BLOOMINGTON - Twin City beer drinkers must raise their glasses for a fallen comrade.

A tiff between Bell's Brewery Inc. and its distributor ousted the microbrew from the Illinois market. Bell's kegs throughout the state are drying up: Oberon Ale, Java Stout, Two Hearted Ale and other seasonal stouts, porters and ales.

"Bell's is probably our best-selling beer on tap," said Molly Bradle, co-owner and manager of Rosie's Pub in downtown Bloomington. "We sell a ton of it."

Not anymore. The pub ran out of the brew two weeks ago, after ordering three extra Bell's kegs to delay the loss. Bradle replaced it with 312 Urban Wheat, an ale brewed by the popular Goose Island Beer Company in Chicago.

At Fat Jack's pub in downtown Bloomington, a group of professionals gather on Tapper Tuesdays to taste unique brews. The pub has more than a dozen beers on tap, many rotating seasonal blends from microbrews around the country.

Bell's was a leader on the list, said owner Tyler Holloway. While seasonal beers came and went, Bell's varieties were constant.

He bought six barrels and notified loyal Bell's drinkers when he found out he couldn't order anymore. The last Illinois shipment was Oct. 9.

Bell's fans drank at a faster pace, Holloway said, and just two kegs of Java Stout and Two Hearted Ale remained last week.

"Bell's does have a certain flavor and that's not going to be easily replaced," he said. "I'm looking for a company that's going to bring in the seasonals like Bell's did," Holloway said.

Holloway plans to replace Bell's with a revolving door of microbrews, picking up seasonal specials throughout the year.

Some Bell's Oberon drinkers will switch to a comparable beer like Blue Moon, Bradle said.

For the most part, though, the beer is irreplaceable for many customers, she said.

The loss stems from the state's Beer Industry Fair Dealing Act of 1982 that limits brewers to one distributor. Under the law, distributors purchase the rights to certain beers.

Bell's former distributor, National Wine and Spirits Inc., sold the rights to Chicago Beverage Systems, a large Midwestern distributor that carries products from large-scale brewers like Miller Brewing Co., Molson-Coors Brewing Co., Scottish & Newcastle, DIAGEO Guinness USA and others.

Fearing Chicago Beverage would limit Bell's distribution to just two or three of the most popular varieties and ignore Bell's other beers, the brewery decided to just pull out of the market.

Representatives of the two companies were unavailable.

Bell's is still available in neighboring states of Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, Missouri and Kentucky.