Bells Brewing Homebrew Expo 2011

Here's how it works:

This Saturday, September 10th, 11 am, show up at Bells General Store to register to receive wort from the brewery. You take the wort home and do with it as you please. Then return 4 bottles to Bells for consideration. The winner gets to brew their beer at the brewery and sell it on tap at the Eccentric Cafe.

Registration starts at 11 am. Wort starts to flow at 1 pm (they say you can leave THE SANITIZED CONTAINER THAT YOU BRING WITH YOU in your car during registration).

Last year there were 60 entries. The person at the General Store said they should have enough for 200+ entries this year, but to get there early to get in line just to be sure you don't miss out.

Details at: www.bellsbeer.com

I went last year and got in line at about 11:15. It's a 3 hour drive. I believe I was about 65th to sign up. They ran out of wort at about #140. It was very hectic and standing room only with people coming in at the end trying to get in line. The place was just crazy!! I received my wort at about 2:00 but since hopslam was on tap, it was worth the wait.

When I got an email from Laura Bell last year telling me I had made it to the top 12, she had said they had only received 95 bottles from the 140+ that received wort. So I guess alot of people decided not to bother with this.

Homer, are you going this year? I haven't decided yet because I want to attend the cider and mead festival in St. Johns also this weekend

Just got home from picking up my wort! I showed up at about 10:00 am and there were only about 10-15 people in front of me. But within 20 miniutes the line was almost around the block. They were much better prepared for a big turnout and much better organized than last year, it was pretty quick and easy. In fact they still had slots available when I left at about 1:30. I also picked up a few oz. of the new experimental "369" hops. This is the first and possibly only time these will be sold. I wish I would have won something in the raffle though, there were some killer prizes. A Barley crusher mill, a Blichmann beer gun, and a 10 gallon cooler MLT were the highlights. I'm going back up to Bell's in a bit to participate in the hot dog eating contest, then coming back home and brewing - what a good day.

Any one here show up?

Just got back to Grand Rapids from picking up my wort. Heard about the line last year so I showed up around 9:40 to make sure I had my place. It was sprinkling so I sat in my car for a bit until people started filtering up towards the door. Made it to # 7 in line and well worth it. Met some very nice HB's from Kzoo and Waterford. They had some a busy day lined up since it was the closing of the Beer Garden and a hot dog eating contest.

Missed winning a raffle contest by one number and the guy from Kzoo took home a glass carboy. While we waited the 2 hours until they started handing out the wort, I downed some awesome test brews they had on tap.

Black note is a mix of Cream Stout and Expedition Stout and it's barrel aged for about a year. They only had a quarter barrel of it on tap so I was luck enough to get a snifter of it. Q Lakes Lager (I think that's the name) was a dry hopped lager that was very tasty. "Dear Liza" was an experimental ale that was brewed with a undistributed hop named "369". Apparently they were one of only a very small few breweries that got it. It was a very nice and earthy tasting to me. They had it for sale in their general store but didn't have time to pick up any.

A very good time was had by all that I ran into and it was good to meet and talk to some other home brewers.

Wish I could have met some from this forum cause a lot of Michigan contributors here have taught me a ton weather they realize it or not.

Now to figure out what the heck I'm gonna brew!

The line wrapped around the flag.



78 years strong and still putting down the home brews!
Asked me about this new thing called "Cold hopping" (as he called it). Talked to him about dry hopping for a bit.

AdamWiz said:

Just got home from picking up my wort! I showed up at about 10:00 am and there were only about 10-15 people in front of me. But within 20 miniutes the line was almost around the block. They were much better prepared for a big turnout and much better organized than last year, it was pretty quick and easy. In fact they still had slots available when I left at about 1:30. I also picked up a few oz. of the new experimental "369" hops. This is the first and possibly only time these will be sold. I wish I would have won something in the raffle though, there were some killer prizes. A Barley crusher mill, a Blichmann beer gun, and a 10 gallon cooler MLT were the highlights. I'm going back up to Bell's in a bit to participate in the hot dog eating contest, then coming back home and brewing - what a good day.

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Very good day indeed. Good luck in the dog eating contest. If you get a chance to stay for a bit tonight, the Macpodz are closing out the Garden and they are a good show. I must have been just a few people ahead of you in line.

Dinomyte said:

I must have been just a few people ahead of you in line.

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Yep, in fact I'm in your first picture. I'm the guy in the lower left with the blue hat. And I'm probably right behind you in the other picture, I see my friend that I was standing with at the bar just over your shoulder. By the way, I finished 6 hot dogs in the contest - not my best showing. I think 11 won it. Good luck on your beer.

Okay - who has already brewed with their wort? I decided on doing two different half-batches and turning in the best one. I brewed one batch last night with 2.5 gallons of the Bell's wort plus a mini-mash of about 4 pounds of grain to get about a 3.6 gallon total boil. Tonight I'll brew something different with the rest of the wort. Haven't decided on what to do yet, though - I'll be playing around on the recipe calculator for a while today. I checked the gravity of just the Bell's wort before boiling, it was about 1.050-1.052. The color seems a bit dark for just 2-row, color is more along the lines of Golden Promise. My first batch came out of the boil at about 1.064. Really excited about this, can't wait to boil up my second batch.

I went just to check it out, not to get any wort for the competition. The cafe was great and we went and toured the production brewery also. It was a self guided tour someone in the know at each stop. Business must be good since it sounds like they're brewing pretty much around the clock and all of the empty fermentors would be full by tomorrow. They boil for one hour, have 5 primary yeast strains, and bottle 700 barrels of beer per day. Hoping to go back next year sans the child to enjoy the area a little more.

I went with my BIL who lives down there and got 2 buckets worth. He's not a brewer, but I got the extra for BrewerinBR. I had the Black Note and thought is was good. At the price they wanted, it was a TREAT!

The line was long, but from what I saw from hanging out, they just made the 200 or so for the day, so the planning was much better. The line went pretty quick. I wasn't in there when they handed out prizes. I didn't even know when it was. We grabbed a sandwich and ate outside and when we came in people were walking out with goodies.

BrewerinBR and I brewed when I got back home on Sunday (went to the Western Game Sat night!) We did two very different brews. One was a fairly high OG Stout with some interesting (I Hope) additives and the other was a SMaSH.

I didn't even think about splitting the wort into different batches. We could easily have done 4 small batches.

I have 2 stainless Fire Extinguishers that I had planned on turning into small kegs. But the process do so would be time consuming and a bit expensive. I think I'll just stick an airlock on the top of them and use them for fermenters! They would work very well for small batches. And it would be easy to clean and then bake in the oven to sterilize.

My two Bell's competition beers are both in secondary dry hopping right now, one with Bramling Cross and one with the "369" hops. I made two different variations of hoppy brown ale, one using orange blossom honey. I also fermented one with Bell's house yeast that I cultured from a six-pack of Pale Ale. I figured that would be a nice touch for a Bell's competition. I'll be bottling within a few days. How are everyone else's beers turning out?

Just put the Stout on dry hop last night. A few days late, but there was a layer of gooey yeast that wouldn't drop. I had to siphon from underneath.

I had a taste and thought it was pretty good. My wife, who isn't a beer drinker, thought it was too bitter. Odd since she actually likes a strong stout. But she also said it was not smooth. I disagree. I thought it was pretty creamy considering it's age.

But she has a sinus infection and is still sick and medicated, so who knows what's wrong with her senses.

Just a couple of days on dry hop then into the bottles to condition! It's a fairly strong beer, so crossing our fingers it mellows out nicely in the short time we have.

Homercidal said:

It's a fairly strong beer, so crossing our fingers it mellows out nicely in the short time we have.

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yeah, I actually didn't go as big as I was origionally planning because I was worried it might not mellow out in time. I stayed around 1.064. How high was your starting gravity?

The SMaSH that Homercidal and I brewed up with the Bell's wort he got will get dry hopped tonight with an ounce of Chinook and will get bottled on Oct 4th. The air lock finally stopped bubbling just last week. Will give it a taste and a hydro test... and report back.

I think the starting gravity was supposed to about 1.075. Had a taste and it's ok at this point. I gotta think that if it didn't have some of the ingredients we put in there, it would be a bit hot right now.

Care to share your mystery additional ingredients? I understand if you're still keeping it a secret, I'm just a curious kind of guy. I didn't add anything really unusual myself, just kind of combined a couple different recipes - the grain bill of a brown ale plus a little honey, hopped like an IPA. When I heard about the first competition last year, I figured they would just be looking for the most strange/outrageous beer as the winner. But a pretty standard IPA won. The thing I really love about this competition is that it's nice to not have to worry about strict adherance to any style.

Let me check with my partner on the secrecy. I don't care personally, it's just a recipe, but he might want to take this pro...

I agree on the winner last year. I mean, come on. Bells makes some good IPAs. Did they really need to choose ANOTHER IPA for the winner? Was there really nothing unusual and tasty besides a hoppy Pale?

That said, one of our beers is a hoppy ale. I don't expect to win, but I'll be curious to see what the hops taste like in it. It's technically a SMaSH IIRC.

Everyone get their beers turned in yesterday? I got up there around 8:30 last night - just in time. The beers have actually already been judged, I was told they would be doing it at about noon today. But we'll have to wait until all stouts day on November 6th to hear the results. I'll be there for sure, for the results and to drink some stout. Who else is planning on attending? Good luck to everyone, hopefully congratulations will be in order for one of us on the 6th!

*BTW, I turned in the brown ale dry hopped with 369 and fermented with Bell's house yeast. It turned out really well, nice strong hop flavor and aroma and some nice roastiness and full body to balance things out.

BrewerinBR was supposed to go down and drop the beers off. I am not sure I'll make it for All stouts day, since I have teenage kids and things to do. I'd love to see a lost of entries, just to see what people made with their wort.

Judging by the lack of activity on this thread since the winners were announced, none of us won (or placed or were honorably mentioned). I guess we're all winners in a way though - we all got 5 gallons of free wort from a great brewery. And I know this will sound like sour grapes, but YET ANOTHER IPA ended up winning. Guess I know now what style is required to win this thing. They should call it "Bell's annual IPA brewing contest".

I forgot to check the website. I kind of expected an email or something that announced the winners.

I like a nice IPA as much as the next guy, but sheesh! Am I the only one who thinks a good IPA is one of the easiest beers to make??


EDIT: Just checked the website. An IPA won, but you have to admit, there were some interesting additions to that recipe!

I had hoped to see a list of the descriptions, just out of curiosity.

Well better luck to all next year

It was worth it to just go down and hang out and have some food and drink, and then to go home and brew of course.

Homercidal said:

It was worth it to just go down and hang out and have some food and drink, and then to go home and brew of course.

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Having several pints of stout at the cafe while dropping off our entries was great fun.

Already thinking about next year...

Speaking of next year................... I am about to head down to Bell's to get a good spot in line. Who else is coming?

I went on Thursday to watch Euforquestra play The Eccentric Cafe. Good show, but there weren't very many people.

I passed on the free wort this time due to not having set up a collaboration effort with friends, and not having any free time in the foreseeable future for brewing. I thought about how I might be able to collect wort and hold onto it until Sunday when we drove home. I even thought about brewing at my MIL's house, but decided to just skip the effort this time. Too much going on.

every year I have not brewed the same day... just not feasible for me with the 2.5 hour drive home etc... So I just brew it up on Sunday or Monday each year. No infections in my beers as of yet. One option (which I have not done until I did it to my buddies wort this year) is to add campden tablets at a rate of 1 per gallon like they do for cider and wine must. We'll see how it turns out...he's brewing with me tomorrow night.

My beer this year is a sour saison...I pitched some grains in there and have been keeping it warm since Sat...

Homercidal said:

I went on Thursday to watch Euforquestra play The Eccentric Cafe. Good show, but there weren't very many people.

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The new bar with the stage is awesome, the thing is ever since they opened it all of a sudden they want 15-20 dollars for every show. I used to go to Bell's to see music at least a couple times a month - now I only go if it's someone I REALLY want to see. Sorry, but that is just too much for a show at a bar. 30-40 bucks for the wife and I before even buying a beer is pretty steep. But at least when there is a band I really want to go see there now, you can actually SEE them and the sound is good. Indoor shows at the old place were awful. Especially if it was a popular group - wall to wall people, couldn't see the band cause no real stage, and awful sound quality.

But on to brewing - I have had some thoughts about soaking some oak chips in Jagermeister and putting those in the secondary. Jager barrel brown, anyone? A lot of people do bourbon barrel stuff, why not this? Still not sure, though. It's either brilliant or the worst idea I've ever had. Could end up medicinal tasting. I also brewed up a SMaSH with the second half of the Bell's wort yesterday, using Nelson Sauvin hops. I just can't get enough of that fruity Sauvin taste lately - they are quickly becoming my go-to in any beer with a lot of hop flavor/aroma. There's just nothing else like them.

Euf was only $7...

I have not got to try some Nelson yet. I'd be curious to taste the Jager in a RIS or Barleywine.

So is anyone heading down to All Stouts Day for the announcement of the winners? Bell's emailed me today to let me know I made the final table. Pretty humbling considering how many people entered. Had to be well over 200 by my guess.

Congrats. My beer turned out alot more tart than I planned. Not expecting an email.

I also got an email saying I made the final table. Now I can't wait for Sunday!

AdamWiz said:

I also got an email saying I made the final table. Now I can't wait for Sunday!

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What'd you make? I did a Black RyePA and used Belgian yeast instead of my old IPA standby Cal Ale.

Edit: I just saw you answered that question 6 weeks and 5 posts ago. Did you end up using the Jager or did your Nelson SMaSH make it?

I actually didn't end up using any oak chips at all. I made a smoked brown ale fermented with Irish ale yeast, and it turned out really tasty so I didn't want to mess with it any further. The Nelson SMaSH turned out well too, but I thought the smoked brown had a better shot in the competition. It seems to me in this competition they want not just a good beer, but an interesting one too. See you there Sunday, hopefully one of us has a reason to celebrate! Even if it's only one of the runner up prizes - brewing my beer at Bell's would be a dream, but a gift certificate to the store wouldn't be too shabby either.

AdamWiz said:

I actually didn't end up using any oak chips at all. I made a smoked brown ale fermented with Irish ale yeast, and it turned out really tasty so I didn't want to mess with it any further. The Nelson SMaSH turned out well too, but I thought the smoked brown had a better shot in the competition. It seems to me in this competition they want not just a good beer, but an interesting one too. See you there Sunday, hopefully one of us has a reason to celebrate! Even if it's only one of the runner up prizes - brewing my beer at Bell's would be a dream, but a gift certificate to the store wouldn't be too shabby either.

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That was the exact mindset I had, a good beer might win a comp with style guidelines, but you probably need to think outside the box a bit to win a comp like this. I thought combining three different IPA styles (Black, Rye, Belgian) would be fun to try and I thought it turned out pretty good, though I feel lucky that it actually worked. Glad they thought so too. Good luck to you, I'm rooting for you to come in second!

Just got back from the Bell's store on a supply run. I was told only 10 beers made it to the final table.

I really wonder how many entries they had. I'd guess 250ish signed up based of the line but I guarantee a good chunk of them never turned in their entry since there is no fee and the wort is free. I suppose if you thought you had something worthwhile, most would make the effort to drop some bottles off.

Yeah, a good portion of those who get wort don't end up turning anything in. I think I remember hearing last year that only 90 or so turned in beers out of over 200 who got wort. Some people just want the free wort, but I think a lot more just don't turn them in if their beers don't turn out that well because either (A)a lot of people try strange and crazy things that don't end up well, or (B)they came from a ways away and don't want to make the trip to drop off if they know their beer is not worthy of winning.

Got the email as well. Almost didn't enter because I wasn't totally happy with the end product. Who says you can't make a decent sour in a month

boostsr20 said:

Got the email as well. Almost didn't enter because I wasn't totally happy with the end product. Who says you can't make a decent sour in a month

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Wow, must be pretty good if it got chosen when it was this young. What'd you strain did you use to sour it?