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Virginia, Meet Bell’s Beer

The day has finally come.

Bell’s, a craft brewery from Michigan, has long been one of our favorite breweries, but the beer is only available in the Midwest. (rumor has it that Larry Bell, the owner, doesn’t want to sacrifice the quality of his beer in shipments across such long distances.) A few months ago, we began to see Bell’s at restaurants and bars in D.C. and Virginia. Not a huge selection though–just one or two varieties on tap. Could it be, we thought? Is Bell’s finally coming to the East Coast?

Yes, they are! I was thrilled to find that the Whole Foods in Reston, Virginia carries not one, but seven kinds of Bell’s Beer! And the Whole Foods is right next to my gym, so what better way to finish a workout than with a tasty Bell’s Best Brown? (Kind of defeats the purpose, eh.)

If you live in the D.C. area, and you enjoy craft-brewed beers, I highly recommend that you keep your eye out for Bell’s Beer. If you live in the Midwest, well, you already know. Bells Beer in Virginia!

Comments 4

  1. brandon wrote:

    I love Bell’s beer too! They should sell it in Boston so I can drink it.

    Posted 28 Jan 2007 at 11:10 am
  2. Brie wrote:

    As a former resident of Kalamazoo this exictes me to no end! I actually make a point to travel to Kalamazoo once a year, at the end of summer to be sure I have my Oberon fix before the season is over. How how I miss the beginning of Oberon season!!! Its a true joy to know that (maybe) I can find oberon at Whole Foods. Thanks for spreading the word : )

    Posted 29 Jan 2007 at 12:06 pm
  3. L.A. King wrote:

    Brie-
    Oberon is one of my FAVORITE parts of summer as well. Sadly, I have not been able to partake of the wonderful nectar that is Oberon nearly as much as I’d like to since moving to D.C. Hopefully, this has now changed and we will once again experience that delicious wonderfulness known as Bell’s Oberon.

    Posted 29 Jan 2007 at 5:32 pm
  4. barb wrote:

    as a dc resident, but transplant from kalamazoo, i too was thrilled to see bell’s make its way out to the east coast! we owe our good fortune to illinois’ beer distribution laws that allow a distribution contract to be resold without the permission of the supplier/seller. larry bell’s contract got resold & he didn’t like the new distribution company or its policies. the only way to stop it without incurring cost or litigation was to pull out of illinois altogether. he did just that rather than deal with a distributor that he didn’t think would look after his beer. you gotta admire the man’s love for his beer. more complete description of what happened:

    http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/bells/

    at any rate, regardless of the reason, i love being able to order oberon on tap and easily find two-hearted and best brown. although my friends in chicago aren’t too pleased.

    Posted 11 May 2007 at 1:47 pm