For Whom the Bell's Tolls

It tolls for thee. Yes, you! You've been asking for it for years, and now you've finally got it. Kalamazoo's finest, Bell's Brewery, will be filling up the beer shelves and taking over taps at stores and bars near you this week. Maybe Jubilation can get rid of the 10 or so facings of Golden Road and put Bell's there instead. They deserve it, right? After all, they have the NUMBER ONE RATED IPA, don't they???
Well, that's a big "sort of".

Yes, Zymurgy magazine readers voted Bell's Two Hearted Ale the best beer in the world, unseating perennial winner Pliny the Elder. Zymurgy magazine readers are a hard nut to crack when it comes to being a newer beer trying to make a name in the world. These older homebrewers are set on the classics like Anchor and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Classics for sure, and beers that have earned the recognition they get. But let's face it: Pliny hasn't been the beer I'd choose as the best in the world for years now, and I was a Pliny fanboy. Made multiple trips to Russian River, spent hundreds on bottles and growlers. Worked the parking lot trailer at Falling Rock and thought, "Cool, I'm pouring Pliny!" each time I filled a glass. And now Two Hearted unseats Pliny. Cool. It's a good beer. Maybe you'll think it's the best ever. And maybe some Zymurgy readers are still driving Oldsmobiles and grumbling that Teslas are just a flash in the pan.

But anyway, Bell's has a large portfolio of regulars and some great seasonals and specialty beers. While I may not be drooling at the thought of seeing Bell's Best Brown Ale on tap everywhere in town, there are a number of Bell's beers I look forward to drinking. May even pick up a sixer of Two Hearted for old times sake.