Bell’s Brewery | Hopslam Ale | Imperial IPA Sept. 2, 2009 was a crazy day in a fast-paced vacation. On Sept. 1, we had dined at the Three Floyds brewpub in Munster, Ind., and I’d come away with a trunkful of beer, including Alpha King and Dreadnaught. That made it a really good trip already. We could have driven straight home and been big winners. But the next morning, we got up early at our hotel in the Illinois suburbs, drove into Chicago, ate lunch at Frontera Grill, went to the Art Institute of Chicago and spent the afternoon there, then drove to Michigan City, Ind. where we did some outlet shopping in the shadow of a nuclear power plant. Then we continued on to Kalamazoo. We stopped at a hotel only to realize it was one of the places we’d considered, but ultimately not decided to stay at. Got back in the car and drove to the hotel where we actually had reservations, checked in, then drove into town, past a stream of Western Michigan University students who were going to some kind of football rally, to the brewpub/dedicated beer bar/whatever. Would have been happy enough to have some Two-Hearted Ale and maybe some things I could find on tap but not in bottles, but was pleasantly surprised to find they had brewed up a batch of Hopslam, which I was led to believe at the time was odd for September. Now I’m not so sure. As delicious as the beer was, it was easily the unfriendliest brewpub we’ve been to. There was a familiarity evident among many of the patrons and staff, and there is something to be said for a bar that is better for the locals than the beer tourists. Maybe we looked strung out and strange popping in after 9 p.m. in our Frontera Grill outfits (khakis). But if I had never asked for beer, I never would have been offered beer. It’s now how I would run a restaurant, but obviously they’re doing well enough that they can set their own standards. That said, the beer was delicious and because of that I would go back - point for Bell’s, one supposes.

Bell’s Brewery | Hopslam Ale | Imperial IPA

Sept. 2, 2009 was a crazy day in a fast-paced vacation. On Sept. 1, we had dined at the Three Floyds brewpub in Munster, Ind., and I’d come away with a trunkful of beer, including Alpha King and Dreadnaught. That made it a really good trip already. We could have driven straight home and been big winners.

But the next morning, we got up early at our hotel in the Illinois suburbs, drove into Chicago, ate lunch at Frontera Grill, went to the Art Institute of Chicago and spent the afternoon there, then drove to Michigan City, Ind. where we did some outlet shopping in the shadow of a nuclear power plant.

Then we continued on to Kalamazoo. We stopped at a hotel only to realize it was one of the places we’d considered, but ultimately not decided to stay at. Got back in the car and drove to the hotel where we actually had reservations, checked in, then drove into town, past a stream of Western Michigan University students who were going to some kind of football rally, to the brewpub/dedicated beer bar/whatever.

Would have been happy enough to have some Two-Hearted Ale and maybe some things I could find on tap but not in bottles, but was pleasantly surprised to find they had brewed up a batch of Hopslam, which I was led to believe at the time was odd for September. Now I’m not so sure.

As delicious as the beer was, it was easily the unfriendliest brewpub we’ve been to. There was a familiarity evident among many of the patrons and staff, and there is something to be said for a bar that is better for the locals than the beer tourists. Maybe we looked strung out and strange popping in after 9 p.m. in our Frontera Grill outfits (khakis). But if I had never asked for beer, I never would have been offered beer. It’s now how I would run a restaurant, but obviously they’re doing well enough that they can set their own standards. That said, the beer was delicious and because of that I would go back - point for Bell’s, one supposes.