Bell's Brewery Inc. beers are headed back to the Windy City

Saw this blurb over the wire...

9:44 AM CDT, July 31, 2008

Bell's Brewery Inc. beers are headed back to the Windy City nearly two years after the company pulled its brands out of the Chicago market following a nasty dispute with a distributor.

Comstock, Mich.-based Bell's Brewery on Thursday announced new distribution agreements with Central Beverage Co., Schamberger Brothers and Skokie Valley Beverage Co. that will mark the return of Bell's brands in Chicago beginning Friday.

This is good news.

Note that slightly modified versions of Bell's beer have been available in Chicago under the label Kalamazoo Brewing Company, or something like that. Sam's has it, possibly other places also. The label says something like "Brewed for the People of the Great State of Illinois." Love it.

Unfortunately, it appears that Two-Hearted will not be in the initial roll-out/reintroduction.

Chicagoist wrote:Expect to see Bell's Amber, Porter, Oberon and Kalamazoo stout back on shelves and taps almost immediately . . . However, don't expect every Bell's label to be back on shelves. There is a major hop shortage right now that's affecting brewers both large and small. That shortage means that Bell's popular Two-Hearted IPA will not be in the initial rollout. "But we have enough labels here that we could possibly do another version of Hop Solution," Bell said.

Also, all the Kalamazoo beers in the market are all they're going to make - if it's on the shelves or in their coolers, it's all they've got. So I don't know if there's any market for collecting discontinued beers, but hang on to whatever you've got in the fridge. I'm going to go pick up another couple six packs (of something) this afternoon.

Too bad about Two Hearted, I love that beer. I guess I'll have to wait.

Definitely great news!

In case anyone wanted to read the source:
http://chicagoist.com/2008/07/31/its_morning_in_chicago_bells_is_bac.php

whiskeybent wrote:Also, all the Kalamazoo beers in the market are all they're going to make - if it's on the shelves or in their coolers, it's all they've got. So I don't know if there's any market for collecting discontinued beers, but hang on to whatever you've got in the fridge. I'm going to go pick up another couple six packs (of something) this afternoon.

What's a Billy Beer can worth these days?

There goes the Ivy League for my kids. Damn.

This is great news, though it will take some of the fun out of going to Munster for FFF and then 'boot-legging' beer over the border. Still, there's Stone to transport back!

Sheffield's had Oberon on tap on Friday after the Cubs game

Danny's across from Honey One on Western has (from memory) Bell's Pale Ale, Amber, Oberon, Porter, Stout, Third Coast, I think Expedition and the K'zoo Amber and Wheat. Most are $7.99 cash only.

Delicious!

According to the (very helpful) woman in the beer dept. in the South Loop Binny's, it will probably be 4-5 months before Two Hearted is available in Illinois. Apparently, because of the hop shortage and the fact that Larry Bell is not willing to change the recipe for his beer (which is laudable, in my mind), they can only meet capacity for states in distribution prior to Illinois coming back into play. So it's Indiana or Wisconsin for your Two Hearted fix for the time being.

On the beer advocate site, Larry Bell wrote that Two Hearted would not return to Chicagoland until 01/01/09 or (more likely) 01/01/10. The post is here:

http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/1487714#1497002

pancake wrote:On the beer advocate site, Larry Bell wrote that Two Hearted would not return to Chicagoland until 01/01/09 or (more likely) 01/01/10. The post is here:

http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/1487714#1497002

The 1/1/2010 thing really bums me out. Bells returning to Illinois without Two Hearted is, for me, like pig returning after extinction but with no pork belly. Sure, I'll enjoy some ribs here and there and a nice chop from time to time, but I want my bacon.

I had a pint of Oberon last night at Logan Bar & Grill...ahhh, hello old friend!