Cask Beer Tonight at Gardina’s

For the 26th installment of Gardina’s Beer Bar Series, they’re going old school.

Remember when these things started back in the summer of 2013? Me either. And I was there. Maybe that’s why. Anyway, when they launched this series, it was a simple, elementary sort of event. They’d put a cask of beer up on the bar, hammer a tap into it and everybody would drink.

But the scope has expanded. These days, there’s often a four-course tasting menu and tap takeover running in conjunction with the cask beer. Not tonight.

Tonight (Tuesday, February 16) they’ll do like they used to. They’ll put up a cask of beer and let her flow. This time it's Abita Brewing’s Horchata Turbodog, an English-style Brown Ale that’s been seasoned in the cask with vanilla beans and cinnamon. Sounds delicious.

The tap gets hammered in and the beer starts flowing at 6 p.m. Enjoy.

Tonight: Gardina's Beer Bar Series Vol. 25

And in case you've yet to see this, here's the full rundown on the cask, the taps and the beer dinner happening tonight at Gardina's.

Gardina's Beer Bar Series Vol. 25

Fox River Brewing Co.
Oshkosh, WI

Tuesday, November 19th at 6 PM 

Firkin tapping at 6 PM sharp

This months featured cask is Fox River Brewing Co. Abbey Normal (a Belgian-style Dubbel) conditioned on Brandy-soaked Oak chips.

In addition to the cask tapping, we will be featuring three of FRBC's unique beers on tap in a mini tap-takeover!

FRBC Wildflower Wit

FRBC One Size Fits All West Coast-style IPA

FRBC Port Barrel-aged Belgian Quadrupel

We will also be offering 4 oz flights of the FRBC beers!

Please join us Tuesday, January 19th at 6 PM!

Back by popular demand, we will also be offering our four course chef's tasting menu to pair with the four Fox River brews. You can arrive at any time during normal dinner service hours to take part in this fantastic pairing of culinary creations and world class craft beer! 

Chef's Tasting Menu

$32 Per Person, tax and gratuity not included!

Course 1 Wildflower Wit
Paired with a hot Brussels sprout salad with crispy prosciutto, caramelized fennel, crushed hazelnuts and finished with a Wildflower honey vinaigrette 

Course 2 One Size Fits All IPA
Paired with a scallop Ceviche topped with pickled pineapple, served over avocado Carpaccio and finished with Blaum Bros. Hellfyre Vodka foam

Course 3 Abbey Normal Cask w/ Brandied Oak Chips
Paired with a Chateaubriand of pork, prepared Sous Vide with a tuxedo barley risotto and finished with a wild mushroom jus 

Course 4 Port Barrel-aged Belgian Quadrupel
Paired with a smoked walnut and cranberry cake, finished with Creme Anglaise
 
Presented by Head Chef Dane Campbell

We are accepting reservations for parties of 6 or more, for smaller parties please arrive early as we do expect this event to be very popular!

Oshkosh Beer Show #31 – Abbey Normal

This week we’re behind the bar at Gardina’s in Oshkosh drinking Abbey Normal, a Belgian-style dubbel brewed by our local Fox River Brewing Company. We gab about the beer and the upcoming cask tapping at Gardina’s on January 19, 2016. For details on that check out THIS.

The Weekend Begins Tonight

A couple of prime beer happenings to get you up and over the mid-week hump. And it all begins tonight with...

Gardina's Beer Bar Series Vol. 23
Tuesday, October 20 at 6 p.m., Gardina's will unbung a cask of O'so Black Scotch Ale that's been spiced with brandy soaked oak chips. In addition to the cask, they'll have three other O'so beers on tap as well as an optional dinner pairing menu featuring the four O'so beers. For the beers, the food and the full rundown, take a gander over here.

Then on Wednesday night, we have...

Dublin's Bell's Beer Dinner
Wednesday, October 21 at 6 p.m., Dublin's will host another of its fabulous beer dinners, this time featuring the beers of Michigan's exalted  Bell's Brewery. A seat at the table is just $30 and you can pick them up at the pub. For the full menu and beer pairings, give a click to this here.

Bon appétit!

Cask Beer & More Tonight at Gardina's

Has it already been a month? It has, which means it's time again for the 22nd installment of Gardina's Beer Bar Series. The featured brewery tonight (Tuesday, September 15) is Central Waters. Here's the rundown.

At 6 p.m., they'll tap a cask of Pumpkin Puppy Porter, a variation on Central Waters' Mudpuppy Porter that's been brewed with pumpkin and dosed with pumpkin pie spices in the cask.

In addition to the cask beer, there'll be a mini-tap takeover with three other Central Waters beers on draft.
     • 2015 Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale
     • Octoberfest Lager
     • Glacial Trail IPA

And if you'd like, you can pair the four CW beers with a four course tasting menu that's being prepared just for tonight. For $30, you get....

Course 1
Glacial Trail IPA
Paired with a spinach salad with fresh cherries, crumbled goat cheese, walnut-balsamic vinaigrette, and spiced pepitas.

Course 2
Octoberfest Lager
Paired with a wild mushroom & spinach risotto served over caramelized sweet potato, finished with sage oil & parmesan.

Course 3
Bourbon Barrel Scotch Ale
Paired with a braised beef short rib served over a kale and crisp prosciutto melange, finished with a pan jus lie.

Course 4
Pumpkin Puppy Cask Ale
Paired with a cinnamon roll served over a butternut squash puree with toasted macadamia nuts and drizzled with a maple bourbon frosting.

It all happens tonight beginning at 6 p.m. at Gardina's.

On Tap for Tonight: Gardina's Beer Bar Volume 21.

Tonight – as in the evening of Tuesday, August 18 – Gardina's in Oshkosh will crack open another cask of rare beer. This time it's a firkin of Happy Summer IPA from Sheboygan's 3 Sheeps Brewing Co.

Happy Summer starts with a base of Amarillio, citra, and mosaic hops. The brewers at 3 Sheeps then dry-hopped this particular cask with another coveted dose of citra. Sounds juicy. At 7% ABV and 70+ IBUs, it's an IPA that's big where it ought to be.

In addition to the cask beer, Gardina's will have three additional 3 Sheeps brews on tap: Rebel Kent the First Belgian-style Amber Ale, Really Cool Waterslides IPA with gin-soaked white birch barrel staves and dry hop additions, and Paid Time Off Imperial Black Wheat Ale with cocoa nibs, coconut and walnuts. For $10, you can try a flight of all four 3 Sheeps beers.

And as they've been doing lately at these tastings, Gardina's will offer a separate, four-course dinner to pair with the 3 Sheeps lineup of beers. Come hungry.

It all starts at 6 p.m. with James Owen of 3 Sheeps on hand to answer your questions about the beer and the brewery. See you there!

Fresh, Cask Beer Tonight at Gardina's

Gardina’s. Cask beer. Tonight. 6 p.m.
I should just leave it there. Of course, you know I won’t. Here’s the full run down...

Tonight, (Tuesday, July 21) at 6 p.m. a cask of Door County Brewing Co. Silurian Stout will be cracked into. This is DCBC’s milk stout and this particular cask is conditioning at this very moment on a bed of cocoa nibs, toasted coconut, and vanilla bean.

Danny McMahon, brewmaster at DCBC, will be on hand to talk about the beer and whatever else you care to quiz him about (you might want to ask him about brewing farmhouse ales, it seems to be turning into his thing).

In addition to the cask, there will also be a mini-tap takeover with three other DCBC beers on tap: Biere de Siegle Rye Farmhouse Ale, Little Sister Witbier, and Big Sister Witbier with Hibiscus. Gardina’s will offer a flight of all four DCBC beers for $8.

Meanwhile, the chefs at Gardina’s will prepare their nightly dinner specials to pair with the four beers. You could make an evening of it.

That’s enough, right? Nope. Being an obsessive it occurs to me that with this being the 20th entry in Gardina's Beer Bar Series, now might be an appropriate time to look back on the tappings that have preceded tonights event. It’s like the beer geek version of trainspotting. This ought to jog a few memories...

Vol. 01: August 20, 2013. O’so Hopdinger Pale Ale infused with lemon, grapefruit, sweet orange, and tangerine peels.

Vol. 02: September 17, 2013. O’so Sweet Lady Stout infused with vanilla beans and cocoa nibs.

Vol. 03: October 15, 2013. Destihl Brewing Co.’s Sour Hawaii Five-Ale.

Vol. 04: November 19, 2013. Tall Grass Brewing Co.’s 8-Bit Pale Ale with Blackberries, Orange Peel. Dry-hopped with Centennial Hops.

Vol. 05: December 17, 2013. Goose Island’s Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout.

Vol. 06: January 28, 2014. Tallgrass Brewing Buffalo Sweat Oatmeal Cream Stout with blueberries, chocolate, cinnamon sticks and brown sugar. (This date was actually cancelled due to weather. It was later combined with Vol. 07 of the series).

Vol. 07: February 18, 2004. Dogfish Head World Wide Stout.

Vol. 08: March 18, 2014. Hinterland’s Saison infused with raspberries.

Vol. 09: April 15, 2014. Central Waters Illumination Double IPA with coconut and pineapple juice.

Vol. 10: May 20, 2014. O’so El Dorado SMASH IPA.

Vol. 11: June 17, 2014. Rush River Bubblejack IPA with Citra Hops.

Summer Recess

Vol. 12: September 16, 2014. 3 Sheeps Really Cool Waterslides IPA.

Vol 13: October 21, 2014. Central Waters Honey Blond Ale with lavender.

Vol 14: November 18, 2014. Lakefront Brewery Fuel Cafe Stout with raw coconut and lactose.

Vol 15: December 16, 2014. Tallgrass Brewing Buffalo Sweat Oatmeal Cream Stout with blueberries, chocolate, cinnamon sticks and brown sugar.

Vol 16: January 20, 2015. Hinterland Vienna Lager with fresh raspberries.

Vol 17: February 17, 2015. Fox River Brewing Company 20th Anniversary Ale.

Vol 18: April 19, 2015. Wisconsin Brewing Company Blister In the Sun with Amarillo and Nelson Sauvin hops and spiced with orange peel and coriander.

Vol 19: May 19, 2015. Lakefront Cherry Lager with Door County cherries.

Vol 20: July 21, 2015. Door County Brewing Co. Silurian Stout with cocoa nibs, toasted coconut, and vanilla bean. You probably already knew that.

Gardina’s Beer Bar Series #19 Tonight

The 19th chapter of Gardina’s Beer Bar Series happens tonight with some help from Milwaukee’s Lakefront Brewing. The evening begins at 6 pm. with a cask tapping of Lakefront’s Cherry Lager cask conditioned on cocoa nibs.

Along with the cask beer will be a mini tap takeover with three other Lakefront beers on draft: Growing Power Farmhouse Pale Ale, Wisconsinite Summer Weiss, and My Turn Kyle, a Belgian-style Tripel.

To compliment all the beer, Gardina’s will offer a four-course dinner, pairing each of the Lakefront brews with a specially prepared dish. The dinner pairing is $30. The full menu is here.

Lakefront’s co-founder Jim Klisch will also be in the house talking beer and saying hello to all the fine Oshkosh folk. For more info contact Gardina’s at (920) 231-3516.

Tuesday Night at Gardina's Beer Bar

Tuesday night, Gardina’s will host the 18th edition of its Beer Bar series. They’re going all out for this one. Here’s the full rundown.

Kirby Nelson

• At 6 p.m, they’ll tap a firkin of Blister In the Sun from Wisconsin Brewing Company. This is an India White Lager dry hopped with Amarillo and Nelson Sauvin hops and spiced with orange peel and coriander.

• WBC brewmaster Kirby Nelson will be on hand to introduce the beer and meet with all you fine Oshkosh folk. Kirby is a very approachable sort who loves to talk beer. Don’t hesitate to step up and say hello to him.

• Gardina’s will have a mini tap takeover featuring beers from WBC. On draft will be Yankee Buzzard IPA, Betray Ale (the brewery describes it as an India Pale Bock Ale), and Chocolate Lab Brown Porter.

• An optional four-course beer dinner will be offered, pairing dishes with the four WBC beers pouring that night. The dinner option is $30. Here’s the menu:

Course 1
Asian Spring Roll with Ahi Tuna and citrus Ponzu.
Paired with Blister in the Sun.

Course 2
Scallop-Crab Cake Napoleon with a Mango-Brown Butter Vinaigrette. Paired with Betray Ale.

Course 3
Seared Pork Tenderloin with Citrus Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Sauteed Kale and Pan Jus Lie.
Paired with Yankee Buzzard IPA.

Course 4
House Made Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with a Chocolate-Framboise Glaze.
Paired with Chocolate Lab Brown Porter

It should be a great night at Gardina’s.

Gardina’s and the Growing Downtown Beer Scene

My new Oshkosh Beer Beat column is up at the Oshkosh Independent. This time it’s about the upgraded beer section at Gardina’s. Check it out HERE.

Fox River Brewing & Gardina's Team Up for a Firkin Tonight

The 17th installment of Gardina’s Beer Bar series happens tonight. This one is special. At 6 p.m. Gardina’s will tap into a firkin of Fox River Brewing Company's 20th Anniversary Ale.

This is a hoppy, red ale with brew-kettle additions of wildflower and buckwheat honey. The beer was then dry hopped in the firkin with citra and mosaic hops. There’s more: at this moment, the beer is being conditioned on additions of pineapple and papaya. At 10% ABV, this promises to be a big beer in every way.

I talked with Kevin Bowen, brewmaster at Fox River, last week. He said this may be his most adventurous cask. “It really has some interesting flavors coming through,” Bowen says.

The beer isn’t the only thing special here. This marks the first time Fox River Brewing has tapped a firkin of its beer in a neighboring Oshkosh tavern or restaurant. And Kevin Bowen will be on hand for the event. He’s a personable, approachable guy. Don’t hesitate to step up and get to know your local brewer. See you there…

Firkin Tonight at Gardina's

The 16th chapter of Gardina’s Beer Bar series cracks open tonight (Tuesday, January 20) with a special firkin tapping.

This time, they’ll hammer the faucet into a firkin of Hinterland Vienna lager that’s been cask conditioned with fresh raspberries. Expect a smooth, malty brew amplified by the sweet/tart kick of, you guessed it, raspberries. Good job!

In addition to the cask, Gardina’s will also feature a special dinner menu – in addition to their regular menu – inspired by Tuesday’s firkin.

The firkin starts pouring at 6 p.m. Partim iubentium!

Firkin Tonight at Gardina’s

It’s that time of the month... Gardina’s Beer Bar Series rolls on tonight (Tuesday, December 16) with their 15th round of rare-beer tappings. At 6 p.m. they’ll crack into a firkin of Buffalo Sweat Oatmeal Cream Stout specially prepared by Tallgrass Brewing of Manhattan, Kansas.

They’ve gone the full-on holiday-ale route with this one, conditioning the beer on blueberries, chocolate, cinnamon sticks and brown sugar. I’m fighting the urge to bore you to tears with the history of these spiced and flavored holiday ales, but I’ll spare you. If you’re feeling masochistic, you can get your fill of that gibberish HERE.

Where was I... In addition to the beer, Gardina’s will also have a special menu selection made to pair with tonight’s beer. Just ask the server. So, if you’re one of those unfortunates with a significant other who doesn’t find your beer habit endearing, you can get him/her through the door under the guise of dinner and then feign surprise at the sight of that lovely cask full of beer setting on the bar. Of course, it’ll work.

And in case you’ve yet to be initiated into the whole cask ale thing, here’s a short and informative clip that’ll show you what it’s all about.

Firkin Tapping Tonight at Gardina’s

Here we go, beer freaks: there’s going to be a cask tapping at 6 p.m. this evening (Tuesday) at Gardina’s in the heart of beautiful Downtown Oshkosh. This time they’ll tap a one-off cask of Lakefront Brewery’s Fuel Cafe Stout that’s been resting on raw coconut and milk sugar to create something wonderful.

On hand for the tapping will be Lakefront Brewery’s co-founder Jim Klisch, who launched the brewery with his brother Russ way the hell back in 1987. Jim is a very personable, approachable fellow, so don’t be shy about saying hello (or congratulating him on the gold medal Lakefront just won for its Eastside Dark at the 2014 European Beer Star competition).

See you tonight at Gardina’s!

A Firkin Tonight at Gardina’s

Chapter 13 of Gardina’s Beer Bar Series is on tap tonight (Tuesday, October 21). This time they’ll crack into a firkin of Central Waters Honey Blond Ale that’s been spiced with lavender in the cask.  The floral notes from the lavender ought to go well with the honey used in the beer. Just one way to find out: get yourself down to Gardina’s and have a few splashes. The firkin will be tapped at 6 p.m.

Another thing. In conjunction with the last couple firkin’s they’ve tapped, Gardina’s has been putting together a special dinner menu to pair with the beer. They’ll be doing that again, tonight. Sounds like a plan...

Firkin Tonight at Gardina’s

After a short, summer recess, Gardina’s Beer Bar Series returns. Tonight (Tuesday, September 16) at Gardina’s they’ll tap a firkin of 3 Sheeps Really Cool Waterslides IPA.

For this iteration of the beer, they’ve bumped up the hops with an additional hit of cascades added directly to the cask. This is real ale in the English tradition with hops swimming in the serving vessel.

A little background on the beer: Waterslides is a 6.20% American-style IPA. The standard version features prominent, citrus-like hop notes over a firm body of malt. I imagine the dry-hopping of this firkin will result in the hop quotient being upped a couple notches. I’m looking forward to trying it.

The firkin will be tapped at 6 p.m. sharp. Oh, and you might also want to include dinner in your plans. Gardina’s will be serving from a special menu inspired by the firkin. Beer on!

A Firkin IPA Tonight at Gardina's

At 6 p.m. tonight (Tuesday, June 17), the bell rings for round 11 of Gardina's Beer Bar series of tastings.

The main event this time is a firkin of Rush River’s Bubblejack IPA. This is a one-off version of the River Falls Brewery’s popular IPA. The keg resting at the ready at Gardina's has been dry hopped with citra, the tropical-fruit tasting darling of hop heads everywhere. More of a west-coast style IPA, expect this ale to be gloriously hoppy with a subdued malt flavor under bold notes of pine and citrus fruits.

Not sure what a firkin is? This HERE will explain the whole thing. Better yet, stop in at Gardina’s tonight and find out for yourself.

Scream IIPA at Gardina’s

I don’t usually blog about beers I’ve yet to drink, but I thought you hop heads might want to know that Scream IIPA from New Glarus will be hitting the shelf today at Gardina’s in Oshkosh.

New Glarus released the beer last week in Madison and it’s already been getting some adoring notices on BeerAdvocate. Here’s what the brewery says about its latest: “Scream boasts an inspired 85 IBUs that reverberate cleanly though this IIPA. New Glarus Brewery grown estate hops join other Wisconsin grown hops to dominate this brew from Kettle Boil to Dry Hopping.”

If you go to Gardina’s to grab some Scream, you might also want to know that they have Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA on the shelf. This is a 12% ABV monster that’s dry hopped for nearly a month with 10 hop varieties and delivers 112 measured IBUs. Lick it up, hop heads!

Also, check out the new cooler in the beer section at Gardina’s. It marks another step forward for the best little beer store in Oshkosh.

Oshkosh Beer Sampler: A Couple of Bottled Belgians from Gardina’s

Last Friday, I stopped in at the retail side of Gardina’s and picked up a couple bottles of beer that turned out to be especially good. Moving from light to dark, here’s what I happened upon.

Somerset Saison is brewed by the Wild Beer Co. of Westcombe, England. It’s a pale, Belgian Farmhouse Ale with a dense, rocky head and a florid aroma that offers a rush of tangerine, ginger and dry spice. That leading tangerine note is courtesy of the hops. They’re using a good amount of American-grown Sorachi Ace for this beer. The fruit and spice elements of the aroma are just as prominent in the taste. The beer is tart and citric with an underpinning of Farmhouse funk and a quenching bitterness. It finishes fast and dry. And it’s every bit as drinkable as it is complex. I love it when a beer can have this level of flavor intensity, yet remain one that you crave multiples of. Its ABV of 5% invites that, but at $5.95 for an 11.2 oz. bottle you’re more likely to keep it at one or two.

Now to the dark: Triporteur From Hell is a dark Belgian Ale brewed by B.O.M. Brewery of Bree, Belgium. This is an interesting set-up. The beer is brewed on a contract basis by a former homebrewer who roasts and bakes his own malts then brews with them within 24 hours of their being finished. Can you taste that in the beer? I think you can. The beer pours a deep brown with dark fruit, sweet caramel and mild roast in the aroma. This one is all about malt flavor: I get threads of chocolate, caramel, fresh coffee and figs. There’s just a hint of sourness in the finish that balances those lush malt flavors. Delicious. This is a fairly light bodied beer that goes down ridiculously easy. It’s 6.6% ABV and Gardina’s is selling 25.4 oz. caged and corked bombers for $9.99.

Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout Tapping at Gardina's

Hard to believe that we’ve already arrived at chapter five of "Gardina's Beer Bar" series, but there you have it. The fifth installment of the monthly special at Gardina’s gets under way tomorrow evening (Tuesday, December 17) with the keg being tapped at 6 p.m.

The beer poised to pour this time is a colossus: Goose Island’s Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout. This is a limited edition Imperial Stout that’s aged in bourbon barrels and then blended with cold-brewed coffee. It’s 14.3% ABV and gets a 100 rating on both RateBeer and Beer Advocate, where it currently sits at #4 on their Top 250 Beers list. This is a rare one, for sure. Go to it, Geeks!