News

The first 12 oz. cans of Two Hearted rolled off our Canning Line this week! Twelve-packs will start shipping to all areas we currently distribute to soon. Need help finding our beer? Check out our Beer Finder.

COMSTOCK, Mich. - The 6th Annual Bell’s Homebrew Competition Kick-off and Expo will be held this year on Sept. 19 at Bell’s Eccentric Café in downtown Kalamazoo. The homebrewer who takes first place will again get to brew their recipe at our original brewery to then go on tap at the Café. The first place winner will also attend the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado as a guest of Bell’s Brewery. That person will team up with Bell’s for the 2016 Pro-Am Competition and attend both the awards ceremony and member’s only session. Bell’s will cover the cost of airfare to Denver and back (must be within the continental U.S.) and provide lodging for two nights. “This competition is a great way to honor how we got our start and it is always exciting to see the level of creativity and skill from our homebrewing community,” 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 Bell’s wort, which will be available for free at the kick-off, while supplies last. Previous winners are -  2010: Oscar’s Folly, a collaborative IPA from Jarrett Cupp, Bailey Cupp and Paul Gentz. 2011: A Bit of Heat from Geoff Groff, brewed with paradise seeds, rose hips and habaneros. 2012: Manden Med Leen, a black IPA brewed with Belgian yeast from Nick Rodammer. 2013: Proud Mitten, a dry hopped IPA/Pale Ale made with Centennial, Citra and Simcoe hops from David Lyman. 2014: Coffee Mustache, a California Common style beer brewed with coffee from Matt VanNatter. The winning recipe from 2014, Coffee Mustache, will be tapped at 2 p.m. on Aug. 30 at the Cafe. It recently debuted at this year’s Great Taste of the Midwest in Madison, Wisconsin. This year’s Expo will run from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. and will feature Blichmann Engineering, White Labs, Briess Malt, Foxx Equipment, The American Homebrewer’s Association, Kalamazoo Libation Organization of Brewers (KLOB), Hophead Farms 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 25. Things to keep in mind if you decide to enter Homebrewers should bring a sanitized vessel with them to transport their wort home. Buckets, carboys (please be extra careful handling glass carboys) and cornelius kegs are the most common vessels. You can leave them in your vehicle until it’s time to pick up your wort, but again, please sanitize your vessel prior to your pick-up time to help us make sure everyone gets their wort. Make sure to get there early, as supplies will be limited. Signing up early will help guarantee wort. You can send someone else to pick up your wort. We aren’t concerned with who takes it, just who turns in bottles to be judged in October. We do ask that you don’t bring friends or relatives who don’t brew, just so you can have an extra 5+ gallons of wort. We are relying on the goodwill of homebrewers to help each other out and share the wealth. Please help us make sure all who want to compete are able. You can add whatever you like to your recipe/submission. However, if your entry is chosen as the winner, we will have to be able to figure out a way to make your beer on a much larger scale. So please, take good, detailed notes of everything you do to the wort. We won’t know exactly how much we will end up with until the wort is made, but last year we were able to give 5 gallons of wort to more than 200 homebrewers. We hope to be in that ballpark again this year, but things happen during wort transfers that can affect that number. We recommend arriving early to sign up and make sure you get your wort.

Bell’s Brewery is again participating in Ales for ALS, a program that brews beer to raise money for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. The program started in 2013 by Loftus Ranches and Hop Union, and Bell’s has been involved since the beginning. The farm donates a special hop blend to breweries to make a special beer. A dollar from each beer sold will go to the ALS Therapy Development Institute. The 2015 Bell’s Ales for ALS IPA has tropical, grapefruit, silky and oatmeal notes. It comes in at 6.5 percent ABV and is now exclusively available at the Eccentric Cafe. “It’s important that the brewing industry gives back,” said John Mallett, Bell’s director of operations and one of the designers of the hop blend. “It’s a pretty fun program. Good hops, great beer, great cause.” It was brewed with the same hop blend, which includes Equinox, Mosaic and experimental hops. (See the full blend here). The blend was designed by Bell’s Mallett, as well as Bear Republic's Rob Kent, Sierra Nevada's Ken Grossman & Brian Grossman and Beachwood BBQ and Brewing's Julian Schrago. Learn more about the Ales for ALS program on their website.

Bell’s Brewery is again participating in Ales for ALS, a program that brews beer to raise money for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. The program started in 2013 by Loftus Ranches and Hop Union, and Bell’s has been involved since the beginning. The farm donates a special hop blend to breweries to make a special beer. A dollar from each beer sold will go to the ALS Therapy Development Institute. The 2015 Bell’s Ales for ALS IPA has tropical, grapefruit, silky and oatmeal notes. It comes in at about 6.5 percent abv. “It’s important that the brewing industry gives back,” said John Mallett, Bell’s director of operations and one of the designers of the hop blend. “It’s a pretty fun program. Good hops, great beer, great cause.” It was brewed with the same hop blend, which includes equinox, mosaic and experimental hops. (See the full blend here). The blend was designed by Bell’s Mallett, as well as Bear Republic's Rob Kent, Sierra Nevada's Ken Grossman & Brian Grossman and Beachwood BBQ and Brewing's Julian Schrago. Learn more about the Ales for ALS program on their website.    

Bell’s Brewery is again participating in Ales for ALS, a program that brews beer to raise money for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. The program started in 2013 by Loftus Ranches and Hop Union, and Bell’s has been involved since the beginning. The farm donates a special hop blend to breweries to make a special beer. A dollar from each beer sold will go to the ALS Therapy Development Institute. The 2015 Bell’s Ales for ALS IPA has tropical, grapefruit, silky and oatmeal notes. It comes in at about 6.5 percent abv. “It’s important that the brewing industry gives back,” said John Mallett, Bell’s director of operations and one of the designers of the hop blend. “It’s a pretty fun program. Good hops, great beer, great cause.” It was brewed with the same hop blend, which includes equinox, mosaic and experimental hops. (See the full blend here). The blend was designed by Bell’s Mallett, as well as Bear Republic's Rob Kent, Sierra Nevada's Ken Grossman & Brian Grossman and Beachwood BBQ and Brewing's Julian Schrago. Learn more about the Ales for ALS program on their website.

COMSTOCK, Mich. – Bell’s Brewery, Inc. is proud to welcome two new partners to its distributor network. Blue Ridge Beverage Company, Inc. and Loveland Distributing Company, Inc. will both help bring Bell’s beer to the state of Virginia. “Both are working very hard to bring our beer to our fans and customers and make sure there are minimal interruptions,” said Laura Bell, Bell’s Vice President. Blue Ridge Beverage Company will service the following counties (C) and cities (IC) within the Commonwealth of Virginia: Counties of Albemarle (CO)                                                    Alleghany (CO)                                                Amherst (CO)                                                Appomattox (CO)                                                   Augusta (CO)                                                               Bath (CO)                                                                    Bedford (CO)                                                        Bland (CO)                                                     Botetourt (CO)                                                            Brunswick (CO)                                                         Buchanan (CO)                                                                               Buckingham (CO)                                                                           Campbell (CO)                                                                                 Carroll (CO)                                                                                     Charlotte (CO)                                                                                Craig (CO)                                                                                        Cumberland (CO)                                                                           Dickenson (CO)                                                                               Floyd (CO)                                                                           Fluvanna (CO)                                                                                   Franklin (CO)                                                                      Giles (CO)                                                                            Grayson (CO)                                                                     Greene (CO)                                                                                                                                      Halifax (CO)                                                                                                                         Henry (CO)                                                                         Highland (CO)                    Lee (CO)                              Louisa (CO)  Lunenburg (CO)                                                                                                 Madison (CO)                                                                    Mecklenburg (CO) Montgomery (CO)                                                                           Nelson (CO)                                                                                       Orange (CO)                                                                                       Patrick (CO)                                                                                        Pittsylvania (CO)                                                                                Prince Edward (CO)                                                                         Pulaski (CO)  Roanoke (CO)   Rockbridge (CO)     Rockingham (CO) Russell (CO) Scott (CO) Smyth(CO) Tazewell (CO) Washington (CO)  Wise (CO) Wythe (CO) Independent Cities of: Bedford (IC) Bristol (IC)           Buena Vista (IC) Charlottesville (IC) Covington (IC)   Danville (IC) Galax (IC) Harrisonburg (IC) Lexington (IC) Lynchburg (IC) Martinsville (IC) Norton (IC) Radford (IC) Roanoke (IC) Salem (IC) Staunton (IC) Waynesboro (IC) Loveland Distributing Company will cover the counties (C) and cities (IC) below within the Commonwealth of Virginia: Counties: Caroline (CO)                     Charles City (CO)                                                              Chesterfield (CO) Dinwiddie (CO) Goochland (CO) Greensville (CO) Hanover (CO) Henrico (CO)      King and Queen (CO)     King William (CO) New Kent (CO) Nottoway (CO) Powhatan (CO) Prince George(CO) Sussex (CO)   Independent Cities: Richmond (IC) Petersburg (IC) Emporia (IC)

Following on the launch of 12-packs of 12 oz. Oberon cans, we are excited to announce that our best-selling beer, Two Hearted Ale, will also soon be available in the same packaging option. Twelve-ounce cans of Two Hearted, packaged in 12-packs, will roll out in September. They will feature the same look as our 16 oz. Two Hearted cans. “This is something we have been talking about for some time,” said Laura Bell, Bell’s Vice President. “Our fans have asked for it and it just makes sense considering all the places cans can go that bottles (glass) cannot,” she added. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale is currently available on draught, in bottles (6-packs) and 16 oz. cans (4-packs).  The new 12-ounce cans will be available year-round across areas our distribution areas.  Our seasonal portfolio (Oberon, Best Brown, Winter White Ale and Smitten Golden Rye Ale) are also available in 16 oz. cans according to their seasonal releases. Our Beer Finder (bellsbeer.com) can help you find Bell’s beer nearby.

Back in January, the cast and crew of the TV show “Brew Dogs,” visited Michigan and our Comstock Brewery to film a short segment for a new episode. For those not familiar, “Brew Dogs” features Brew Dogs owners James Watt and Martin Dickie as they travel across the U.S., visiting different beer towns and celebrating local craft beer culture, while brewing a locally inspired brew of their own. The Michigan episode highlighting Bell’s, as well as other Michigan breweries and locations, will air this Wednesday, May 6, at 10 p.m. Watt and Dickie worked with the Founders crew to brew an Eisbock underwater. If you do not get the Esquire Network, the episode will be available on VOD and their TV Now site (http://tv.esquire.com/now/) the day after air. You do have to log in with your cable TV account to authenticate the episode, though.  You can also check this out, for additional clips and show info.

We are proud to announce that wewill begin distributing to two new states this summer – Delaware and Maryland. N.K.S. Distributors will distribute Bell’s beer in Delaware. Bond Distributing Company, Buck Distributing, Carey Distributors, Inc. and Wantz Distributors, Inc. will distribute Bell’s beer in Maryland. Amber, Two Hearted, Midwestern Pale Ale, Kalamazoo Stout, Bell’s Lager (Lager of the Lakes), Porter and Oarsman Ale (all year-round brands) will be available in addition to Oberon, Best Brown, Winter White and Smitten Golden Rye Ale (according to their seasonal releases). Bell’s specialty beers will also be heading to these new distribution areas as production allows. “With recent and future expansions, we are able to slowly increase our distribution footprint and we are looking forward to working with our new partners,” said Laura Bell, Bell’s Vice President. “It is also very exciting to be able to tell our fans that we will be seeing them very soon,” she added. More information will be released here and on social media as it becomes available. ABOUT N.K.S. DISTRIBUTORS With locations in New Castle and Milford, N.K.S. Distributors, Inc. is a leading beverage distributor of beer and other related products in Delaware.  The family owned company was founded in 1950 and has strong ties to the community with local management and comprehensive delivery services, along with sales and marketing teams in each of the communities they serve. The company believes strongly in giving back and actively participates in charitable events through both contributions and volunteering. ABOUT BOND DISTRIBUTING COMPANY Bond Distributing Company, Baltimore's third generation, family-owned and operated beer wholesaler, is celebrating 65 years of service in Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Howard, Carroll, Harford, Cecil and Anne Arundel Counties. Bringing flagship brands to market for decades, Bond has expanded, embraced and excelled in becoming Baltimore's Craft Beer Supplier through an evolving portfolio, exceptional dedication to service and understanding Retailer needs and Consumer demands. From the opening of their doors on Bond Street in Fells Point, Bond Distributing has pledged to be a vital corporate partner in the civic and charitable  endeavors of the greater Baltimore community and continues to bring great variety to the thirsty patrons they service. ABOUT BUCK DISTRIBUTING COMPANY Buck Distributing Company was founded in 1946 by Irwin Buck. Betty Buck, his daughter, currently serves as President, with the third generation employed in the business as well. The company is well known for support of the local community as well as charitable causes. Buck has expanded over the years and now represents a diversified portfolio of beer, wine, and spirits over a ten county area in southern Maryland and the eastern shore. ABOUT WANTZ DISTRIBUTORS Wantz Distributors was originally founded in 1933 by Hiram B. Wantz. The company remains a fourth generation family-owned and operated company lead by President, Eric Riser. “We are committed to the people who purchase, sell, and consume our products. We strive to evolve as a sales and distribution organization focused on new brand development and innovation in the way products are brought to retail.” ABOUT CAREY DISTRIBUTORS, INC. In 1972, Richard N. Carey purchased William H. Givans Distributors, Inc., a 4,000 square foot warehouse. In 1974, the name was changed to Carey Distributors, Inc., which moved in 1975 to a new 10,000 square foot facility. Carey Distributors now represent over half of all beer sold in Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset counties and now occupies more than 100,000 square feet of warehouse and office space. The officers are Richard N. Carey, President, his daughter Jennifer C. Darcy, Vice President and Irene C. Carey, Secretary-Treasurer. In 2000, Terry Loughlin joined as a partner and now serves as Vice President/General Manager.

The National Association for Business Resources 2015 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® award program annually recognizes the most influential, trend setting companies regionally and across the U.S. Bell's Brewery, Inc. is now among the distinguished companies to be honored with this award in West Michigan. “While we do make great beer – it’s our extremely talented and passionate family that is at the heart of that great beer,” said Carrie Overton, Director of Human Resources at Bell’s Brewery. The competition identifies and honors companies who display a commitment to excellence in their Human Resource practices and employee development.   An independent research firm evaluates each company’s entry based on key measures in various categories. 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 and the Best of the Best Small Business. “We are honored to recognize the efforts of this year’s 'Best and Brightest' companies. These companies have created impressive organizational value and business results through their policies and Best Practices in human resource management. This award has become a designation sought after by hundreds of West Michigan area companies and is a powerful recruitment tool in the drive to attract and retain exceptional employees,” said Jennifer Kluge, President and CEO of MBPA in a press release. An award ceremony, honoring this year’s recipients and awarding this year’s new elite awards, will be held in Grand Rapids in May. See a complete list of this years' winners.