Breweriana Show in Oshkosh

On Sunday, October 4, beginning at noon, Fifth Ward Brewing Company in Oshkosh will host a brewery collectibles trade show. The free event will feature beer-related memorabilia that spans more than a century of American brewing history. It's been almost 40 years since the last time a show like this was held in Oshkosh. The man who's working to organize it wasn't even alive then.

Jared Sanchez.

Jared Sanchez is 32, and despite having a full-time job, a wife, and a young daughter, he manages to make time for his obsession: collecting items related to American brewing history. Or as hobbyists like Sanchez call it, breweriana.

"My interest in brewing history began when my college roommate, Zach Clark, started brewing beer in our college house basement with Ian Wenger," Sanchez says. Clark and Wenger went on to establish Fifth Ward Brewing. Meanwhile, Sanchez was studying up on Oshkosh brewing history and searching for remnants of the city's old breweries. But his pursuits grew more focused after a 2014 chance encounter with fellow collector Ron Akin.

Akin is co-author of the book The Breweries of Oshkosh and has amassed the preeminent collection of Oshkosh-related brewery memorabilia. "I had bought a Tonka Truck off of eBay and I had no idea that the seller was Ron Akin," Sanchez says. "When I arrived to pick up my purchase we talked for a few minutes and he asked if I collected anything else. I told him I collected Chief Oshkosh Beer items and his face lit up. He asked me if I wanted to see his collection. The moment I saw his basement, my life was never the same."

Now, Sanchez wants to pay the inspiration forward. "I wanted to set up this show as a way to promote the hobby and bring collectors together in the area and spark some local interest in the brewing history of Oshkosh," he says. "I wanted to put something together where we could all gather and enjoy time together and share our interests."

Many of the items displayed will have ties to Oshkosh, but Sanchez says the scope of the show will be broad. "People can expect to see items from breweries all across the state and country," he says. “There will be items from before Prohibition all the way up to more current things."

At least 15 vendors will be on hand to display their items. Sanchez encourages those who might be interested in showing their collections to contact him at 920-410-7073. His goal is to generate enough interest to ensure that it won’t be another 40 years before the next breweriana show happens here. “I hope to host this event annually,” Sanchez says. “I want to keep the hobby alive so that brewing history is never forgotten.”