Bell’s Brewery’s new brewhouse likely to open in May, Oberon Day set for March 26th
Our $52 million construction and expansion is coming along here in Galesburg. Our brewing vessels have been unwrapped and the spent grain silo has been assembled. Crews are busy assembling all the piping and wiring necessary to get our new 200-barrel brewhouse up and running. Local woodworkers are also busy working on the handrails, banisters, front entrance and many other details for the new addition that will compliment existing features at the Eccentric Cafe in downtown Kalamazoo. The lumber they are working with is locally grown as well. We anticipate opening our new brewery in May.
Oh, and Bell’s Oberon will be released on March 26th.
via Bell’s newsletter.
Breweries: Bell's Brewery
Bell’s Oberon=Bud Light Wheat
I disagree 110%.
While I personally don’t care for Oberon, or any beer of that style, American Wheat exists ONLY because of Oberon, when Larry first brewed Solsun many many years ago.
And before anyone else says it…the recipe has NOT changed, the processes have been improved.
The beer has changed. You shouldn’t be able to see through a wheat beer. I don’t care what Larry says. I’ve been drinking Oberon for 17 years and it tastes different and has no body.
Also, go back to the old processes because Bell’s was much better then. I bought a case of Porter and it was all flat. I haven’t bought Bell’s in 3 or 4 years. With every expansion, the beer goes downhill.
The process has been cleaned up. The recipe has not changed, it was the little bugs that are the plague of small breweries that gave Solsun some of its charm. Those are gone in favor of a purer more consistent product. A “see through” Oberon is not Bell’s fault, but lies solely on the proprietor for letting the particulate material settle in the keg. You stir up a bottle of Oberon and it is a cloudy beer. As for not having a Bells in 3 or 4 years, not only are you missing out on some of the best beers in the world (Hopslam, Blacknote, Expedition Stout, I could go on), but you are not drinking THE most balanced IPA on the planet, TWO HEARTED! Mr. Bell is commited to the quality of his product, and it shows.
I’ve had all those beers you listed. I’ve had better Double IPA’s than Hopslam, but congrats for buying into the hype. I’ve also had better IPA’s than Two Hearted. As I recall, Two Hearted was recalled last year for being infected. The clarity in Oberon is in bottles. Are distributors supposed to shake every case before someone buys it?
Bell’s stopped using the same Czech Saaz hops for Oberon. The supply went away and as they scaled up production of Oberon they had to go to a different hop. Thus it tastes different now in 2011 and 2012 than it did back in 2008 and earlier. It’s a pretty obvious difference to those of us who’ve been drinking it since 2003. Of course the company is going to deny it.
http://www.mlive.com/kalamabrew/index.ssf/2008/06/saaz_it_aint_so_bells_brewery.html
Oberon tastes and looks very different than a few years ago. Went from my favorite Michigan beer to about #6 on my list. Has volume production resulted in a product that is different… even inferior? At a local bar had a pint and told waitress that I got the wrong beer so she checked keg and said it was Oberon. She then told me that people keep telling her it is the wrong beer. What is up Bell’s?