Kalamazoo Brewing Co./Eccentric Cafe

September 25, 2008
Again a Michigan brewpub located in a very ugly, semi-industrial neighborhood where laods of traffic pass by (I wonder where they can be headed). Nevertheless, entering inside, you forget about the traffic, the brick and stylish arts make it appealing enough, though the very high ceilings removed any sens of coziness. I was surprised, but I would not want to spend a whole evening here... and I love Bells. The menu was certainly interesting enough. They even changed a keg while I was there, putting Double Oberon on, a nice bonus. Also could score some bourbon cherry stout at the adjacent shop (I’ve not seen it elsewhere). The prices are okays, but perhaps not as cheap as I’d anticipated (5$ pint, 4$ glass). I’d not necessarily stop by again unless I knew they had expedition or a particularly impressive seasonal on. I’d call ahead to know what’s on.

August 1, 2008
Very professional operation. Lots of bottles for sale along with Bell’s swag in the General Store. Huge selection on tap (well over a dozen) and a friendly staff in the Cafe. Well worth a visit for anyone in the area.

July 22, 2008
(Visited 7-12-08) What in the world makes you think that I WOULD visit here?!? I earned a LIFETIME BAN from this place in October 2000, but I just had to see how the enemy was doing... Very loud Lilith Fair castoff over head on the speakers, gave me a headache in 5 minutes and made me slam back the rest of my brew- nice to see things haven’t changed. The help was really pushing the new Grand Hotel Ale, but only had a Two Hearted and knew better. Cashier in the general store made the comment that Bells still doesn’t ship beer when she saw my license. Responded I spent less money at Old Hat ($28) than here ($42 for the pint and 2 six’ers, f’n EH!) and had a much better time. Overall- let eveyone come here- I’ll be down the street west until M40, then south until Lawton. Yep.

July 13, 2008
Finally made it to the reason for trip, Bells Eccentric Café. Thanks to terrible yahoo directions it took me a while to find this place. I was very excited to come here after checking the website the previous night was kind of disappointed to find the list on the board was nothing like the list on the website. Oh well, I’m still at Bells and there’s four offering I hadn’t had. Two level brew pub, seat yourself, order yourself and cash only. Food offerings were on the lighter side, though the pretzel with cheese was good. Gift ship had lots of interesting stuff. Perhaps I expected a bit too much from here, but the visit was still decent.

July 7, 2008
decent food, great beer

June 16, 2008 [ Updated July 26, 2008 ]
Cool little place tucked away in industrial park. Very neat decor...even if I couldn’t get what they were going for...eclectic I suppose. The waitress was very nice, but the tap list was a bit disappointing. Not sure if we came on an off day or if it is a typical thing. No growlers either. The way to order food was a pain too, but not bad because the crowd was light. Average fare.

June 6, 2008
An original place. Not very large is square meters but with very high cellings. Bricks and wood this place feels authentic old pub. Food menu is very limited. I had a California Ruben and it was good but really the menu there is more snacks than full meals. If you require a full meal and craftbeer go to the Olde Peninsula brewpub less than five minutes walk away. Eclectic crowd of all ages. Some your people playing chess, some old folks talking about the good old days, and so on… Surprisingly appropriate western/country music with a banjo sound that felt just right with the place, Also some more standard soft rock. When I was there they had about 12 beers on tap. Of the 12 only two were not bottled. Many of the regulars were there (Hopslam, Tow Hearted, etc.) and the two brewpub-only beers, the very good Wild One and the interesting Poolside Raspberry Wheat.

May 5, 2008
Visited after driving from DLD. Good vibe and groove to the place. Crowded on a late Saturday afternoon. Surprisingly full of children. Like, too many children. Bartenders seemed overwhelmed and flippant. No real interaction. Questions were answered abruptly with no real sincerity. The selection of draft beers were almost identical to what they bottle. Which is fine if you have never had their beer, which is all wonderful! Personally, I was looking for more small batch and exclusive brews, to which there were only two. So, my friends and I had maybe two pints, and abruptly left for another destination. Didn’t really hit the beer garden. Couldn’t find a place to sit inside either. This may be an essential stop in Kalamazoo, but it certainly didn’t live up to my expectations. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE Bell’s beers, but I guess that I was slightly dissapointed. I had a better time at the giftshop.

May 1, 2008
Post DLD road trip. Eccentric cafe indeed. Lots of wood and brick with tall ceilings. Gotta love those stained glass windows, and the giant insect displays hanging on the walls. Nice down to earth, relaxed vibe. Notable brews on tap included Hopslam, Java Stout, and a surprising Wild One sour. The gift/bottle shop next door is also worth a visit. Well worth the detour off I-94.

April 30, 2008
Stopped at the Eccentric Cafe on the way to Dark Lord Day. Gorgeous medium-wooden interior: bright, bold stained glass windows, eccentric (surprise) wall hangings, pleasant waitstaff and plenty of tasty vegetarian options. There’s a patio outside, with hop trellises, lots of grass and tulips and a small pavilions for concerts. Just a great place to hang out and have a beer. They had four new Bell’s beers that I haven’t had before (Scotch Ale, Wild One, Big Head, and one other one that I can’t recall right now) in addition to at least ten or so of their staples, bottles and on tap. The bean and rice burrito was excellent, served with fresh salsa and chips. As artusory noted, if I did grad school around here, I would have flunked out. Just a really great brewpub with relaxing ambiance. Glad we stopped.