Bell's Brewery - Kalamazoo and Comstock, Michigan

Founded by Larry Bell as a home-brewing supply shop in 1983, Bell's Brewery, Inc. sold its first beer in September 1985. Beer was initially brewed in a 15-gallon soup kettle and the company has grown remarkably from its production of 135 barrels (1 bbl = 31 gal.) in 1986 to over 124,000 barrels in 2009. Originally self-distributed, Larry and his staff of 9 employees bottled and delivered all of the beer to market for the company's first four years. By 1989, Bell's was shipping over 500 barrels annually and assigned its first wholesaler to further establish itself across the State of Michigan. In 1993, Bell's became the first Michigan brewery to open an onsite pub.

After struggling several years to produce and sell robust, full-bodied ales against a tide of a mass-market domestic beer, Bell's began to see the demand for craft beer grow dramatically and expanded into new markets. Bell's currently sells beer across an eighteen-state area through a network of over fifty quality wholesalers.
 

 
In 2003, Bell's opened a new production brewery in nearby Comstock, Michigan. The new facility has now seen three major additions since then and encompasses over 60,000 square feet of building on a 24 acre site. Beers are now brewed on a 50-barrel system, with the operations running 24/7. With vessels ranging in size from 50-400 barrels, the fermentation cellar can hold up to 20,000 barrels at any given moment, allowing the brewery a total annual brewing capacity of 170,000 barrels.

Despite expansion at the main production facility, we haven't forgotten our roots, and we continue to brew at the original Kalamazoo location. Using the same equipment that served us so well for years, this space has become home to several specialty projects, as well as brewing an extensive array of brands typically only available at the adjoining Eccentric Café. Between the two brewing locations, the company currently employs over 100 people.

In the beginning of 2010, renovations to the downtown Kalamazoo facility began with plans to make significant improvements to the existing Eccentric Café and transform former warehouse space into a separate, dedicated music venue. The brewery is expecting all phases of this project to be completed in early 2011.

Bells Brewery's Beers
Third Coast Beer
Amber Ale
Oberon
Pale Ale
Two Hearted Ale
Porter
Kalamazoo Stout
Best Brown Ale
Winter White Ale
Bell's Special Double Cream Stout
Cherry Stout
Java Stout
Third Coast Old Ale
Expedition Stout
Bell's Beer
Consecrator Doppelbock
Sparkling Ale
Twentieth Anniversary Ale
Batch 7,000 Ale Stout
Batch 8,000 Ale Witbier
Batch 9,000 Ale
Lager Beer
Hopslam Ale
Hell Hath No Fury ... Ale
Octoberfest Beer
Christmas Ale