KALAMAZOO, MI –

It's up to Kalamazoo beer-lovers to coin the city as the next

destination.

The official Beer City USA poll went live Monday and craft beer buffs gathered at Bell's Brewery on Monday night to get out the vote. In addition to Kalamazoo, 21 other cities across the country are vying for the title.

A mitten-state rivalry is also brewing as Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids are the other cities in Michigan seeking the title. The poll's comment section has also prompted spirited debate among beer aficionados in the three cities.

Related:

The fighting words prompted Kalamazoo Mayor Bobby Hopewell to remind folks to "play nice" via social media and at the first #Beer4Kzoo kick-off event Monday night at Bell's.

The voting competition was created to highlight the "coherent nature of beer communities and recognize the importance of responsible enjoyment and social interaction," poll founder Charlie Papazian

. Papazian is an author and founder of the Great American Beer Festival, held annually in Denver.

In the spirit of making nice with our fellow beer-loving Michigan cities, here are a five reasons why Kalamazoo should be named Beer City USA, besides being named the No. 4 best Beer City by Livability.com last year:

1. Kalamazoo is home to the largest and oldest craft brewery in the state of Michigan and east of Colorado.

Founder Larry Bell began brewing in a 15-gallon soup kettle and sold his first beer 1985. Now, the brewery

is considered the No. 7 top craft brewer in the nation, selling 216,000 barrels of beer across the country in 2012. Bell's Eccentric Café was the first tasting room in Michigan in 1993.

The brewery employs more than 200 people at the Eccentric Café in downtown Kalamazoo and at its 200-barrel brew house facility in Comstock, among other locations. The brewery continues to expand in Michigan.

Bell's home-brewing general store has helped foster a robust home brewing community in Southwest Michigan for groups such as the Kalamazoo Libation Organization of Brewers . Bell has also long held a seat at the table with lawmakers overseeing the industry. Bell's claims its Expedition Stout is one of the first examples of an American-made Russian imperial stout and has dedicated Oberon, Two-Hearted and Hopslam fans nationwide.

2. Kalamazoo folks have been sipping on craft beer for more than a century.

T

wo commercial breweries began brewing craft beer in the late 1830s and continued to until 1915, when the county went dry, according to Keith Howard, of the Kalamazoo Public Library who

. Larry Bell got the brewing scene hopping again in the mid-1980s when he founded the Kalamazoo Brewing Co., which later became Bell's Brewery. Here's

Upcoming craft-beer businesses

3. Brewpubs and craft brewers are flocking to Kalamazoo to set up shop.

While some first-time business ventures have found Kalamazoo the perfect place to call home, the well-known Arcadia Brewing Co. is opening a $6.2 million production facility and barbecue brewpub in Kalamazoo this year.

Those new locations will join Kalamazoo's beer-rich, micro-culture community.

Bilbo's

Pizza makes its own beer, as does

. Kalamazoo also features several restaurants and bars,

including

,

and

, among others, that emphasize Michigan craft beer.

While the inner-city growth is certainly worth bragging about, new breweries opening in Portage, Constantine, Bridgman, and Three Rivers are also in the works.

4. Kalamazoo is in comfortable driving distance to some of the hottest craft beer destinations in the state.

Kalamazoo is in close proximity to Marshall, home to Dark Horse Brewing Co.; Paw Paw, home to Paw Paw Brewing Co.; Sawyer, home to Greenbush Brewing Co.; Battle Creek, where Arcadia is currently located; Benton Harbor, home to The Livery and, of course, Chicago and Grand Rapids, a current Beer City, USA destination. Kalamazoo is a great spot to anchor for anyone hoping to try the best of Michigan's craft beer.

5. Kalamazoo dedicates an entire week to celebrating craft beer during Kalamazoo Beer Week.

started KBW in 2011 and has since expanded the event to include more distributors and breweries. It went from 16 events in the first year to more than 100 events.

The growing craft beer industry stole the spotlight for a few days with beer-tasting events, craft beer bar-takeovers and pub crawls during the third

, which took place in January.

The Beer City USA poll will be open until 1:59 a.m. on Saturday and

collected some 56,000 votes last year, when Grand Rapids and

Asheville, N.C.

earned the title.

Leave why you think Kalamazoo should be named the next Beer City, USA in the comment section below.

Mlive.com/Kalamazoo Gazette Reporters Emily Monacelli and John Liberty contributed to this report. Correction: This article incorrectly stated Rex Halfpenny founded the Kalamazoo Brewing Co., which later became Bell's Brewery Inc. Larry Bell founded the Kalamazoo Brewing Co. and Bell's Brewery Inc.

Contact Ursula Zerilli at uzerilli@mlive.com or 269-254-5295. Follow her on twitter.