Bell’s Brewery (Kalamazoo, Michigan) is one of the largest and most celebrated craft breweries in the country. Its beers such as Two Hearted Ale and Oberon Ale regularly top best of lists (including those in this magazine), and there are plenty of professional brewers who will tell you that they tried to dial in Bell’s recipes during their homebrewing days.
Now for those looking to dial in their clone brews, Bell’s is making it a little easier. It recently introduced its house yeast, created by Imperial Yeast, and is making it available through its General Store.
“We recently hooked up with Imperial Yeast, and I love their products and their people, and it seemed like a great fit,” says David Curtis, Bell’s General Store operations manager. “Packaging our yeast for homebrewers is something I’ve wanted to do for several years. I threw the idea out to Owner Larry Bell and Brewmaster John Mallett a couple times in the past, but never really got much traction. This time, we got everyone on board and were able to make it happen fairly quick.”