KALAMAZOO, MI – As Shakespeare's Pub prepares to celebrate its 11th anniversary Saturday, co-owner Ted Vadella says he still can't believe his dream of owning a bar has become a reality.

"We're just two guys who worked at a bar during college," said Vadella, 39, when asked how he and partner Scott Makohn, 43, got started. "I don't think we ever thought 11 years would come so fast.

"It's like we've never grown up."

The two Western Michigan University grads, who opened their restaurant/bar on July 19, 2003, will celebrate their anniversary this year the same way they have for the past three, by offering more than 40 draft beers never served before in Kalamazoo.

Vadella said the idea to offer so many exclusive drafts on their anniversary started as a small joke since bars and breweries throughout Kalamazoo often have friendly competitions for tapping individual brews for the first time.

"I said three years ago I was going to tap all of mine on anniversary," Vadella said with a laugh. "So that's what we've done ever since."

This year's list will include beers from 10 Michigan breweries, including Bell's, Short's, Dark Horse and New Holland, in addition to a host of selections from throughout the country.

Kalamazoo residents will likely be eager to try Bell's Honey Hearted Ale, which Vadella said is an aged Two-Hearted Ale with a whopping 16.3 percent ABV never previously tapped by Bell's.

"I can't say enough about how supportive Bell's is to us," Vadella said of the hometown brewery.

The 20,000 square-foot bar, which features upper and lower levels can house nearly 900 people in addition to a patio that can hold another 125, will also feature three of California-based brewery Sierra Neveda's "Beers Across America," another selection Vadella said he is thrilled to bring to Kalamazoo for the first time.

Those hoping to sample several of the brews are in luck, as Vadella says they never go through an entire keg in one day.

"The thing with these events is people want to try them all, so we try to make as many different flights as we can so people can go through them," he said. "It's like a beer festival almost that's meeting you at your local pub."

The pub, located at 241 E. Kalamazoo Ave., will open Saturday at 11 a.m. and close at 2 a.m.

Here is a tentative list of 44 beers that will be offered:

1.) Sprecher- Orange Cream Soda

2.) Dogfish Head- Namaste

3.) Dogfish Head- Rosabi

4.) Bell's- Honey Hearted

5.) Bell's- Baroness Von Nordwestlich

6.) B Nektar- The Dude's Rug

7.) B Nektar- Slice of Life

8.) Left Hand- Homefront

9.) Great Lakes- Wandering Pelican

10.) Tapistry- Happy Colored Marbles

11.) Founder's Honey Wheat

12.) Sierra Nevada/New Glarus Collaboration

13.) Sierra Nevada/Bell's Collaboration

14.) Sierra Nevada/Three Floyds Collaboration

15.) New Belgium/Three Floyds Collaboration

16.) New Belgium-Love Blackberry

17.) New Belgium- Beer de Peach

18.) Rogue- 7 Hop IPA

19.) Right Brain- Cool Hand Cuke

20.) Right Brain- Thai Peanut

21.) Right Brain- North Shore Iron Works

22.) Short's- It's About Thyme

23.) Short's- Hammer Jack

24.) Short's- Bourbon Ben's Asthma

25.) Short's- DeclarationALE

26.) Arbor- Bumble White Russian Stout

27.) Arbor- Sour Cherry Stout

28.) Arbor- Hot Haus Harvest Sour

29.) New Holland- Coffee Dragon's Milk

30.) New Holland- Incorrigible Reserve Franc

31.) Paw Paw Brewing- Strawberry Blonde

32.) Oddside Ales- Helles Yes Lime

33.) Oddside Ales- Lucid Dreams

34.) Perrin- Ain't No Sunshine

35.) Latitude 42/Ninkasi- One for the Rogue

36.) Greenbush- Sotto Voce

37.) Green Flash- Special Cuvee Trippel

38.) Hideout- Rebellion Mead

39.) Hideout- Bourbon Barrel Cider

40.) Kuhnhenn-Summer Wonder

41.) Kuhnhenn-Back 9 Belgian Blonde

42.) Kuhnhenn- Pollux

43.) Griffin Claw- Project Clementine

44.) Dark Horse- Raspberry Ice

Alex Mitchell covers county government and taxes for the Kalamazoo Gazette. Email him at amitche5@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter.