Kalamazoo Brewing Company, Inc.

Kalamazoo Brewing Company is locally referred to as "Bell's" (in homage to its founder, and in reference to Larry Bell's name whose monicker adorns nearly every bottle of beer from the brewery). Bell's beers can be found throughout the country in specialty shops and extensively in the Midwest. It's no surprise to beer lovers to find out the brewry has a lively bar/cafe on site, and the most diverse bar crowd in Kalamazoo (a college town to be sure) converges on Bell's Eccentric Cafe every night of the week. There's food, snacks, beer a gorgeous outdoor beer garden (opens near Memorial Day and closes near Labor Day) where bands perform in the summer as well as a nicely converted warehouse space indoors for quaffing a few pints. The only con to this place is their insistance on booking "Jam Bands" (Grateful Dead knockoffs) at least 3 nights a week. In the winter, when you cannot escape the noise, it gets a little old. In the summer, if you dislike the band, you can escape inside (or outside...depending on the location of the band) and it's less of an issue. Highly recommended. Best bar in the area, and across the street from another small brewery (Kraftbrau) specializing in german beers.