Beering Up For The Weekend

A few ports of call to consider during your weekend roaming.

Festival Foods in Oshkosh. The store has just finished putting in another 8-feet of shelf space dedicated to craft beer. It’s easy to miss down at the end of the warm-beer section, but there’s some good stuff there, including a slew of brews Festival hasn’t carried here before. There’s a lot of Moylan’s and Alesmith beer and a few, new canned-craft selections, such as All Day IPA from Founders and Big Axe, a well-regarded double IPA from Minnesota’s Big Wood Brewery. I’ve been thinking a lot about Scottish Ales lately (more to come on Monday) so I went with Moylan’s Kilt Lifter, which I picked up for $5.49 (22 oz. bomber). It’s a Scotch-style ale with a huge aroma of biscuit and caramel malt that delivers the same in flavor. It’s 8% ABV and so easy to drink that you can easily take down a bomber by your lonesome. If you’re into the malt, get this beer.

Hops & Props. It’s happening Saturday night and, according to their website, tickets are still available. If you’re on the fence about this one, I posted the pertinent links and info (including the brewery list) about the event HERE last week.

O’Marro’s Public House. If Hops and Props just isn’t your thing, they have some goings on at O’Marro’s this weekend that might work better for you. On Friday (March 7) they’ll have a special tapping of Jobu, a rum-barrel-aged brown ale from Capital Brewing. They’ll follow that on Saturday with another special beer; this time it’s a 9 p.m. tapping of Abita’s Imperial Stout aged in 20-year-old Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon barrels. Get it while you can, folks.

Dublin’s Irish Pub. If you are going to Hops and Props and craving more when it ends, Dublin’s will be hosting an after party. They’ll have a number of special beers on tap including Alaskan Brewing’s Taku Red River Ale, part of the brewery’s small-batch Rough Draft Export series. Alaskan calls it “a sessionable salute to the Alaskan Imperial Red Ale.” More on that beer HERE. Keep an eye on Dublin’s Facebook page for more info on the after-party.
Quick update: On Friday (March 7) beginning at 6 p.m. Dublin’s will also have a Tallgrass Brewing takover that will include a firkin tapping and a hop-rocketed beer made especially for Dublin’s.

Becket’s. The March edition of the Oshkosh SCENE is now available all over town and in it I have an article about the beer scene at Beckets. Saturday (March 8) would be a good time to check the place out for yourself. Tin Sandwich Blues Band will be playing (with the Society of Oshkosh Brewers own Mike Engel on base and IPA) and, of course, there’s always plenty of good beer on draught. I’d suggest the Louie's Reserve Scotch Ale from Lake Louie Brewery of Arena, WI. This is a 10% ABV, chewy, malt-bomb of a beer that’s been getting raves on Beer Advocate. I had one yesterday and thoroughly agree with the consensus.

New Glarus Coffee Stout. I gotta throw this one in. NG’s Coffee Stout started flowing into town last week and this year’s iteration is as tasty as ever. Just like the title says, a good hit of coffee comes through in the aroma and flavor - with some sweet milk underneath - leading to a silky, almost slick mouthfeel that’s kept in check with a modest bittering. I also like the smoked-malt character of this one quite a bit. An unassuming beer that’s fairly exceptional when you stop to think about it. You can find this beer just about anywhere you care to look for it. Oh, the things we take for granted around here. Have a great weekend!