve your free Bell’s tour now.  See you soon - cheers!

We’re excited every time we get visitors to the brewery and can show them all of the magic that goes into making Two Hearted, Oberon and our other beers. So we’re honored to be in the running for USA Today’s 10Best Brewery Tour. “We pride ourselves on storytelling and are committed to providing a welcoming experience for everyone, no matter your age or experience with craft beer, said Shelly Claflin, Bell’s Tour Manager.  “Our tours are always free, fun and open to all ages.” Our tour program covers both our Comstock and original Downtown Kalamazoo breweries. We also offer behind the scenes tours as well as special tours for Hopslam, Two Hearted and Oberon. All of our tours are free and include samples.  “Bell’s Brewery has a long history of drawing visitors to Kalamazoo and their reputation has helped Kalamazoo become a beer destination,”said Renee Newman, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Discover Kalamazoo.“Recent research shows that in 2017, 13% of overnight visitors to Kalamazoo stopped by a local brewery. That’s more than 325,000 people who were introduced to the restaurants, attractions, trails and people that make up our community, through a shared love of locally made beer.” Fans can vote once per day for the duration of the contest here. Voting ends Monday, March 25. The winner will be announced on 10Best on Friday, April 5, and later on USA TODAY.  "Touring Bell's is always a highlight for our groups, as well as our staff," said John Liberty, general manager at West Michigan Beer Tours."While the scale of the space can be intimidating, the Bell's staff shares the eye-opening statistics, colorful history and scientific advancements of the brewery in a casual and educational presentation. It should also be noted, while many large breweries around Michigan and country charge a fee for tours, Bell's makes its tours free, which speaks volumes about the company's philosophy behind telling its story.” If you’ve been on a tour and enjoyed it, you can cast your vote once every a day here. We appreciate your support. Voting ends March 25. About the Bell’s tour program: Free tours are held Wednesday through Sunday at Bell’s main brewery in Comstock and on weekends at its original downtown Kalamazoo brewery.Each tour includes free samples. Specialty tours are also offered throughout the year. Examples include a Hopslam and Two Hearted focused tour as well as special Reach for the Sun tours on Oberon Release Day. These specialty tours are limited and sell-out fast.  Each Bell’s brewery tour covers the history of Bell’s and brewing throughout the years in addition to sustainability, packaging, ingredients, quality and more.  Want to check us out? Sign up for a tour.

In order to tour, you must enter to win. Below are this year's #HopSlamMe contest submissions. One winner will be chosen by you, our fans. One winner will be chosen by us. The remaining 10 spots will be chosen at random. Tour and contest details can be found here. This contest will close at midnight on Dec. 17. Cheers and good luck!   (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://woobox.com/js/plugins/woo.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'woobox-sdk'));  

There’s something very magical about this time of year. A very much anticipated special kind of beer. A hint for you: imagine if your cat just ate your weed. And then it took a giant piss upon your Christmas tree. The most anticipated beer of all is Hopslam don’t you know. The impact on your senses when you drink it’s quite the blow. It’s crisp and clean and 9% and just might knock you down. So cash your check and clear your fridge cuz Hopslam comes to town! To celebrate the 2019 release of Hopslam, we 've brought back a unique brewery tour to celebrate one of the most coveted double IPAs out there.  This year's hop-centric experience will again be limited to just 12 spots (plus one guest each) at our Comstock Brewery. It will be on Jan. 10 at 6 p.m. and will include: A Hopslam hop rub.  A discussion about how we select which hops make it into this beer. A close-up look at our cellar where we dry hop this and other wonderfully aromatic beers.  Fresh Hopslam right from the source (of course). Sensory experience Special Hopslam swag. Access to a discounted hotel rate. A few other fun surprises that we cannot tell you about just yet (as much as we really, really want to)! How do you get to experience this one-of-a-kind opportunity? In order to tour, you must enter to win (although everyone who shows us their love of Hopslam will receive something). Write a song, paint a picture, take a photo, shoot a video, orchestrate a rock-opera, slam us with poetry!  Do whatever it is that you do best to express your love for Hopslam (just be sure to keep it clean) and share that love on social media. Be sure to tag us (@bellsbrewery) and use the hashtag #HopSlamMe on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram so we can see it and your friends, family and complete strangers can vote for their favorite. You will also need to fill out this form in order to be considered. One winner will be chosen by us (hint: get your creativity on!). One winner will be chosen by public voting. The remaining spots will be chosen at random.  The deadline to enter is Dec. 17. Each winner will win two spots on this exclusive Hopslam Brewery Tour (one for them and one for a guest). Winners will be notified by Dec. 21 so they have plenty of time to make travel accommodations if chosen. Cheers and good luck!

Editor's note (5/29): All spots for this tour have been claimed. If you would like to add your name to the wait list, please reach out to us here.  This August, we will be offering a limited number of guests the opportunity to tour our Comstock Brewery for a unique Two Hearted experience.  Weather permitting, your journey will start with a sensory experience in our hop yard and continue through every step of the brewing process. Tour guests will also get to sample Two Hearted before it is dry-hopped and take a look around our dry-hop cellar. This tour will only be offered Friday evenings in August (August 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31). It will last just over an hour. All Hoppy Hour tours will start at 6 p.m. As always, this tour is free and we reserve the right to add surprises. Reserve your spot before these tours fill up! Why not make it a Kalamazoo weekend/mini-beercation? Here are some tips on how to make the most out of your visit. 

Kalamazoo is where everything started and Comstock is where we’ve grown to where we are today. We love both communities deeply and would love to introduce them to you. There’s lot to do not only at our main brewery and at the Eccentric Cafe, but in the Kalamazoo area. Here’s your guide about planning your trip to our brewery and Eccentric Cafe. How to get here By car Bell’s Eccentric Cafe is located at 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49007 (directions). Bell’s Comstock Brewery is located at 8938 Krum Ave, Comstock, MI 49053 (directions). By plane Kalamazoo’s airport is a short ride from the Cafe and brewery. Learn more about the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport. Also, Kalamazoo is about a two hour drive from both Chicago and Detroit. By train The Kalamazoo Amtrak station is a few blocks down the street from the Eccentric Cafe.   When to visit Eccentric Café Our Eccentric Café is the pub, restaurant and entertainment venue for Bell’s Brewery and offer all of our classic and new beers on tap, as well as some rarities. Our kitchen offers locally sourced, scratch made food, serving burgers, BBQ, salads and other imaginative dishes. Enjoy a beautiful day in our Beer Garden or catch one of the many weekly live music shows. Monday - Wednesday: 11 a.m. - Midnight Thursday - Saturday: 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. Sundays: 11 a.m. - Midnight Our kitchen closes daily at 11 p.m. General Store Our General Store offers our beer and merchandise, including t-shirts, hats and other items. It also has a wide selection of homebrewing supplies and a knowledgeable staff who can help you start brewing or tackle your next batch. Mondays - Thursdays: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Fridays - Saturdays: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sundays: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. Holidays The cafe, our General Store and brewery are closed: Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Thanksgiving Christmas (we also close early on Christmas Eve.) New Year's Day   Tours All guided tours are free. To schedule a private group tour for 10 or more, please email us directly at tours@bellsbeer.com. We have tours at our Comstock brewery on certain weekdays and during the weekend. Tours at our original downtown Kalamazoo brewery are on the weekend. For the latest on tour times, check out our tours page. RSVP for a tour of our Comstock Brewery RSVP for a tour of our original downtown Kalamazoo brewery   What to do There is always something happening in Kalamazoo. Check out the latest events at the Eccentric Cafe. We also have several annual events at the cafe, including Oberon Release Day (March), our Garden Opener (June), Eccentric Day (early December), All Stouts Day (the first Sunday in November). Check out our Events page or follow the Eccentric Cafe on Facebook for more details. There are several festivals in throughout the year, including Kalamazoo Pride (June), Blues Fest (July) and Rib Fest (August). Discover Kalamazoo has an exhaustive list of current events happening. If you’re interested in visiting more breweries, check out the Give A Craft Beer Trail passport program, with details about all the breweries in the Kalamazoo area. You’ll get a stamp for each brewery you visit and a prize when you complete them all. Both the Eccentric Cafe and our Comstock Brewery are included. If you visit all of the breweries and come visit us in Comstock, you get an extra credit prize.   Where to stay Kalamazoo’s Radisson Plaza Hotel is downtown, just blocks from the Eccentric Cafe. Near downtown is the Holiday Inn West. Check out the list our friends at Discover Kalamazoo have put together of hotels, campgrounds and bed and breakfasts. We also offer private events in our back room. How to get around Kalamazoo has Uber, Lyft, public transportation and several taxi services. There’s also the Big Banana Car.   Questions? If you have any questions about visiting Bell’s or Kalamazoo, please drop us a line on our contact page.