UPDATE FEB. 17: Two more places have announced Bell�s Brewery launch events. Via 313 will have four of Bell�s Brewery favorites at the Oak Hill and North Campus locations � the two brick-and-mortar spots � along with a special pizza, the Hat Trick, loaded with three different types of pepperonis. That launch will be from 6 to 9 p.m. March 2.

It�s no surprise the pizza restaurant is supporting Bell�s: Via 313, like Bell�s, is from Michigan.

Banger�s Sausage House & Beer Garden is launching the same day as Hopfields (see below) with a celebration tied to Fat Tuesday, Feb. 28. The Rainey Street bar will have a whopping nine of Bell�s beers on tap, including the Consecrator Doppelbock, a traditional example of the Old World style. Drink �em while snacking on boudin balls and beignets as part of the Mardi Gras party from 6 to 9 p.m. that evening.

EARLIER: Texas beer lovers have been salivating since last spring at the announcement that a much-coveted Michigan brewery, Bell�s Brewery, was headed our way. Now, we don�t have to wait too much longer � about another two weeks.

On Feb. 28, Hopfields will be the first bar in Austin to feature the Bell�s lineup. That will include the beer that Bell�s, which is already in 30 other states, has made specifically for the Texas market: an American IPA called Am I Right or Amarillo. According to Bell�s, the hoppy beer marks the first time the brewery has produced �a beer specifically for a new�market.�

The beer, as hop aficionados might have guessed, was brewed entirely with Amarillo hops and has �big, bold aromas of citrus and tropical fruit, balanced with a firm malt�backbone,� according to Bell�s. The one-off batch of Am I Right or Amarillo is primarily going into 12 oz. six-packs, but a limited number of bars and restaurants, like Hopfields, will also have it on draft.

Hopfields isn�t sure yet what other Bell�s Brewery beers will be available just yet, so keep an eye on social media for updates. But the campus-area pub does plan to have Michigan-inspired food pairings to go along with your pour or flight, as well as free glassware and branded swag.

Another beer bar, Easy Tiger, is also planning a big launch party on March 1. On that day, you�ll be able to purchase a $10 flight with some of Bell�s mainstays brews: Lager of the Lakes, Two Hearted Ale, Porter and Kalamazoo Stout. If you�re one of the first 50 people to buy the flight, you�ll come away with a free swag bag. And if you just want to nurse a can of Two Hearted � another American IPA, this one brewed with 100 percent Centennial hops � you can do that, too.

Easy Tiger�s sister restaurants will have a tap or two of Bell�s beer as well. The ELM Restaurant Group, which owns each of them, is thus launching a Passport promotion. Have the flight at the launch party or the four featured beers individually at Easy Tiger; then, get a stamp at Italic, Irene�s and 24 Diner showing you�ve had their Bell�s beer on draft as well. Once you�ve visited each spot and gotten your Bell�s fix, you will receive a Bell�s shirt, hat and glass.

Got that straight? Italic will be tapping the Amber Ale on March 3, Irene�s will have the Oatsmobile Ale on March 6 and 24 Diner is offering the Amarillo IPA on March 8.

We�ll update this blog with more places that are throwing Bell�s Brewery launch events once we see them.

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