Here is a look at Bell’s beer events coming up this week in Washington DC, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Virginia, Wisconsin and Georgia.

Washington DC

Jan. 31

Bell's tap takeover at ChurchKey
Hopslam and many other beers with be tapped at 6 p.m.: Amber Ale, Best Brown Ale, Expedition Stout, Hell Hath No Fury … Ale, Kalamazoo Stout, Lager Beer, Pale Ale, Oarsman Ale, Porter, Quinannan Falls Special Lager, Rye Stout, Sparkling Ale, Special Double Cream Stout, Two Hearted Ale and Winter White Ale. Call 202-567-2576 for more information.

Indiana

Feb. 1

Super Bell's party
Beer Sellar in Indianapolis will have 20 Bell's beers on tap plus a firkin of Hopslam.  While this event starts at 5 p.m., Hopslam will be tapped at 6 p.m. and Black Note will be tapped at 7 p.m. Also on tap: Amber, Best Brown, Special Double Cream Stout, Expedition Stout, Harry Magill's Spiced Stout, Hell Hath No Fury ... Ale, Java Stout, Kalamazoo Stout, Lager, Oarsmen, Porter, Quinannan Falls, Raspberry Ale, Rye Stout, Sparkling Ale, Third Coast Beer, Two Hearted and Winter White. Call 317-849-2739 for more information.

Minnesota

Feb. 2

Bell's Hopslam cask tapping at The Bulldog Lowertown
Enjoy a special tapping of a cask of Bell's Hopslam at 4 p.m. in St. Paul. Call 651-221-0750 for more information.

Feb. 3

Hopslam cask tapping at Grumpy’s
Enjoy a rare tapping of a Hopslam cask with some amazing food pairings at 4 p.m. in Minneapolis. Call 612-789-7429 for more information.

Missouri

Feb. 2

Hopslam firkin tapping at iTAP (Soulard)
We're bringing a firkin of Hopslam to St. Louis! Call 314-621-4333 for more information. This event starts at 6 p.m. – don’t be late.

North Carolina

Feb. 3

World of Beer's Firkin Friday – Raleigh
North Hills World of Beer will be tapping their first firkin at 5 p.m. Come out and have a pint of Bell's Special Double Cream Stout to start your weekend off right. Call 919-784-9261 for more information.

North Dakota

Jan. 31

Stout night at The Walrus
Sample eight stouts on tap in Bismarck starting at 7 p.m.: Kalamazoo Stout, Special Double Cream Stout, Java Stout, Cherry Stout, Expedition Stout, Harry Magill's Spiced Stout, Rye Stout and Oatmeal Stout. Wear a kilt and Bell's Sales Rep. Jason Gillum will buy you a pint. Call 701-250-0020 for more information.

Feb. 3

Two Hearted cask
Enjoy a fresh pint of Two Hearted Ale from a cask at The Toasted Frog in Bismarck at 6:30 p.m. Call 701-751-2229 for more information.

Feb. 4

Pitch University-Beer 101, hosted by Bell’s Brewery
Jason Gillum, Bell's Brewery Sales Rep., will lead this class on beer and all things Bell's at Reza's Pitch in Bismarck. This event is free and will also feature Two Hearted Ale. Call 701-390-1005 for more information.

Ohio

Feb. 2

Hopslam firkin tapping in Dayton
Stop by South Park Tavern at 6 p.m. for a cask of Hopslam. Call 937-586-9526 for more information.

Virginia

Feb. 1

The Bell's Bust Out!  
This event begins at 5 p.m. and will feature five Bell's beers on tap at Beer Run in Charlottesville: Hopslam Ale, Hopsoulution, Quinannan Falls Special Lager, The Oracle DIPA and Two Hearted Ale. Call 434-984-2337 for more information.

Wisconsin

Jan. 31

Hopslam tasting at Nomad World Pub
Join us for a taste of this year's Hopslam in Milwaukee at 7:30 p.m. Call 414-224-8111 for more information.

Feb. 2

Hopslam, Black Note and jazz in Milwaukee
Join us for a tasting of Hopslam and Black Note along with some jazz at Burnhearts at 7 p.m. Call 414-294-0490 for more information.

Georgia

Feb. 3

Bell's Bowl at Aromas
In celebration of the Big Game, Bell's will be taking over the taps for the weekend at Aromas Wine and Craft Beer Bar. Kegs will be tapped at 6 p.m. Friday and at 2 p.m. Saturday. Black Note, Hopslam and Hopsoulution will be there, just to name a few! Call 706-208-0059 for more information.

Looking ahead

A tap takeover at Sheffield's in Chicago, RYE happy hour in Ohio, Hopslam events and more. Take a look at our complete event calendar here.

KALAMAZOO - If you’ve visited the Eccentric Café or checked the tap cam recently, you may have noticed an odd name on the big board above the bar.

Beside more familiar names like Two Hearted Ale, Amber Ale and Kalamazoo Stout was something more formal – EXP Hop 2011-1. This experimental beer was just the beginning of a series of brews that will only be available at our pub in downtown Kalamazoo.

This experimental hop series will continue with six additional beers, each brewed using a different type of hop and released over the next few months. The overall goal is to explore the aromatic qualities of each and assess their potential for future brewing.

“This is a series of beers where we are actually working hand in hand with hop growers. Just like brewers, hop growers are also looking to expand the flavor profiles available to craft beer drinkers and we are very fortunate to have this kind of unique access,” said Andy Farrell, one of Bell’s brewers working on the project.

The series started with a newly developed hop now named Zythos, which is in its first year of commercial use. The rest of the series will feature hop varietals coming straight from the growers’ trial plots; these have yet to been formally named and are still designated with numbers. They are very limited both in quantity and availability, arriving as single bales or even mini-bales (photo at right).

While a few of the beers in this series have been brewed, most are still in the planning stages. Rather than brewing multiple variations of a basic pale ale, this project will match each hop to a different style aimed to showcase the varietal’s range & versatility. Below is a brief rundown of which hops we will be using in this series, along with aroma descriptions from our bale assessments to get you acquainted.

We’re tremendously excited about this opportunity to work with hop growers from the Pacific Northwest in evaluating these new varietals, and we think you’ll enjoy this window into the future of American hops. Look for more information about each here on our blog and on our social media sites (Facebook, Twitter and Google+) as we go forward.

The hops used in this series:

EXP Hop 2011-1: Zythos  – Citrusy, with a bright grapefruit note and apricot & pine aromas in the background

EXP Hop 2011-2: Type 366 – Tropical fruit notes and piney, reminiscent of Simcoe hops 

EXP Hop 2011-3: Type 509 – Floral, with an interesting herbal note 

EXP Hop 2012-1: Type 423 – Very pungent fruity & floral aroma, with pine as a secondary note

EXP Hop 2012-2: Type 556 – Intense floral character with fruity undertones 

EXP Hop 2012-3: Type 998-13-1 – Distinctive lemon notes

EXP Hop 2012-4: Type 291 – Citrus & pine notes, very pungent

To see if any if any of these beers are currently on tap at the Cafe, take a look at our Draft Cam.

The General Store's David Curtis and Ryan Kramer recently led a homebrewing demonstration as part of Kalamazoo Beer Week at the Eccentric Café.

A five gallon batch of amber ale was brewed in honor of Bell’s flagship beer, Amber Ale.

We had a great turnout and want to thank everyone who joined us.

If you would like a copy of the handout from the event, you can download a PDF version (also includes basic steps to your first bottling day) here: BellsHomebrewNotes.pdf

The Eccentric Café also participated in the 2012 Downtown Kalamazoo Chili Cook-off. If you were unable to get a sample or simply want another taste at home, you can download the smoked buffalo and black bean chili recipe here as well: SmokedBuffaloChili.pdf