Bell's Brewery, Inc. is an American craft brewing company based in Comstock and Kalamazoo, Michigan. The company includes a brewpub and restaurant called the Bell's Eccentric Cafe, as well as the Bell's General Store. The General Store, located at 355 East Kalamazoo Avenue, sells Bell's clothing and merchandise, beer for purchase (including active beers, seasonal beers, Kalamazoo store exclusive beers, and a Growler/Crowler bar), and homebrew kits.
Bell's Brewery began as a homebrewing store in 1983 and started producing beer in 1985. It is the oldest existing craft brewery in Michigan and the oldest craft brewery east of Colorado in the United States. In 2021, it was the sixth largest craft brewery in the United States and the largest independently owned brewery in Michigan.
In 2021, the company's founder, Larry James Bell, sold Bell's Brewery to a subsidiary of the Japanese Kirin beverage group, Lion (an Australian producer of alcoholic beverages). The company also owned Upper Hand Brewery, a separate division in Escanaba, Michigan, which was sold to Seven Beverages, Inc., a company based in California, in 2024.
History
Larry Bell started the Kalamazoo Brewing Company, Inc., in 1983 as a store that sold supplies for homebrewing in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In September 1985, the company began making and selling its own beer. The beer was brewed in a 15-gallon (57-liter) soup kettle and fermented in open containers covered with plastic wrap. The company produced 135 barrels of beer in its first year. In 1993, the company opened a nearby brewpub called the Eccentric Café.
In 2003, Bell’s opened another brewing facility in Comstock, Michigan. In 2006, the company officially changed its name to Bell’s Brewery, Inc., to match the name people commonly used. A larger production facility in Comstock opened in 2012, increasing the company’s yearly brewing capacity from 180,000 barrels to 500,000 barrels.
In late 2012, the Bell family bought back all the stock owned by outside investors, making the company fully owned by the Bell family again.
In 2014, the company opened Upper Hand Brewery in Escanaba, a city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This brewery makes UPA (American pale ale), Upper Hand Light (lager), Yooper Ale (pale ale), Escanaba Black Beer (black ale), Upper Hand IPA (India pale ale), and several seasonal and specialty beers. Initially, these beers were sold only in the Upper Peninsula, but limited distribution began in the Lower Peninsula in 2020. Upper Hand Brewery was sold to Seven Beverages, Inc., a company based in California, in 2024.
In 2021, Larry Bell sold his controlling share of the company to Lion, a subsidiary of the Japanese Kirin beverage group. Lion is an international producer of alcoholic beverages based in Australia and also owns New Belgium Brewing Company, a brewery in Colorado.
Beers
Bell's Brewery makes nine types of beer that are available all year long, as well as seasonal beers and many limited-edition beers. Most of these limited-edition beers are only sold at Bell's General Store in Kalamazoo.
Two Hearted IPA is a type of beer called an India Pale Ale. It is named after the Two Hearted River in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. This beer was ranked by the American Homebrewers Association as one of the best beers in the United States in their magazine, Zymurgy. It was ranked number 2 from 2010 to 2016 and number 1 from 2017 to 2019. Hopslam, a type of beer called a double IPA, is very popular among craft beer fans. It is in high demand when it is released each year and has been listed in the Top 10 beers.
Bell's Brewery makes the following beers all year long: Two Hearted IPA, Hazy Hearted IPA, Big Hearted IPA, Light Hearted IPA, Amber Ale, Porter, Lager for the Lakes, No Yeah, and Kalamazoo Stout. Other beers are sold seasonally. For example, Oberon Ale is available from late March through September, but it is sold year-round in Florida, Arizona, and Puerto Rico. Oberon Eclipse is sold from September through February. Octoberfest is available from late July through October. Hopslam is released in early January. Christmas Ale is sold in November and December. Specialty stouts, such as Expedition Stout and Special Double Cream Stout, are released in the fall. Additional beers are served on tap at Bell's brewpub.
Bell's beer is sold in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Legal issues
In 1998, Bell's changed the name of its main summer beer from Solsun to Oberon because of legal action by a Mexican brewing company called Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma. This company makes a beer named El Sol, which means "The Sun" in Spanish.
In October 2006, Bell's was temporarily removed from the Illinois market when its distributor, Union Beverage, tried to sell its distribution rights to a competitor that Larry Bell did not trust to properly represent all of Bell's beers. In 2007, Bell's returned to the Illinois market through new distributors by introducing two new beers: Kalamazoo Royal Amber Ale and Kalamazoo Hopsoulution. In August 2008, Bell's was able to bring its main beer brands back to Illinois after Union Beverage's parent company left the state.