Press Release:
(Comstock, MI) – Bell’s Pale Ale is getting a facelift.
While the label and the name are changing, the recipe will remain basically the same except for one small, yet very significant change.
Midwestern Pale Ale will now be brewed with a small portion of barley from the Bell’s Farm in Shepherd, Michigan and will begin shipping in mid-October.
“This is a relatively minor change to the recipe and people won’t notice anything different, however it is part of a much larger picture,” said Laura Bell, Marketing Director for Bell’s Brewery, Inc.
It’s a deeper connection to the land, to Michigan and its agricultural heritage and to the Midwest, Bell said.
Barley from the Bell’s Farm is also used to brew two other beers – Christmas Ale and Harvest Ale (also made with Michigan grown hops).
The new label features an original painting of the Bell’s Farm by Kalamazoo artist Conrad Kaufman.
ABOUT BELL’S BREWERY, INC.:
Bell’s Brewery, Inc. began in 1985 with a quest for better beer and a 15 gallon soup kettle. Since then, we’ve grown into a regional craft brewery that employs more than 180 people over an 18 state area, in addition to Puerto Rico and Washington DC. The dedication to brewing flavorful, unfiltered, quality craft beers that started in 1985 is still with us today. We currently brew over 20 beers for distribution as well as many other small batch beers that are served at our pub in Kalamazoo, the Eccentric Cafe. Our ongoing goal is to brew thoughtfully, creatively and artistically. We strive to bring an authentic and pleasant experience to all of our customers through our unique ales and beers. For more information, please visit bellsbeer.com. You can also find Bell’s on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, Flickr and foursquare.
Many people rip on the macro brewers for marketing gimmicks, but it’s clear this is not exclusive to the major players.
At least this “marketing gimmick” doesn’t involve a multi-million dollar televised ad campaign with half-naked women and douche-bag dudes chugging shitty beer. News flash: all craft beer labels are “marketing gimmicks.” Do you want the label to just say “beer” on it?
What does the ad budget have to do with anything? If craft breweries had those kind of resources, they would use them. You may not like American style lagers, that’s fine. Why rip on a product you don’t have a taste for? Millions of people like these products. I don’t care much for wheat beers, but I don’t go online and use profane language to disparage them. I like IPA and Porter beers, but I don’t rip on anyone who disagrees with this assessment.
Just having some of this beer now, and it has some not entirely enjoyable mushroomieness right on the front of the pallate. Anybody else get that?
It tastes nothing like it did originally. I am not overly impressed with it. Now two hearted ale, thats a whole different story.