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• Comstock Brewery tours begin Oct. 6; museum hours begin Oct. 9
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Bell's beer events for the week of Sept. 5 include 3rd Annual U.P Beer Festival, Homebrew Expo, Beer Garden closer, an Oracle tapping and more
Here is a look at Bell’s beer events this week in Michigan, Illinois and Indiana.
Michigan
An evening with the Henhouse Prowlers
When: Sept. 8, 9:30 p.m.
Where: Bell’s Eccentric Café, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., Kalamazoo
Details: Winners of the 2010 Northwest String Summit Band Competition. Bluegrass, acoustic and indie music
Cost: $5
More info: henhouseprowlers.com
Bell’s tap takeover
When: Sept. 9, starting at 4 p.m.
Where: Upfront & Company, 102 E. Main St., Marquette
Details: Try rare and specialty drafts.
More info: Call 906-228-5200 or visit upfrontandcompany.com
Bell’s beer tasting
When: Sept. 9, from 2-4 p.m.
Where: The Den, 2917 Howard St., Kalamazoo
Details: Pouring Two Hearted Ale, Porter, Oarsman Ale and Octoberfest Beer.
More info: Call 269-381-5857 or go online to discountden.com
An evening with The David Mayfield Parade
When: Sept. 9, 9:30 p.m.
Where: Bell’s Eccentric Café, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., Kalamazoo
Details: Americana, folk, rock, roots music
Cost: $6
More info: thedavidmayfieldparade.com
3rd Annual U.P. Beer Festival
When: Sept. 10, from 1-6 p.m.
Where: Mattson Lower Harbor Park, next to Lake Superior in Marquette
Details: 30 Michigan craft brewers. Rain or shine event. Bell’s will be pouring Oberon, Two Hearted IPA, Amber Ale, Pale Ale, Octoberfest, Oarsman, Quinannan Falls Special Lager, Black Note Stout, Batch 10,000 and Kalamazoo Stout
Cost: $30 in advance or $35 at the gate.
More info: Visit mbgmash.org or michiganbrewersguild.org.
Bell’s Beer Garden Closer/Homebrew Expo & Competition/Brewery tours/Hot Dog Eating Contest/Meet and Greet
When: Sept. 10 starting at 11 a.m.
Where: Bell’s Eccentric Café, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., Kalamazoo
Cost: Tours, hot dog eating contest and homebrew expo are all free. Tickets for the Beer Garden Closer with Kyle Hollingsworth Band and The MacPodz are $15.
More info: For complete details, go here.
Illinois
Chicago Botanic Garden Farm Dinner
When: Sept. 7 at 5 p.m.
Where: Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe
Details: Celebrate the connection between farmland and locally grown food with Bell’s beer.
Cost: $200 per person
More info: Call 847-835-5440 or go online to chicagobotanic.org
Octoberfest tasting and party
When: Sept. 8, from 5-8 p.m.
Where: Gene's Sausage Shop, 4750 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago
Details: Kick off the German American Heritage Festival Weekend with Octoberfest on the rooftop (weather permitting).
More info: Call 773-728-7243 or go online to genessausageshop.com
Indiana
Oracle tapping
When: Sept. 9, starting at 4 p.m.
Where: Constant Spring, 219 S. Main St., Goshen
Details: Oberon, Octoberfest and Two Hearted Ale will also be on tap. Bottles of Oarsman, Pale Ale, Amber Ale and Two Hearted will be featured as well. Live music.
Cost: No cover charge.
More info: Call 574-533-3302 or go online to aconstantspring.com
Zoo Brew III
When: Sept. 10, from 7-10 p.m.
Where: Potawatomi Zoo, 500 S. Greenlawn Ave., South Bend
Details: Tickets are sold out. Proceeds will benefit wildlife conservation, new naturalistic exhibits for the animals and education programs.
More info: Visit potawatomizoo.org.
Pennsylvania
Bell's tap takeover
When: Sept. 9, starting at 4:30 p.m.
Where: Harris Grill, 5747 Ellsworth Ave., Pittsburgh
Details: 10 Bell’s beers on tap, including Expedition Stout and Batch 10,000
For more info: Call 412-362-5273 or visit them online at harrisgrill.com.
Looking ahead to next week
Minute to Win it Party at Shakespeare’s Pub in Kalamazoo, A Celebration of Food, Beer and Music at Central City Tap House, Edgewater Lounge 10 Year Anniversary Party and more.
Join us for homebrew events, Bell's brewery tours, a hot dog eating contest and the Beer Garden closer on Sept. 10
Sept. 10 is going to be a very busy day for Bell’s Brewery.
We will be hosting not one or two, but seven different events at Bell’s Eccentric Café, 355 E. Kalamazoo Ave., in downtown Kalamazoo and at our production facility, 8938 Krum Ave., in Comstock.
Here’s a look at what’s scheduled.
2nd Annual Bell’s Homebrew Expo and Competition (kick-off)
The Expo will take place from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. and feature local and regional homebrew suppliers. There will be representatives from the American Homebrew Association (AHA) and the Kalamazoo Libation Organization of Brewers (KLOB). If you want to take part in this year’s competition, you can sign-up beginning at 11 a.m. Wort can be picked up beginning at 1 p.m. For more information, go here.
Brewery tours
You can tour the original facility located next to the Eccentric Café in downtown Kalamazoo, head out to the Open House at our Comstock brewery, or do both. The Comstock facility will be open to the public from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., and we will be offering free food and soda there as well.
4th Annual Bell’s Hot Dog Eating Contest
The eating marathon begins at 4 p.m. It’s free to enter and includes a t-shirt, plus all the dogs you can stomach. Sign-up at the Café, call Jason Reicherts at 269-250-8485 or email jason@bellsbeer.com.
Beer Garden Closer/Meet and Greet
Kyle Hollingsworth of String Cheese Incident and our very own Laura Bell will host a meet and greet and talk about all things beer at 8:30 p.m.
The Macpodz will also add their “Disco Bebop” to the mix before Kyle Hollingsworth and his band take the stage at 9:30 p.m. to close out another great year. Don’t miss this amazing team-up of talent.
For updates, check back here or stay in touch on Facebook and Twitter.
Hour by hour breakdown
Downtown Kalamazoo
All day: Get $1 off pints if you wear your Bell's apparel.
11 a.m.: Homebrew Expo and Cafe open. Sign-up for competition begins.
Early afternoon: Brewery tours
1 p.m.: Wort pickup (until gone)
3 p.m.: Homebrew Expo ends
4 p.m.: Hot Dog Eating Contest - free to enter, also includes t-shirt
8:30 p.m.: Meet and greet, beer discussion with Laura Bell and Kyle Hollingsworth
9:30 p.m.: Beer Garden Closer featuring Kyle Hollingsworth Band and The Macpodz
Comstock
11 a.m. - 4 p.m.: Open House - tours, free food & soda
2nd Annual Bell's Homebrew Expo and Competition announced; winner will get to brew their beer on our system to go on tap at Eccentric Cafe
KALAMAZOO – Have you always wanted your beer up on the big board at Bell’s Eccentric Café alongside Oberon, Two Hearted, Porter and others?
Here’s your chance – we’ll even provide the wort.
On Sept.10, Bell’s Brewery Inc. will host its second annual Homebrew Expo and Competition at the Café in downtown Kalamazoo.
The homebrewer who takes first place honors will get the chance to brew his or her beer with our downtown brewer Andy Farrell. The winning beer will be served on draft alongside other Bell’s favorites at the Eccentric Café.
First and second runners-up will receive gift certificates to the Bell’s General Store.
The expo will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can sign up for the competition starting at 11 a.m.
What you choose to enter is entirely up to you. The only requirement is that each entry must be brewed with Bell’s wort, which can be picked up beginning at 1 p.m.
Homebrewers should bring a sanitized vessel with them to transport the wort home (plastic bucket, corny keg, carboy or cooler).
The wort will be made with 100-percent Michigan grown pale malt. It will be minimally boiled and completely unhopped. You will have complete freedom from there.
Last year’s winning entry was a collaborative IPA brewed by brothers Jarrett and Bailey Cupp and Paul Gentz called Oscars Folly. More than 60 homebrewers participated in the inaugural event.
Representatives from the Kalamazoo Libation Organization of Brewers (KLOB), the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) and local suppliers will also be at the expo to talk about homebrewing, answer questions and raffle off some Michigan and Indiana products.
Scheduled to be there are:
• Brew Hauler (Plainwell)
• Stir Starters (stir plates, southwest Michigan)
• Coldbreak Brewing (wort chillers, Grand Rapids)
• Fetzer Farms (hop rhizomes)
Prizes from Brewcraft, BC Products Enterprises Inc. (another Michigan company that makes the Barley Crusher MaltMill sold at the General Store) and White Labs will also be given away.
If you are interested in entering, below are the complete details.
As mentioned above, the wort will be made with 100-percent Michigan grown pale malt. The initial OE of the base wort will be roughly 12 Plato (about 1.048 gravity), which will yield a knock-out gravity of 13+ Plato (about 1.052 gravity) after the final boil. Left unchanged, the fermentability will result in a beer with approximately 6% ABV.
Again, the wort will be minimally boiled and entirely unhopped, giving you complete freedom with your recipe. However, homebrewers will have to complete the kettle boil on their own systems.
There are no restrictions or style guidelines for the final beer, as long as it uses the base wort provided by Bell’s Brewery Inc. Beers will be judged based on a purely hedonic scale, not formal Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) criteria.
Please submit four (4) bottles of your homebrew made with Bell’s wort. The bottles must be submitted to Bell’s by 9 p.m. Oct. 28 with your entry form and properly identified with the labels provided. Any late entries will not be considered. They can be dropped off at the Bell’s General Store, Attn: Bell’s Homebrew Competition.
Winners will be announced Sunday, Nov. 6 during All Stouts Day at Bell’s Eccentric Cafe.
For more information, email dcurtis@bellsbeer.com.
