Holidays

DIY Beer Holiday: Celebrate Bell's All Stouts Day with these easy steps

First things first... What's All Stouts Day?!  It's a holiday of our own creation - a celebration of brewing what we want, how we want, no matter what.  Listen to Larry tell us all about it right here.    How to Celebrate from Home! Get yourself some Bell's Stouts! We love dark, malty beers - so much that we even feature a few year-round, like our Kalamazoo Stout and Porter. Click the links below for food pairings, histories, and more!   Kalamazoo Stout Porter Special Double Cream Stout Expedition Stout Cherry Stout Something from your cellar! A vintage Expedition Stout, maybe that Black Note you've been holding on to forever? Anything from us with an Unlimited shelf life. Not sure where to find them?  Check our Beer Finder to see what's been delivered near you. The results show deliveries, not current inventory, so definitely use the info in the results to call ahead before making a trip!   Level up with glassware! Pouring into a glass lets you experience all the aromas and flavors that are part of experiencing beer as it's meant to be. Get some tasters, or grab a snifter from our Online Store.    Next steps... Invite some friends, pour yourself a little of each, and enjoy!  Tip... If they've been refrigerated, let them sit on the counter for a bit before cracking one open. Letting them warm up a little will help keep those taste buds from getting a cold shock and missing out on something delicious! Local? Celebrate at the Eccentric Cafe! Sunday, November 7th starting at Noon. Full event details right here. 
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Jingle Bell's at home: Enjoy these 4 delicious holiday recipes from our chef made with Bell's beer

.node ol li:before {content: "";background: transparent;}ol li {list-style: auto !important;} Our Jingle Bell's variety pack returns for 2021 with a brand new, exclusive Bell's beer! Twelve-packs of 12 oz bottles will begin shipping from our brewery in late October. Each pack will have 3 bottles each of Bright White, Two Hearted, Christmas Ale, and for the first time, Wild Spruce Chase. These 12-packs are limited so be sure to snag them when you see them. They also make the perfect gift or "dish to pass." Below are four recipes prepared by our very own chef. Each pair beautifully with a different beer from this year's variety pack.  Enjoy! Share your cooking adventures with us on social media. Tag us using the hashtag #BellsBeer or mention us on Twitter and Instagram (@bellsbrewery).  Cheers! Jingle Bell’s Recipes: Dinner at home Two Hearted  Potato Blini with Grapefruit and Celery    Grapefruit Salad  3 grapefruits, supremed, and roughly chopped, juice reserved   1 small red onion, finely diced  8 ribs of celery, finely sliced  ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil  2 Tbs sugar  2 tsp salt  2 tsp black pepper   In a large bowl, mix together the grapefruit, onion, and celery  Season with salt, pepper, and sugar, add the oil and reserved grapefruit juice, toss together to ensure all ingredients are dressed. Blini  1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced   3 large eggs  ½ cup whole milk  ½ cup sour cream,   ¼ cup all-purpose flour  1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt  ½ teaspoon finely ground black pepper  ¼ teaspoon baking soda  2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted or vegetable oil  Put the diced potatoes in a large pot and cover with water, bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender.  Meanwhile, whisk eggs, milk, and sour cream in a medium bowl to combine and set aside  When the potatoes are cooked, pass them through a food mill or ricer fitted with the small-hole disk onto a sheet tray. Once they are all riced, place the potatoes in a 350F oven for 10 minutes to dry them out.  If you do not have a food mill or ricer, a potato masher or fork will work well, just be sure not to overwork them.  When the potatoes come out of the oven, put them into a large mixing bowl and add the flour, salt, pepper, baking soda, and black pepper over the potatoes. Make a well in the center and pour in sour cream mixture. Whisk in a circular motion, working from the center out to incorporate, just until smooth (it should look like a thick pancake batter).   Heat a large skillet, preferably nonstick or cast iron, over medium-low. Brush a small layer of butter or oil on the pan and spoon the batter into the pan using a tablespoon. Be sure not to overcrowd the pan or else flipping will be difficult. Cook the blini until the bottoms are golden brown and then flip.  Repeat as many times as needed to cook all of the blini. Place on a wired rack and keep warm until ready to serve. Top the blini with the grapefruit salad and a small dollop of sour cream.  Wild Spruce Chase  Roasted Vegetable Salad with a Juniper Vinaigrette  1 large container of your favorite salad greens  2 large carrots, peeled, diced into 1” pieces   1 large red onion, peeled, diced into 1” pieces   1 head of cauliflower, stem removed, cut into florets   1 sweet potato, peeled, diced into 1” pieces   1 ½ cups olive oil, plus 2 Tbs  ½ tsp dried rosemary  ½ tsp dried thyme  1 Tbs salt plus 1 tsp  1 Tbs black pepper  2 Tbs juniper berries  1 Tbs Dijon mustard   ½ cup apple cider vinegar   1 Tbs sugar   ½ cup pine nuts   Pre-heat your oven to 400F.    Toss all of the diced vegetables with the 2 Tbs of olive oil, 1 Tbs salt, 1 Tbs black pepper, dried rosemary, and dried thyme.  Place onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 400F for 30-45 minutes or until the vegetables are fork-tender and the florets have browned slightly.  Remove from the oven and let them cool on your countertop.  You may need to divide the vegetables between two baking sheets depending on the size of your oven.  In a blender add the juniper berries, Dijon mustard, 1 tsp of salt, 1 Tbs sugar, and ½ cup apple cider vinegar, blend until the juniper is fully incorporated.  While the blender is running, slowly drizzle in the 1 ½ cups olive oil until the dressing is fully emulsified.    In a large salad bowl, combine the greens, roasted vegetables, and pine nuts.  Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve.  Christmas Ale   Caraway Crusted Pork with Parsnip Puree and Cherry Mostarda   Pork 1 pork tenderloin, 3-4 lbs  3 Tbs caraway seeds  2 Tbs brown sugar  2 Tbs salt  2 tsp ground mustard  Preheat your oven to 450F.  In a small bowl mix together the caraway, brown sugar, salt, and ground mustard.  Rub it over the tenderloin.  Place the pork on a rimmed baking sheet with a rack and roast it in the 450F oven for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature down to 325F.  Roast the pork at 325F until it reaches your desired temperature.  I like my pork to be medium which is around 140-145F.  Remove the pork from the oven, tent with foil, and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.  Slice and sprinkle some nice sea salt over the meat.  Serve with parsnip puree and cherry mostarda.  Parsnip Puree  2 lbs of parsnips, peeled and diced into 1” pieces  2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1” pieces   ½ lb butter (2 sticks), cut into cubes  1 cup buttermilk  Salt and white pepper to taste.  In a large pot add parsnips and potatoes, cover with water and bring to a boil.  Cook until they are forktender.  Once the parsnips and potatoes are cooked, strain the water, and place the parsnips and potatoes into the bowl of a stand mixer.  Using the paddle attachment, mixed the potatoes and parsnips at low speed until they break down.  Add the butter and buttermilk.  Mix until everything is homogenous and season with salt and white pepper.  Cherry Mostarda  2 cups dried cherries   1 shallot, minced  ½ cup Bell’s Christmas Ale   ¼ cup apple cider vinegar  2 Tbs sugar  ¼ cup whole grain mustard   In a saucepan, combine all ingredients except the mustard.  Bring to a simmer and cook until the cherries have become plump with the liquid, about 10 minutes  Add the mustard and continue to simmer until the mostarda is jam-like.    Bright White  Bright White Poached Pears 6 pears, peeled  2 bottles (24 oz) Bright White  1 cup sugar  1 cinnamon stick  1 tsp whole cloves  1 tsp allspice berries  Mix together the Bright White and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.  Place pears and spices into a saucepan, and pour the beer and sugar mixture over it.  Bring the pot to a boil and then lower to a simmer.    While regularly checking on the pears and making sure that they stay submerged in the liquid, simmer the pears for about 15 minutes, or until a knife can easily pierce through the pear.  Serve warm or cold with your favorite ice cream or whipped cream. 
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Recipe: Bell's Christmas Ale Gingerbread Cookies

Here's another great way to use Bell's Christmas Ale for a sweet treat! (If you haven't already, be sure to check out this Christmas Ale Cherry Chocolate Bread recipe.) Yields about 3 dozen cookies. Ingredients 3/4 cup butter (melted and cooled) 3/4 cup and 1 TBS brown sugar 1 cup molasses 1/2 cup Christmas Ale 1 tsp salt 2 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1 egg 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour In the kitchen Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a few sheet trays with parchment paper. Mix together melted butter, brown sugar, molasses, Christmas Ale, salt, spices, and egg. Whisk baking powder and baking soda with the flour and mix into Christmas Ale mixture. Divide the dough in half, wrap each in plastic wrap, and chill for 1 hour in the fridge. Once the dough is chilled, roll the dough out on a floured work surface to ¼ inch thickness. Cut out desired shapes and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the edges have browned and the cookies are firm. Cool completely and decorate with icing, candy, or form into your very own ginger bread brewhouse! Enjoy with a pint of Christmas Ale! Download a PDF of the recipe. 
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Bell's Holiday Hours 2019: When we're open, closed, ready to celebrate

Temperatures are dropping, trees are bare and stouts are plentiful: Holiday Season is upon us. Here are the 2019 holiday hours for our Comstock Brewery and the Eccentric Café, downtown Kalamazoo. Thanksgiving November, 28 2019 All locations closed. Black Friday November, 29 2019 Opening at 10 a.m. for Black Friday Pop Up Shop with Vanilla Black Note Release (more info). Eccentric Day December 6 2019 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. (Come as you aren’t) Christmas Eve December 24 2019 Last call at the Eccentric Café is at 4 p.m. The Café and General Store are closed at 5 p.m. Christmas December 25 2019 All locations closed. Dec. 29 Tours will not be offered in Comstock. Downtown Kalamazoo tours will be offered.  New Years Eve December 31 2019 Eccentric Café: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. - celebrate with us and The Insiders: Tom Petty Tribute Band. General Store: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. New Years Day January 1 2020 All locations closed. Keep up to date with Bell’s and the Eccentric Café on social media: Facebook: Bell’s Brewery | Eccentric Café Twitter: @BellsBrewery | @EccentricCafe Instagram: @BellsBrewery | @BellsEccentricCafe
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Happy holidays from Bell's: Meet our wreath maker

Our gardener, Jenny, has crafted a unique wreath (or two) for the holidays almost every year since 2005.  They are typically revealed around Thanksgiving and some can be found elsewhere in the Eccentric Cafe, even after the holidays are over. (they are that good).  Check out our YouTube video playlist that go in way more detail about how many were made here. You can also check out the photo gallery below.  Cheers and happy holidays!
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Visiting for the holidays? You need to know our special hours

The Eccentric Café, General Store and Comstock Brewery will either be closed or have reduced hours during the holidays.  Thanksgiving Day - Café, store and brewery closed.  Christmas Eve - Café and store close at 5 p.m. Last call before then.  Christmas Day - Café, store and brewery closed.  New Years Day - Café, store and brewery closed.  We apologize for any inconvenience, but we do want to give all of our employees time to get home to be with their family and friends.   All other days the Café and General Store will maintain normal business hours - the store opening at 10 a.m. and the Café opening as 11 a.m. Tours will not be available Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day or New Years Day. But we are bringing behind-the-scenes brewery tours back for December. Those Wednesday and Thursday evening options are free and include samples. Reserve your spot. On December 30th and New Year’s Eve, the Eccentric Café will host Joe Hertler & the Rainbow Seekers for a special 2 night concert event with a special VIP option. Get tickets here or in person at the Bell's General Store. 
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Making the Bell's 2015 holiday wreath

With the holiday season approaching, we have two new wreaths hanging in the Eccentric Café.  Every year, our gardener Jenny creates a holiday wreath to hang in the pub. Previous year’s themes were based on some of our beers including Java Stout, Best Brown, Sparkling Ale and Expedition Stout.  This is the 10th year she has made a wreath and it’s, as Jenny says, “a little over the top.” In the center is a giant snow globe, with the artwork for our winter seasonal, Winter White Ale. A small motor blows snow.  Around the globe are cut pieces of birch wood and greens. Illuminating from the top are multicolored lights, a nod to the Northern Lights. To celebrate our 30th anniversary, Jenny made another special wreath that hangs over the fireplace in our new dining space.  The 30th Anniversary seal is suspended in the center, surrounded by lights and greens. Like the other wreath, birch was part of the inspiration and there is a birch bow on top of the wreath. Jenny’s wreaths are well known. When she went to get the Winter White logo blown up and copied, the woman at the store asked what she was doing with it. When Jenny said he was making the holiday wreath for Bell’s, the woman asked if she did the one of the fish made out of Two Hearted Ale cans. “She knew my wreath from last year,” Jenny said. “So I got to tell her that she was part of this year’s wreath.” Jenny first started making the wreaths as a customer, before being hired full time. A lot of hours go into making it, but she enjoys being creative with them.  “I just feel real fortunate to have to the opportunity to do whatever I want to do, which is really fun,” Jenny said. Check the wreaths out in person through the holidays at the Eccentric Café.
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