Tours

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 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.

We are incredibly proud to announce that our Brewery Tour has been named one of the top two in the country! As one of ten breweries nominated for USA Today’s 2019 10Best Reader’s Choice travel awards, your help  landed us the No. 2 spot on the list. The final Top 10 rankings can be found on the 10Best website now and will be shared soon by USA TODAY. We welcome tens of thousands of guests every year. The Eccentric Café and original brewery in downtown Kalamazoo and our main brewery seven miles east in Comstock, are destinations for craft beer fans from around the world. Our tours blend an extensive knowledge of Bell’s and craft beer with incredible storytelling. We couldn’t be prouder of this recognition, especially when it comes from our fans. There are still so many who have not made the trek from Kalamazoo to see this incredible space. As the 7th largest craft brewery in the U.S., we are very fortunate to have the best brewery tour in the Midwest, right here in our own back yard,” said Shelly Claflin, Bell’s Tour Manager. “We have even more exciting news to come. If you haven’t joined us for a tour yet, or even if you have, you’re going to want to make a trip. Stay tuned,” she added. “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. "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,” said John Liberty, general manager at West Michigan Beer Tours. About the Bell's Tour program Free tours (all ages welcome) are held Wednesday through Sunday at Bell’s main brewery in Comstock and on weekends at its original downtown Kalamazoo brewery. Each Comstock tour includes free samples for those 21 and up. 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. Free tours can be reserved here.

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'));  

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. 

As the autumn chill begins to set in and the evenings last longer, one of our favorite Bell’s holidays is fast approaching! On Sunday Nov. 5 beginning at 11 a.m. the Eccentric Cafe will change their taps to focus on stouts for the 9th annual All Stouts Day. The historic Bell’s holiday, that originated as the 10 Stouts of November, features more than 20 different stouts. Specialty tours with specific stout focused lessons will be available at our Kalamazoo brewery location (b-1) all weekend long. These tours will alo include a three year vertical tasting of Expedition Stout for all of age (21+) tour guests. Year-round, seasonal and specialty stouts will all be a part of this year’s tap list. For those with a different type of palate, many of our standard options will still be available. Not able to make the trip to Kalamazoo for this holiday? Check out our Beer Finder to see where you can grab some of our stouts near you. Tap List 355 E. Stout 355 E. Stout with Vanilla Arabicadabra BBA 30th Bear Hug Stout Blackbeard's Bear Hug '17 Brandy Barrel Chocolate Orange Stout Captain Long Haul Cherry Stout Coffee's On Dagger Stout Double Cream Stout Expedition Stout Harry Magill's Spiced Stout Java Stout Kalamazoo Stout Oatmeal Stout Overland Stout Mole Stout Rum Barrel Mole Stout Rye Stout Smoked Stout Sweet Potato Stout TC Dagger TC Whiskey Chocolate Orange Stout Trumpeter's Stout And additional surprises day-of. See you there!    

5/12 update: This tour is now full. JUST ANNOUNCED! Join us for a unique, once a summer "pop-up" tour at our Comstock Brewery on May 17 at 5 p.m.  This is a perfect way to help celebrate American Craft Beer Week! We’ll take 10 people behind-the-scenes to see just how "hands-on" our process is for filling Oberon mini-kegs!  This tour will last about 1 hour and is free. Reserve your spot here.  Check out our guide to visiting Bell’s.

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.