Bell's Brewery

Lore & Background

Larry Bell incorporated the Kalamazoo Brewing Company, Inc., in 1983 as a homebrewing supply shop in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In September 1985, the company began to sell its own beer, brewed in a 15 USgal soup kettle and fermented in open fermenters covered with plastic wrap. The company produced 135 barrels in its first year. In 1993 the company opened an adjacent brewpub, the Eccentric Café. In 2003, Bell's opened an additional brewing facility in nearby Comstock, Michigan. The company legally changed its name in 2006 to Bell's Brewery, Inc., reflecting the name by which it was popularly known. A larger production facility in Comstock opened in 2012, increasing the company's brewing capacity from 180,000 barrels to 500,000 barrels per year. In late 2012, the Bell family repurchased all stock held by outside investors, returning the company to full family ownership. The company opened Upper Hand Brewery in Escanaba, Michigan in 2014, which was sold to California-based Seven Beverages, Inc. in 2024. In 2021, Larry Bell sold his controlling share of the company to the Japanese Kirin beverage group subsidiary, Lion, an Australia-based international producer of alcoholic beverages that also owns Colorado-based New Belgium Brewing Company.

Reader's Guide

Bell's Brewery holds a significant place in American craft brewing as the oldest existing craft brewery in Michigan and the oldest east of Colorado. Its flagship beer, Two Hearted IPA, has been ranked by the American Homebrewers Association as one of the best beers in the United States, placing #2 from 2010 to 2016 and #1 from 2017 to 2019. The brewery produces nine year-round packaged beers, including Two Hearted IPA, Hazy Hearted IPA, Big Hearted IPA, Light Hearted IPA, Amber Ale, Porter, Lager for the Lakes, No Yeah, and Kalamazoo Stout, along with seasonal offerings such as Oberon Ale, Hopslam, and Expedition Stout. Bell's distribution covers all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The brewery's history includes legal issues: in 1998, it changed the name of its flagship summer beer from Solsun to Oberon due to legal action by Mexican brewing company Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma. In 2006–2008, Bell's was temporarily pulled from the Illinois market due to a distribution dispute, eventually returning through new distributors. The sale of the company to Lion in 2021 marked a transition from family ownership to international corporate ownership, while Upper Hand Brewery, a separately operated division, was sold in 2024.

Did You Know?

• Bell's began brewing beer in 1985 using a 15 USgal soup kettle and open fermenters covered with plastic wrap.
• Two Hearted IPA was ranked #1 beer in the United States by the American Homebrewers Association from 2017 to 2019.
• Bell's flagship summer beer was originally named Solsun but was changed to Oberon in 1998 after legal action by a Mexican brewery.
• In 2021, Bell's was the 6th largest craft brewery in the United States and the largest independently owned brewery in Michigan.

Origins in an Old Maltings

The story of Wychwood Brewery begins on the grounds of the Eagle Maltings, a structure erected in 1841 to process barley for Clinch's brewery, which at one point controlled seventy-one pubs across Southern England. After Courage absorbed Clinch's pub estate in 1961 and shuttered the brewing operation, the site lay dormant for over two decades. In 1983, Paddy Glenny — brother of BBC journalist Misha Glenny — took a bold step by renting part of the old site after securing a modest £18,000 bank loan. Working alongside junior partner Chris Moss, he launched what was initially called Glenny Brewery. Their first brew was Eagle Bitter, quickly renamed Witney Brewery after a legal threat from Charles Wells Brewery, followed by Wychwood Best. The operation also produced a 7.7% barleywine called Little Gem, exported to Italy. By 1990, Glenny sold the venture to Ian Rogers, who renamed it Wychwood Brewery after the ancient forest bordering the town, and relocated production to the Two Rivers Industrial estate, still within Witney.

The Hobgoblin Phenomenon

Hobgoblin, originally conceived as a strong winter ale and named by Paddy Glenny, became the brewery's defining product. Its visual identity was carefully crafted: Andy Farmer first designed the artwork for Glenny, later illustrator Ed Org was commissioned by Ian Rogers, and Dave Noonan created the distinctive typeface. The beer was the first British supermarket ale to carry a full pictorial label with gold embossing and a colour logo. Rogers also commissioned United Glass to produce a clear, Coca-Cola-shaped bottle that helped it climb to fifth-best-selling bottled beer in the UK. Under later owner Rupert Thompson, the "What's the matter, Lagerboy" slogan and a Halloween positioning campaign gave it further cultural punch. At the 2010 G-20 summit in Toronto, Prime Minister David Cameron presented President Barack Obama with a bottle from his hometown. Described as a "Ruby beer," its cask strength has been reduced over the years from an original 6.5% down to 4.5%, while its flavour remains a full-bodied blend of chocolate-toffee malt, moderate bitterness, and fruity character.

Pubs, Supermarkets & Global Ambition

Under Ian Rogers' leadership, Wychwood expanded well beyond the brewery walls. In 1992 he leased nine pub sites from Allied and Inntrepreneur in town centres and university areas, refurbishing them with wood fittings, stone floors, and goblin-and-witch imagery. The first Hobgoblin-branded pub opened in Staines, Surrey, with follow-up locations in Bristol, Bath, Brighton, and High Wycombe, targeting real-ale drinkers and students. Simultaneously, deals with Tesco, Safeway, and Waitrose pushed Hobgoblin into the top five UK beers. By 1999 the chain had grown to 35 pubs, funded in part by investment firm 3i. The brand's cultural footprint extended further: 12,000 branded T-shirts were sold in 1996, and advertisements ran in Viz magazine. In 2000, Wychwood made the inaugural Sunday Times Fast Track 100, and Rogers was invited to the home of Sir Richard Branson. International expansion followed when Rogers met businessman Mark Spencer on an EU trade mission; a Hobgoblin pub opened in Tokyo's Akasaka district, and another in Roppongi, where the beer continues to be sold today.

A Long Road to Closure

The brewery's later decades were marked by a succession of ownership changes. After Chris Moss's death in 2001, investor 3i put the business up for sale. Refresh UK, led by Rupert Thompson, acquired the brewery in 2002, while the 29 Hobgoblin pubs were sold to Balaclava. That chain quickly fell into administration in 2003, was absorbed by Pubs 'N' Bars plc, which itself collapsed in 2009, and the pubs were dispersed, losing their Hobgoblin identity. In 2008, Marston's purchased Refresh UK and with it Wychwood Brewery. Production had long since moved to Burton upon Trent under Marston's operations. In 2020, Marston's brewing arm merged with Carlsberg UK to form Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company, later rebranded Carlsberg Britvic. In September 2023, CMBC announced it would close the Witney brewery in November to consolidate its brewing network amid a fiercely competitive ale market and uncertain economic conditions. At the time of closure, the site employed just six people. The Hobgoblin brand, however, continues to be marketed under the Carlsberg Britvic umbrella.

Gallery