Homebrewing Tips

February 15, 2019 - 12:03pm

BELL'S HOMEBREW RECIPE OF THE MONTH: CONNOR’S NBA BROWN ALE

Our General Store team is very excited to launch a new Homebrew Recipe program. Each month, one of our store clerks will share one of their own homebrew recipes. February 2019's recipe is below. You can purchase the ingredients online and at our General Store (355 E Kalamazoo Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49007). We also have a batch of each recipe tapped in the store to try (while...

October 29, 2018 - 2:00pm

Tips, tricks and Bell's clone recipes for Learn to Homebrew Day

Homebrewing is our roots. Larry Bell began brewing in the early 80’s on a 15-gallon soup pot, and ran a homebrew supply store before opening the brewery. Today it’s still an important part of who we are. For Learn to Homebrew Day, here’s our collection of tips, clone recipes and advice. Homebrew tips: How to culture Bell’s house yeast from a bottle or can of our beer (...

August 27, 2018 - 2:13pm

Homebrew Q&A: How to Brew A Roundhouse Clone

Question: I have been drinking Two Hearted for a long time. Just had Roundhouse for the first time at the Eccentric Café . As a homebrewer, Roundhouse is a beer I would love to make over and over! Can you provide any direction on grain bill/hops/yeast to make this? Answer: Roundhouse uses a pretty basic red ale recipe – base malt, a mix of light and dark caramel malts for color...

April 5, 2018 - 4:18pm

Homebrew Q&A: How to Brew A Quinannan Falls Clone

Question: I recently tried and fell in love with the Quinannan Falls Special Lager; however no one where I am located carries it. I know that I can’t get the recipe for this delicious brew, but any information regarding grain bill, hops, etc. would be appreciated so I can try and recreate this at home. Answer: Start with a base of Pilsner malt and add a touch of Carapils...

April 5, 2018 - 4:15pm

Homebrew Q&A: How to Brew Consistent Batches

Question: What are 3 tips to a homebrewer that you can give to help them achieve batch consistency from one brew session to the next? Answer: 1. Fermentation temp control. To me, this is the biggest challenge to homebrewers getting started and makes the biggest difference in the finished product. 2. Pitch healthy yeast. Making proper sized yeast starters for...

April 5, 2018 - 4:11pm

Homebrew Q&A: Why Your Bubbler Isn't Bubbling

Question: Just brewed a new batch of IPA 3 days ago and the bubbler is not showing any bubbling activity. Just wondering if I need to add more yeast? Just trying to knock out some ideas. Answer: Bubbling is not always going to be a dependable sign of fermentation. There are ways that gas can escape out the bucket lid (I’m assuming it’s in a bucket) or the...

April 5, 2018 - 4:08pm

Homebrew Q&A: How To Split a Brew Day

Question: I have a hard time getting 5-6 hours to spend on a brew day. I was wondering if you had advice on splitting a brew day into a two-day brew process. Not to be confused with overnight mash. I am thinking of making wort and chilling (or maybe not chill?) on day one then boiling and completing the process on day two. What are the effects and impacts of this...

March 8, 2017 - 4:29pm

Homebrewing Oberon: Tips on cloning our American Wheat Ale

Before we were a brewery, we were a homebrew supply store. That's how our president and founder Larry Bell got his (and our) start. It wasn't until two years after the Bell's General Store opened that we sold our first official beer as a brewery. More than 30 years later, our homebrew roots still run deep. From our support of the American Homebrewers Association to our...

March 6, 2017 - 12:50pm

How to: Culture Bell’s house yeast from a bottle or can of Bell’s beer

We don’t offer our house yeast for sale. But since we don’t filter any of our ales either, you can harvest it directly from the bottle or can. Any of our non-Belgian ales are good candidates for this. If you can get your hands on them, Oberon or Amber Ale are all good choices. What you will need: 1-3 bottles of beer, a vessel, a flame source and the same...

January 2, 2017 - 1:04pm

Upcoming homebrew classes at the Bell's General Store in February, March

From the basics of malt to setting up a home draught system or even making cheese, our General Store staff have a number of classes planned to help you make it through the cold winter months. Beginners Malt Sunday, February 12th Learn the ins and outs of all...