Oshkosh Beer Sampler 018: The Maibock is Back

A slanted and endless survey of what’s pouring in Oshkosh, tallied one beer at a time.

What: Maibock Lager

Where: Fratellos in Oshkosh

Why: Well for one reason, if you stop in this afternoon (Thursday, April 18) from 5-7 p.m., they’ll give you a free mug of the stuff. More importantly, it’s a damned fine beer. I haven’t tasted this year’s brew, yet, but I’ve had plenty of this beer in the past and it’s always been a beauty. It’s an absolutely traditional Maibock, a strong spring lager that leads with toasty, Munich malt and finishes with a firm and spicy hop bitterness. It weighs in at about 6.5% ABV, lending the beer a comfortable warming quality. This is one of my favorite Fox River Brewing Company beers and it couldn’t come a moment too soon. Lately, I’ve been bitching to anyone who will listen about the dearth of quality Bocks available in Oshkosh. Now, I can damper my grumbling. One last thing: In addition to the free beer, Fratellos is also going to be giving brewery tours and will have The Mad Pole Cats playing. A good way to get the weekend started.