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Bells is coming back to Illinois

Bells is coming back to Illinois
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  • Post #61 - December 4th, 2007, 10:48 am
    Post #61 - December 4th, 2007, 10:48 am Post #61 - December 4th, 2007, 10:48 am
    I believe Josh sent the email posted by schenked, rather than posted to the thread himself.


    That is correct. It is just the e-mail Josh sent out to folks on the Handlebar's e-mail list. Sorry for any confusion.
  • Post #62 - December 4th, 2007, 4:06 pm
    Post #62 - December 4th, 2007, 4:06 pm Post #62 - December 4th, 2007, 4:06 pm
    hmmmm, perhaps a good reason to get out of the house tonight. Nothing better than drinking beer during a snowstorm. Gotta do it at least once a winter.......


    anyone have a good "i'm going out" excuse for the wifey??? :wink:
  • Post #63 - December 10th, 2007, 2:42 pm
    Post #63 - December 10th, 2007, 2:42 pm Post #63 - December 10th, 2007, 2:42 pm
    Interesting article in todays Wall St Journal on the whole micro-brewery vs distributor issue, centered mainly on Bell's.

    -Will
  • Post #64 - December 10th, 2007, 4:28 pm
    Post #64 - December 10th, 2007, 4:28 pm Post #64 - December 10th, 2007, 4:28 pm
    All that being said, I am going to Wisconsin next weekend and hoping to find the Two Hearted keglets that Bell's was supposed to produce (like the Oberon keglets they put out each summer).


    While my initial attempt to get the two-hearted keglet did not work, I have been informed by my brother that he was able to buy one this past weekend in Milwaukee and will be bringing it for the family Christmas. I will let folks know how tasty it is post-santa.
  • Post #65 - December 10th, 2007, 4:30 pm
    Post #65 - December 10th, 2007, 4:30 pm Post #65 - December 10th, 2007, 4:30 pm
    WillG wrote:Interesting article in todays Wall St Journal on the whole micro-brewery vs distributor issue, centered mainly on Bell's.


    Small Brews Show They're Not Weak Beer - WSJ.com
    Joe G.

    "Whatever may be wrong with the world, at least it has some good things to eat." -- Cowboy Jack Clement
  • Post #66 - March 29th, 2008, 5:43 pm
    Post #66 - March 29th, 2008, 5:43 pm Post #66 - March 29th, 2008, 5:43 pm
    I stopped by Sam's this afternoon and was thrilled to see 6-packs of the Kalamazoo Royal Amber for sale. I think the price was about $10/6-pack, plus/minus a dollar or two. While I didn't love the beer when I tried it on tap, I'm still excited for Bell's that they were able to overcome whatever legal troubles they were anticipating and have hit the retail market. There was a stack of 6-7 cases, but I didn't ask anyone how quickly they think it will sell, or how often it will be re-stocked.

    Have any of their other beers hit the area, on tap or otherwise?
  • Post #67 - March 29th, 2008, 6:34 pm
    Post #67 - March 29th, 2008, 6:34 pm Post #67 - March 29th, 2008, 6:34 pm
    danimalarkey wrote:I stopped by Sam's this afternoon and was thrilled to see 6-packs of the Kalamazoo Royal Amber for sale. I think the price was about $10/6-pack, plus/minus a dollar or two. While I didn't love the beer when I tried it on tap, I'm still excited for Bell's that they were able to overcome whatever legal troubles they were anticipating and have hit the retail market. There was a stack of 6-7 cases, but I didn't ask anyone how quickly they think it will sell, or how often it will be re-stocked.

    Have any of their other beers hit the area, on tap or otherwise?


    Kalamazoo Porter is on tap at the Bavarian Lodge in Lisle and the Kalamazoo Summer Wheat Ale (I'm assuming this is Oberon) is coming soon. The porter was decent. Nothing spectacular.
  • Post #68 - April 1st, 2008, 9:58 pm
    Post #68 - April 1st, 2008, 9:58 pm Post #68 - April 1st, 2008, 9:58 pm
    Lemmings in Bucktown had one of the Kalamazoo beers on tap a few weeks ago, but I don't remember which one. (It was a fun night)
  • Post #69 - April 2nd, 2008, 10:24 am
    Post #69 - April 2nd, 2008, 10:24 am Post #69 - April 2nd, 2008, 10:24 am
    As a side note, I just finished my first 5l can/keg of Two Hearted that I purchased at Tenuta's in Kenosha. It kept very well the 10 days or so it took me finish it off. Maybe not the best deal at a retail of around $19, but an enjoyable change of pace.
  • Post #70 - April 3rd, 2008, 12:51 pm
    Post #70 - April 3rd, 2008, 12:51 pm Post #70 - April 3rd, 2008, 12:51 pm
    Marquee wrote:As a side note, I just finished my first 5l can/keg of Two Hearted that I purchased at Tenuta's in Kenosha. It kept very well the 10 days or so it took me finish it off. Maybe not the best deal at a retail of around $19, but an enjoyable change of pace.
    A 5l mini-keg holds about 14 bottles worth of beer. That is not such a bad deal, considering a 6 pack of 2H usually sells for around $9.
  • Post #71 - April 8th, 2008, 2:19 pm
    Post #71 - April 8th, 2008, 2:19 pm Post #71 - April 8th, 2008, 2:19 pm
    d4v3 wrote:
    louisdog wrote:Illinois' distribution laws for getting local product distributed are no harder than any other state, the three tier system is national. There is not more local product distributed because there isn't that much more local product being produced. But in the end I think Chicago has a good beer scene, not the best, but is improving all the time.
    I am not sure that is correct. I think the opposite is true. More local product is not being produced because local product is not being distributed. Michigan allows self-distribution by low capacity brewers. As a result, there are dozens of craft brewers operating in Michigan compared to a handful in Illinois. The problem with Illinois is that you cannot sell beer without a distributor, and no distributor is going to distribute a beer that has no established market.



    You are 100% correct. Beer and wine wholesalers do not want to actually work for their money. They are all about passing through product that has already been sold for them--either through national branding or high scores in a wine magazine or whatever. And to think, I thought that a wholesalers' job is to actually "sell" the product and "build the brand." In other words, to actually go out and earn their money. Why are the beer and wine wholesalers taking such ridiculous profit margins compared to food distribution but not earning such high markups? Because they have a archaic legally protected monopoly.

    The sooner the Supreme Court strikes down the entire three tier system, the better we'll all be.[/b]
  • Post #72 - April 28th, 2008, 1:23 pm
    Post #72 - April 28th, 2008, 1:23 pm Post #72 - April 28th, 2008, 1:23 pm
    Clark St. Ale House is now serving Kalamazoo's Summer Wheat. For those of you looking forward to a faux-Oberon, prepare to be dissapointed. I'm going to borrow this famous phrase when I say it, but I have had Bell's Oberon in the past, and this Kalamazoo Summer Wheat is no Bell's Oberon.

    It had a fine armoa and decent mouthfeel. Even the initial taste wasn't bad at all. But the finish was really grassy and hay-like. Much more so than I ever recall Oberon being. GI's 312 was better than this. Gumballhead remains the best alternative to Oberon, IMHO.
  • Post #73 - April 28th, 2008, 1:37 pm
    Post #73 - April 28th, 2008, 1:37 pm Post #73 - April 28th, 2008, 1:37 pm
    Clark St. Ale House is now serving Kalamazoo's Summer Wheat. For those of you looking forward to a faux-Oberon, prepare to be dissapointed.


    Jak's Tap has it as well. I felt the same way about it. It is not a bad beer, but it is certainly not Oberon.
  • Post #74 - April 29th, 2008, 2:34 pm
    Post #74 - April 29th, 2008, 2:34 pm Post #74 - April 29th, 2008, 2:34 pm
    danimalarkey wrote:I stopped by Sam's this afternoon and was thrilled to see 6-packs of the Kalamazoo Royal Amber for sale. I think the price was about $10/6-pack, plus/minus a dollar or two. While I didn't love the beer when I tried it on tap, I'm still excited for Bell's that they were able to overcome whatever legal troubles they were anticipating and have hit the retail market. There was a stack of 6-7 cases, but I didn't ask anyone how quickly they think it will sell, or how often it will be re-stocked.

    Have any of their other beers hit the area, on tap or otherwise?


    Last I heard, Bell's is still expecting to be sued by their former illinois distributor...that's why they are rolling out their products so slowly. Once they are sued, they will be able to test their rebranding theory in court and hopefully win so they can fully enter the market.
  • Post #75 - May 18th, 2008, 10:36 am
    Post #75 - May 18th, 2008, 10:36 am Post #75 - May 18th, 2008, 10:36 am
    Green Eye, under the Blue Line On Western by Armitage has it too.

    My two cents in the value of brewing locally: While it is entirely true that just because something is produced locally does not mean it is inherently better. However, why is Portland such a great beer town (I'm moving there in a month, actually, and that is one of the perks of the relocation)?

    When a community of artisans spring up, whether it be wine, beer, food, whatever, the closeness of each other causes everyone to rise. It's easy being the only game in town, and you don't have to try as hard (and I'm not ripping on GI). But when there are four or five games in town, you have to strive for excellence in a way that benefits everyone.

    When you have a number of people doing this, it creates not only an artisan community, but a consumer community as well. People come out for this type of thing. People talk about it, share their favorites, their likes and dislikes, which furthers success.

    Why is Chicago such a good food town? How can it support something like LTH, populated by maniacs who chase down quality and strike down mediocrity like the X-Men fight crime? Because we have a community here. It's not chain restaurants, it's not places run by celebrity out of town chefs, it's places like Lula Cafe, Blackbird, mado, run by people we live next door to, and know, and encourage and nurture. We create this community, and its success is driven by its locality.

    So, bravo to more breweries here. If someone opens one, check it out. Support them. Because if they do well, someone else will see it is a viable business, and open one, and so on and so forth. Make Chicago as much a beer town as it is a food town.
  • Post #76 - September 5th, 2008, 8:04 pm
    Post #76 - September 5th, 2008, 8:04 pm Post #76 - September 5th, 2008, 8:04 pm
    I'm sittting in Poor Phil's, drinking a Bell's Oberon, sold as a Bell's Oberon, in a Bell's glass. Is it actually a Bell's and not a Kzoo impostor? Sadly, I can't remember the original taste.

    Edit: they showed me the keg. Bell's Oberon 'twas. Delicious, but still a travesty that it had been removed from Chicagoland for long enough for my palate to atrophy.
  • Post #77 - November 10th, 2021, 4:34 pm
    Post #77 - November 10th, 2021, 4:34 pm Post #77 - November 10th, 2021, 4:34 pm
    Michigan’s Bell’s Brewery, which has forged some of Chicago’s deepest craft beer roots since launching in the 1980s, has agreed to be sold to Australian beer company Lion and its parent, Japanese beer giant Kirin.

    https://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/d ... 4#nws=true
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard

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