Here is a look at events this week in Michigan, Ohio and Minnesota.

Michigan

March 22

March Madness at Harvey's on the Mall
There will be plenty of Bell's beer on draft and in bottles for this March Madness event upstairs in Harvey's new Upper Deck Sports Lounge. There will be giveaways and games. Michigan State University will take on Louisville at 7:47 p.m. and Cincinnati will play Ohio at 9:45 p.m. Call 269-492-7506 for more information.

Ohio

March 23

Bell's night - Lizardville, Bedford Heights
Celebrate happy hour at Lizardville in Bedford Heights at 5 p.m. with Amber Ale, Cherry Stout and Lager of the Lakes. Call 216-364-2337 for more information.

March 24

Winking Lizard Cask Ale Festival
A cask of Hopslam will be available at the Winking Lizard Party Center in Bedford Heights. For more information, go here.

Minnesota

March 24

Firkin Fest 2012
Look for a cask of Hopslam Ale at The Happy Gnome in St. Paul at 1 p.m. Call 651-287-2018 for more information.

Looking ahead

Oberon will be released March 26. Check our calendar to see where you will be able to get that first taste.

For those of you who have been following along with our experimental hop series at the Eccentric Café, one additional beer, EXP Hop 2012-1, has been recently tapped (EXP Hop 2012-2 will be available soon). This brings the total number of beers released so far to four.

Some interesting things have developed since our first post on this series of seven different beers, each brewed with a different hop varietal coming straight from growers’ trial plots. These hops are limited both in quantity and availability and only one has been formally named. The rest are designated with numbers.

While there weren't a lot of surprises with the second and third beers (EXP Hop 2011-2, Type 366 and EXP Hop 2011-3, Type 509), the two most recent batches actually turned out quite different than what the initial aroma test led us to expect.

Rather than being a flaw, we prefer to look at these new developments as just another part of the experimental nature of this series.

The goal after all is to become familiar with these new ingredients and learn more about how they perform in the real world.

Below are the initial assessments followed by the actual descriptions for comparison.

EXP Hop 2012-1: Type 423

(photo at right)

Initial: Very pungent fruity & floral aroma, with pine as a secondary note.

Actual: A mildly herbal & woody aroma with just a touch of citrus. The mouthfeel of this unique black ale is quite smooth, with a pleasantly soft bitterness & hop presence.

EXP Hop 2012-2: Type 556

Initial: Intense floral character with fruity undertones 

Actual: This hop-forward beer offers a floral hop aroma upfront that shifts to a blend of woody & herbal notes at the finish.

For more, check out our previous post. To see if any of the beers in this series are currently available, take a look at our Draft Cam.

Here is a look at Bell’s beer events this week in Illinois, Michigan, Arizona, Indiana and Ohio.

Illinois

March 12

Hopslam firkin tapping at Farmhouse
Don’t miss your chance to enjoy the last firkin of Hopslam in Chicago until 2013. It will be tapped at 5 p.m. Call 312-280-4960 for more information.

March 14

Hopslam tasting and Beer School
Duke's Alehouse & Kitchen in Crystal Lake will feature a rare pouring of Hopslam for this event at 7 p.m.  Call 815-356-9980 for more information or go here.

Michigan

March 16

Tap takeover at The Mitten Bar
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day early with seven stouts, a  firkin and other drafts in Ludington starting at 4 p.m. Call 231-843-7616 for more information. See the full list of beers here.

Arizona 

March 13

Bell's beer tasting & meet and greet with Larry Bell
Join Larry Bell for some Oberon, Two hearted, Porter, Best Brown and Black Note from 6-8 p.m. at O.H.S.O. Eatery in Phoenix. Black Note will be tapped at 7 p.m. Tickets for this limited beer will go on sale at 6:15 p.m. – first come, first serve. Call 602-955-0358 for more information.

Indiana

March 16

Hopslam firkin tapping
The last firkin of our seasonal DIPA in Indiana will be tapped on Friday at Twenty Tap. Call 317-602-8840 for more information.

Ohio

March 17

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Bell's Oatmeal Stout - Cleveland, Colmbus areas
Five Winking Lizard locations will tap Oatmeal Stout on St. Patrick’s Day - Independence, Gateway, Mentor, Bedford Heights and Crosswoods. Once it is gone, it’s gone.

Looking ahead

More March Madness and Firkin Fest: Take a look at our full calendar here.

2012 Oberon release

Oberon will be released March 26. The list of midnight tappings and celebrations has been growing since our first roundup – part of the inaugural issue of our new eMail Newsletter – take a look at what we have so far.