Thursday, September 06, 2012

Bell's continuously evolving Eccentric Café still a must visit for any true Beer Hound

Written by  Dan VanderKooi
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Bell's continuously evolving Eccentric Café still a must visit for any true Beer Hound

I’ve been making up for lost time with Bell’s Eccentric Café this year. There was a time back in the day where Bell’s was pretty much an annual pilgrimage for my friends and I. In recent years, the influx of breweries in Southwest Michigan has made it easy to take fresh and locally made beer for granted - but it’s always still worth the extra trip to visit the brewpub that has single handedly put Michigan beer on the brew map. Plus if you haven’t been there in awhile, you might be surprised at all of the renovation that has been going on…
I had actually stopped in back a year or so ago while the renovations were still in progress. Noted the expansion to 2 bars, yet no notable expansion to kitchen. The Eccentric Café is still primarily about their beer... often around 20 taps including most staples and seasonals, as well as 8 or so pub exclusives. While still mostly known for Two-Hearted, Oberon, and the many darker porters and stouts, if you have an opportunity to try the mead I highly recommend it. If you are wanting some grub, rest-assured. Bell’s still off a pretty basic but standard variety of soups, sandwiches, and appetizers.

On our recent visit, we munched on some pretzels with mustard and cheese as well as sampling some of the soup. Bell’s Octoberfest fans take note: The popular fall lager is now on tap at the brewery, but will not be available in 6-packs this year. So you will want to get some when and where you can!