Homebrewing

November 7, 2018 - 10:12am

Apricot IPA recipe takes first place at Bell’s 2018 homebrew competition

The winners of Bell’s 9th Annual Homebrew Competition were announced during the 10th Annual All Stouts Day at the Eccentric Café this past Sunday (Nov. 3). Four homebrewers placed out of the 113 entries submitted this year. First place went to Matt MacQuillan for his Apricot IPA. The recipe was created by MacQuillan after he was asked by a friend to help teach her how to...

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...

August 17, 2018 - 9:40am

What you need to know for Bell's 2018 Homebrew Competition

Things to keep in mind if you decide to enter this year's homebrew competition: Homebrewers should bring a sanitized vessel with them to transport their wort home. Buckets, carboys (please be extra careful handling glass carboys) and cornelius kegs are the most common vessels. You can leave them in your vehicle until it’s time to pick up your wort, but again, please sanitize...

August 15, 2018 - 11:00am

Details for 2018 Bell’s Homebrew Competition now available, 2017 winner to be tapped Aug. 26

The 9th Annual Bell’s Homebrew Competition Kick-off and Expo will be held this year on Sept. 8 at Bell’s Eccentric Café in downtown Kalamazoo. The homebrewer who takes first place will get to brew their recipe at Bell’s original brewery to then go on tap at the adjacent Café. The first place winner will also attend the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado as a...

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...

February 15, 2018 - 1:51pm

LEAF PEEPER: Bell's EMPLOYEE HOMEBREW WINNER WAS DRY HOPPED 5 TIMES

Homebrewing is a part of our roots at Bell's, and we continue to honor that tradition by promoting it both with our fans and within our brewery. Every year, we host a homebrew competition for our employees, and this year's winning beer is Leaf Peeper, an IPA with big dank and tropical fruit aromas. It was dry-hopped five times over five days and comes in at 6.8...

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