Bell's Brewing

The craft beer business is showing no signs of slowing down, according to an industry website.

What's not to love about taking a Monday off, or playing hookey in the afternoon, and just enjoying our beer and some food and live music.

We're a few days away from what is essentially a state holiday, Oberon Day. But what has happened since the last Oberon Day and the one on March 21st begs the question: Is Bell's still a craft brewer of craft beer?

It's like a once in a lifetime day today. 2-22-22 is the date, and I screwed up. I want to apologize to all local beer drinkers, and mostly, to one of craft beers' patron saints, Larry Bell.

A tweet from Bell's does remind us that Oberon Day is March 21st this year.

In a shocking announcement Wednesday afternoon, Larry Bell said he'll be retiring and selling his eponymous brewery to Australian brewer Lion, which two years ago bought New Belgium Brewing in Colorado.

There are acts of kindness and generosity everywhere, and many don't get widely recognized, but here's one that will be. And, in fact, it's a win-win. Thursday, July 29th is National Chicken Wing Day, and for the second year in a row, Bell's will be raising awareness about the problem of hunger among the nation’s seniors.

Larry Bell, founder of Bell's Brewery, recently found a bottle of beer he brewed in 1987, "while rooting around the cellar". And he gave it a sip. And his reaction might surprise you.

Bell's is spiffing up the logo and packaging for its Best Brown for this Fall. The owl remains on the label, but now, the owl looks more like a sports team logo.

In the grand scheme of things, its merely a disappointment, but Bell's Brewery has announced there will be no Oberon Day this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the precautionary measure being taken to keep people safe. At the same time, Bell's announced Oberon would be arriving in stores early.