Respecting the (Oshkosh) Beer

I was recently invited onto the Respecting the Beer Podcast where they let me babble away about Oshkosh beer and tavern history. We had a fun discussion, and you can hear it HERE.

A Librarian Learns about the Society of Oshkosh Brewers

I’ve been beer-drinking my way across Europe for the last couple of week and while I was away Michael McArthur at the Oshkosh Public Library posted a couple of great videos about the history of homebrewing in Oshkosh and the Society of Oshkosh Brewers. Enjoy!

A Public Service Announcement from Rahr Brewing of Oshkosh

AVOID THE TYPHOID!
This holiday weekend, stay on the safe side and drink Rahr’s Special Brew…

From the summer of 1916.

Oshkosh 2020: The Year in Beer

It's been a hell of a year. Some parts were just hell. But the beer scene in Oshkosh still managed to provide a few bright spots amid all the bad news that 2020 brought us. Here's a look back at Oshkosh's year in beer.

Gardening in a Drought
The 20th year of the 21st century got off to a start that looked promising. In January, the Oshkosh Common Council passed a resolution to hold a series of summer beer gardens in Menominee Park. They'd feature locally made beer, live music, and food trucks. The council's only dissenting vote came from Oshkosh Mayor Lori Palmeri who vacantly wondered "Why everything in Wisconsin has to revolve around drinking." Go figure. Anyway, it was all for naught. Like most public events scheduled for the summer of 2020, the planned beer gardens never happened.

Craft Beer Week
Late in January, the Oshkosh Convention and Visitors Bureau announced it would act as the coordinating sponsor for Oshkosh's first Craft Beer Week. The week would consist of a series of events held in brewery taprooms and beer bars.

An Oshkosh Craft Beer Week sticker.

Craft Beer Week began On March 7 with the 3rd Annual Winter Beer Fest at Bare Bones Brewery. All four Oshkosh breweries, among other area breweries, were on-site pouring their beer. The weather was fine and the turnout was excellent. That afternoon felt like the realization of something that has been building here for the past five years or so. It was a high-water mark for the beer scene in Oshkosh.

Winter Beer Fest, March 7, 2020.

The festive mood changed a couple of days later. The spread of COVID-19 triggered waves of public-event cancellations. The EAA's Hops and Props beer tasting scheduled for March 14 was supposed to be the culmination of Craft Beer Week. But the event was called off. Craft Beer Week ended on a low note.

The Pandemic Comes to Oshkosh
On Tuesday, March 17, Governor Tony Evers issued an emergency order prohibiting drinking and dining in Wisconsin bars, taprooms, and restaurants. By the end of the month, each of the Oshkosh breweries was selling beer on a to-go basis. People showed up at the taprooms, but instead of sitting down and ordering a beer they were picking up packaged beer and walking back out the door.

  

Beer being prepped for takeout at Bare Bones.

Taverns and restaurants were hit hardest. Most struggled through the spring selling take-out. Sales plummeted. The support these businesses received from their patrons would prove to be crucial. The support they received from every level of government was feeble. One of the most highly taxed sectors of the local economy was left to sink.

Barley and Hops Pub, Oshkosh; late March 2020.

The shutdown order stood until May 13 when it was invalidated by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. A number of Oshkosh taverns re-opened within minutes of the court's ruling. People flooded into the open bars. The story was picked up by state and national news outlets. The customary social life of Oshkosh was presented as an aberration.

Andy's Pub and Grub in Oshkosh, May 13, 2020.

On March 14, Winnebago County attempted to institute its own shutdown. Hours later, the county's order was rescinded after it had been reviewed by legal counsel. All businesses could now fully open without the government threat of legal action.

Despite the lifting of restrictions, 2020 remained bleak for anyone making their living in bars, breweries, or restaurants. The crowds never fully returned. Things picked up somewhat in summer with the re-opening of beer gardens and outdoor dining, but there has yet to be a recovery from the drop-off that occurred in March.

A sense of what's happening can be gleaned by looking at beer production. By the end of October 2020, total beer production in Oshkosh was down by more than 18 percent compared to the same time last year. It doesn't appear as if that trend will be reversed in the near term. This is a perilous time for any business that relies on beer sales to sustain it.

The Varsity Club on N. Main, late March, 2020.

A series of restrictions and executive orders have been issued by the governor's office since the lifting of the shutdown order. Among them is a mandate to wear face masks and limits on the size of public gatherings. But there's been little enforcement. Some bars, brewery taprooms, and restaurants in Oshkosh have followed the orders. Others disregard them.

This past fall, the metropolitan area that includes Oshkosh became site of the most rapid spread of COVID-19 in America. That again put the city into the national news.

From the New York Times; October 2, 2020.

A story that became part of that thread centered around Mark Schultz, co-owner of Oblio's Lounge in Oshkosh. In early October, Schultz gained national attention with a series of YouTube videos he posted from his hospital bed while suffering from COVID-19. Schultz pleaded with his viewers to take the disease more seriously. Oblio’s closed at the beginning of October. It has yet to reopen.

Mark Schultz, October 9, 2020.

The Beer
In spite of everything, the beer never stops flowing. All together, Oshkosh's four breweries released over 150 unique beers this year. There's never been a period when breweries in this city have had such a constant flow of specialty beer coming out. Fifth Ward accounts for approximately half of those new releases.

Fruited Beers
Fruited beers continued to be highly popular in Oshkosh in 2020. Fox River’s Blü Bobber, a blueberry-flavored ale, was again the best selling beer produced by an Oshkosh brewery. It’s held that position since 2014.

Fifth Ward's heavily-fruited, “Frootenanny” sours came strongly to the fore this year. Throughout 2020, Fifth Ward has released beers in this series on an almost weekly basis. These are frequently the best selling beers in the brewery's line-up.

Lager Beers
Lager beer saw a significant revival this year. It's part of a trend among small breweries that’s occurring nationally. All four Oshkosh breweries released a lager this year. This is the first time that's happened here since 1894. Bare Bones' Oshkosh Lager remains the only year-round lager in production in Oshkosh. It's the brewery's second-best-selling beer.


Oktoberfest and Bock beers were among the notable lager styles brewed in Oshkosh in 2020. Each Oshkosh brewery released a bock beer this year. That's the first time that's ever happened. Bare Bones, Fifth Ward, and Fox River each released an Oktoberfest in late summer. It was the first time there have been three Oshkosh-brewed Oktoberfests on the market concurrently.

Oshkosh brewed Oktoberfest beers of 2020.

Collab Beer
Another first was the collaboration beer brewed in August by Bare Bones and Fifth Ward. New Top Dog Golden Ale was the first beer produced by Oshkosh breweries working in tandem. The beer was released in September as part of a fundraiser in benefit of the Oshkosh Area Humane Society and the Oshkosh Mid-Morning Kiwanis Club.

From left to right: Ian Wenger and Zach Clark of Fifth Ward
with Jody Cleveland of Bare Bones during the New Top Dog brew.

Barrel-Aged Beers
Fifth Ward continues leading the way in barrel-aged stouts. The brewery released 14 barrel-aged stouts this year along with five other barrel-aged ales conditioned in repurposed spirits barrels.

Barrel Aging at Fifth Ward.

Fox River launched Oshkosh's first ongoing, barrel-aged sour program this year. The initial beer in the Foxxine series came out in September. It was fermented with a mixed-culture of lactic bacteria, pediococcus bacteria, and Brettanomyces yeast. By the end of the year, Fox River had released seven beers in this series.

Brewmaster Drew Roth of Fox River.

The Canning Comeback
Consumption patterns changed radically this year in response to the spread of COVID-19. It’s caused draft beer sales to crash. Brewers increasingly came to rely on sales of packaged beer to make up for the loss. The packaging also changed profoundly this year. For the first time, canned beer is now favored by Oshkosh breweries.

In May, Bare Bones brought in a new canning line. It became the first Oshkosh brewery since 1972 to have its own automated canning machine. Bare Bones has since discontinued bottling its beer.

Canning beer at Bare Bones.

Fifth Ward also acquired an automated canning machine this year. The brewery’s canner went into production in mid-December. Going forward, most of Fifth Ward’s packaged beer will be in cans.

Canned beer from Fifth Ward.

Fox River continues to package in bottles while also canning significant quantities of its beer. This year, Fox River has used a leased, mobile canner along with the canner at Bare Bones. It’s the first time an Oshkosh brewery has used the equipment of another Oshkosh brewery to package its beer.

Homebrewing
The homebrewing scene in Oshkosh remained vibrant in 2020. In fact, the Pandemic seems to have benefitted homebrewing here. The Cellar Brew Shop in Oshkosh reported that it saw an increase in sales that began with the March shutdown. That uptick has been echoed by homebrewers I've talked to; most of whom say their output increased this year.

The Society of Oshkosh Brewers (SOBs) homebrewing club continues to be active, though many of the club's meetings had to be conducted online. Among the SOB highlights this year was the wort exchange that took place at Fifth Ward in July. The brewery produced extra wort for an Oktoberfest beer that SOB members took away in carboys to ferment at home.

Zach Clark of Fifth Ward (left) and Logan Anderson
of the Society of Oshkosh Brewers during the July wort share.

The link between local homebrewers and pro-brewers was also apparent later in the year. In October, Fox River brewed a porter using the recipe of the beer that won the SOB's annual club competition in July. Dick Waltenberry's Bedford Porter went on tap at Fox River in November.

Dick Waltenberry at the Fox River brew kettle on October 2, 2020.

Breweriana
The interest in Oshkosh brewing history continues to grow as was shown by the increased visibility of Oshkosh breweriana in 2020. Collector Steve Schrage had a portion of his Oshkosh collection on display at the Oshkosh Public Library. The exhibit ran through most of January and February.

Steve Schrage with his son Smith and daughter Kennedy
at the Oshkosh Public Library Exhibit.

There was also a breweriana show in Oshkosh this year. The last time that happened was some 40 years ago. The B’Gosh it’s Good Brewery Collectables Trade Show was organized by Jared Sanchez. It took place on October 4th at Fifth Ward. The event proved so popular that Sanchez is now looking at making it an annual occurrence.

A part of the beer show in the beer garden at Fifth Ward.

A Recovery in Waiting
It's been a punishing year for local bars and breweries. At the moment, there’s no relief in sight. We're not likely to know how bad the damage will be until about this time next year.

Missing for most of the year has been HighHolder Brewing, Oshkosh's only nano-brewery. HighHolder ceased production in March after the lockdown order made its business model nearly impossible to execute. But because of that model, HighHolder is also one of the few breweries in the state that can afford to weather such a long-term interruption. Mike Schlosser of HighHolder says he plans to reopen the brewery and get back to full production in the first part of 2021.

This year marks 171 years of commercial brewing in Oshkosh. In all that time, there's been just one other year like this one. The Pandemic of 1918 caused disruptions similar to those we're seeing now. That period was even more cataclysmic in that the brief recovery that followed was snuffed by National Prohibition. Still, the beer culture in Oshkosh endured. In 2021, we may get to see the beginning of another comeback.

2017: Oshkosh’s Year in Beer

It was another good year for beer in Oshkosh. The big news, of course, was the opening of Fifth Ward Brewing Company. But this year was significant in a number of ways. In chronological order, here are a few of the local highlights from 2017.

The Return of Canned Beer
On February 7, Bare Bones became the first brewery to can its beer in Oshkosh since 1972 (the year Peoples Brewing closed). Bare Bones used a mobile canning unit to package Double Dog Dazed, an 11% IPA. It was also the first time an Oshkosh brewery packaged its beer in 16-ounce cans or sold beer in four packs. Bare Bones had additional canning runs in May and December.

The Opening of Fletch's Local Tap House
Fletch's Local Tap House opened on May 6 at 570 North Main Street. Owner Jeremy West also runs the neighboring Varsity Club. Fletch’s launched with 24 draft lines in a newly remodeled space. The building dates to 1902. With the addition of Fletch's, there are now approximately 200 craft-beer draft lines in the bars along North Main Street between Irving and the river.

Fletch's Local Tap House

Juice Cloud
In September, Lion’s Tail Brewing in Neenah released Juice Cloud, a New England Style IPA. It was the first time the style had been produced by a commercial brewery in Winnebago County. Juice Cloud has gone on to become the brewery’s best selling beer.

Historic Fresh-Hop Beers
For the second year in a row, both Bare Bones and Fox River produced fresh-hop beers. Bare Bones' Wharrgarbl was brewed on September 9. All of the hops that went into the beer were Wisconsin grown. This hasn't been done by a brewery in Oshkosh in more than 100 years.

Bare Bones head brewer RJ Nordlund selecting hops at a Gorst Valley Hop Farm in in Nekoosa, Wisconsin.

Fox River's Big Ed's Hopyard Ale was brewed on September 13. The bulk of the hops used were grown in a Winnebago County hopyard cultivated by Scott Clark and Steve Sobojinski. This year's harvest included hops raised from cuttings of wild hops growing on the site of a former hopyard established in the late 1840s in Allenville. This site appears to have been the location of Winnebago County's first hop farm. The Fox River beer is the first commercial beer since 1879 to use hops from this lineage.

Big Ed’s Hopyard

Fox River Leading the Pack
Production at local breweries has been strong all year. By the end of October, Bare Bones, Fox River, and Lion's Tail had each produced more beer than they had in all of 2016. At Knuth Brewing in Ripon, production has more than doubled. The final numbers aren't in yet, but it appears likely Fox River will unseat Stone Arch this year as the largest brewer in the Fox Valley.

The Return of Casks and Caskets
After a three-year hiatus, Wisconsin’s first and only all-homebrewed beer festival returned to Oshkosh on November 4. Sponsored by the Society of Oshkosh Brewers, Casks and Caskets was suspended after state revenue officials deemed the club’s 2014 festival unlawful. This year, the SOBs staged the festival as a free event to conform to the latest interpretation of Wisconsin’s homebrew law. The $6,000 in donations collected at the festival went to the Oshkosh Hunger Network.

Casks and Caskets, 2017

The Opening of Fifth Ward Brewing Company
On November 8, Fifth Ward Brewing Company opened at 1009 South Main Street. It marked the first time since 1956 that three breweries have operated simultaneously in Oshkosh. Co-founded by Ian Wenger and Zach Clark, the brewery had been in planning since 2012. The first beers issued by Fifth Ward were Burl Brown, a brown ale made with cinnamon and molasses, and Hades’ Secret, a porter brewed with chocolate and mint.

Zach Clark (left) and Ian Wenger, opening day at Fifth Ward Brewing.

The Opening of the Granary
The Granary Brew Pub opened in early November. The craft-beer bar and restaurant began with 30 Wisconsin-brewed beers on tap. All four Winnebago County breweries were represented. In all likelihood, this was the first time beer from four separate Winnebago County breweries has been served on tap in the same bar.

Onward!
The coming year is bound to be interesting. On the tavern side, I doubt we’ll see the launch of another full-fledged craft beer bar. We may have reached a saturation point there. But on the brewery front, we’ll likely see more development. HighHolder Brewing, which has been threatening to open for months, may finally break through. Let’s hope so. New breweries are also slated for Omro and Menasha. If each comes to fruition in 2018, we’ll have seven breweries in Winnebago County. That hasn’t happened since 1894. The beer scene here is maturing. Room for growth remains. Onward!

2016: Oshkosh’s Year in Beer

This has been a good year. In 2016, our breweries grew, the variety of beer available to us was unprecedented, and the city’s beer community expanded. The beer culture here hasn’t been this vital since the mid-1950s when Oshkosh was home to three breweries. Things are changing rapidly. And in interesting ways. Here’s a review of what 2016 brought to the Oshkosh beer scene.

The year began with announcements that progress was being made by two groups planning to launch breweries here.

In early January, The HighHolder Brewing Company shared the word that fabrication of its brewhouse was underway at 2211 Oregon St. The 40-gallon brewery they've installed would make this the first nano-brewery in Winnebago County.  Problems related to the permitting process slowed their progress, but now the project is back on track. Of the three breweries currently in planning for Oshkosh, HighHolder Brewing is the closest to producing beer. There's a good chance that will begin happening in 2017.

The beginning of the HighHolder brewhouse.

Later in January came word that another startup, Fifth Ward Brewing Company, was seeking authorization from the city to open a brewery on South Main Street.  By spring, Ian Wenger and Zach Clark of Fifth Ward had secured a building at 1009 S. Main St. and the permits needed to move ahead with their plans for the property. It initially appeared that Fifth Ward could possibly open by the end of the year. But the project ran into financing issues. Clark and Wenger have made significant progress on that front and hope to have an announcement about their impending brewery in early 2017.

The proposed home of Fifth Ward Brewing at 1009 S. Main St.

February brought major change to Bare Bones Brewery. Lyle Hari, brewmaster at Bare Bones, left the brewery to take a job with a Florida brewery. By the end of the month, Hari had been replaced by RJ Nordlund, who had previously worked for Founders, Harmony and Fetch breweries in Michigan.

RJ Nordlund

Nordlund’s beers have been a departure from those produced at the brewery prior to his arrival. His beers often showcase hops and deliver a  robust charge of alcohol.

The change appears to have been invigorating. The effect was most noticeable in the tap room at Bare Bones. The draught lines there had previously been divided between the brewery’s own beer and that of other Wisconsin breweries. But by early summer nearly all the handles had been taken over by Bare Bones’ beer. The point was driven home with new packaging and distribution emphasizing the brewery’s IPAs. At the end of 2016, Bare Bones is not the same brewery it was a year ago.

A new sign being installed at Bare Bones Brewery, November 7, 2016.

Talk of another new brewery flared in May when Jeff Fulbright announced his plan for establishing the Oshkosh Bier & Brewing Company. Fulbright had previously operated Mid-Coast Brewing Company in the early 1990s. His flagship brand was the well-known Chief Oshkosh Red Lager.

Fulbright’s new plan would establish a tap room and 40-barrel brewhouse in the heart of the city. By the end of summer, he had secured a 12-month, option-to-purchase agreement on property at the corner of Jackson and Pearl streets. Fulbright continues to make progress on the project. He is currently negotiating a partnership with a local developer for construction of the brewery.

The proposed Oshkosh Bier & Brewing Company brewery and tap room.

On June 27, Ruby Owl Tap Room opened at 421 N. Main St. After more than a year in development, the Ruby had an immediate impact on the downtown beer scene. The tap room opened with 30 beers on draft, without a light beer or macro in sight.

In July, Ruby Owl installed Oshkosh’s first crowler machine for take-away sales of draft beer in cans. In early fall, manager Adam Carlson began regularly featuring beer events at the Ruby completing his transition from Gardina’s, the Ruby’s sister restaurant on N. Main Street.

If the opening of the Ruby Owl marks the beginning of a new phase, then the death of Brews n’ Blues surely marks the end of the first wave of Oshkosh’s beer revival.

For the first summer in 20 years, the Brews n’ Blues Festival did not take place. When the festival launched in 1996, it represented what was new and exciting about beer in Oshkosh. For many here, the fest provided their entrée to craft beer, or as it was called then microbrew.

But Brews n’ Blues failed to keep pace with the evolution of beer drinkers here. In a city where diverse beer events now take place on an almost weekly basis, the Brews n’ Blues model of beer fest was no longer the novel event it had been. Its demise was the result, in part, of its success at introducing so many people in this area to good beer.

Better news arrived in August. The Cellar, Dave Koepke's homebrew shop, relocated from Fond du Lac to Oshkosh. The Cellar opened at 1921 S. Washburn St. on August 30. It became the first full-scale homebrew shop to operate in Oshkosh since 1933.

The store fills a gap that was begging to be occupied. Oshkosh has had a vibrant homebrewing community for more than two decades. The lack of a local resource for materials the hobby requires was always a hindrance. No more. As a homebrewer, I can attest we sorely needed something like this.

Dave Koepke at The Cellar in Oshkosh.

At the end of August, both Bare Bones Brewery and Fox River Brewing produced beers using wet hops (hops that go directly from bine to brew kettle without being dried or processed). Beers like these had never been brewed here before.

Fox River made its wet hop beer on August 24. Perhaps more important than it being brewed with wet hops was the source of those hops: they were grown at a small hop yard in Oshkosh. It was the first time in more than 130 years that a beer had been produced by an Oshkosh brewery using locally sourced hops. Big Ed’s Hopyard Ale went on tap at Fox River Brewing in mid-September.

Kevin Bowen, brewmaster at Fox River Brewing, picking hops for his August 24 brew day.

Bare Bones brewed its wet hop beer on August 29. This was the first beer from an Oshkosh brewery to be brewed with wet hops exclusively. Bare Bones brewers RJ Nordlund and Jody Cleveland made a day trip to Michigan to source freshly picked hops for the brew. The beer, named WHARRGARBL, went on tap in early September.

Nordlund with WHARRGARBL wet hops.

September was also noteworthy for the formation of Oshkosh Girl’s Pint Out, a group whose goal is to build a local community of women who appreciate good beer. Organized by Erin Peyer, GPO had its first gathering on Sunday, October 2 at Bare Bones Brewery. They followed with a series of events through the remainder of the year. The organization is a signifier of the maturing, more inclusive beer culture developing here.

October 2, the first get together of Oshkosh Girl's Pint Out. Bare Bones Brewery.

This year brought a torrent of reports on the declining fortunes of craft brewers. Often left unreported was that the slowdown was predominantly restricted to large breweries losing ground to smaller, local producers.

In 2016, Fox River Brewing became a prime example of one of those small, local producers on the rise. By the end of October, Fox River had already broken its previous production record set over the whole of 2015. Fox River is now at full capacity and exploring options to increase production. In the near term, that may mean contract brewing some of its bottled beer.

Bottling beer at Fox River Brewing.

Nationally, the brewery count is now over 5,000. With that has come the return of breweries to nearby cities where brewing once flourished. This year we’ve seen beer in Oshkosh from breweries in Ripon, Neenah, and Appleton. You’d have to go back to the 1940s, to find as many breweries in our immediate area sending their beer here.

You’d have to go even further back to find a comparison point for our two breweries. Although Bare Bones and Fox River both distribute their beer, each is reliant upon people coming to their tap room to drink beer they produce on site. This is a model that was prevalent in Oshkosh from the 1850s into the 1870s. It died off as the city’s breweries grew larger in the 1880s. Now it’s being revived as small brewery’s become commonplace again. Each of the three breweries in planning also intends to work this model.

Big breweries aren’t going away. The renaissance occurring here is taking place in spite of that. What we’re seeing is a return to form. For much of Oshkosh’s history, beer was synonymous with local. At the close of 2016, that perspective is undergoing a renewal.

Free Beer at the Library this Saturday, October 10

This Saturday under the dome at the Oshkosh Public Library you can checkout some beer. Seriously. Beginning at 3 pm, Oshkosh homebrewer Jody Cleveland and I will present Oshkosh Brews! A Homebrewed Taste of our Enduring Beer Culture. We'll go through the process of making beer at home with some side trips along the way into the history of brewing in Oshkosh.

In addition to Jody and I, Greg Putzer and Steve Schrage will be on hand with their collections of Oshkosh brewing memorabilia. They'll have some incredible pieces on display.

And then there's the beer. Jody and I have made three beers that everyone will have a chance to sample during the event. Here's the rundown of the beer we'll be pouring.

Elk's Head Beer
The Rahr Brewing Company produced beer in Oshkosh at its family-owned brewery from 1865 until 1956. For much of that time, the Rahr's flagship beer was a rich, golden lager named Elk's Head. This homebrewed interpretation of Elk's Head is brewed from the Rahr's original recipe.

Oshkosh Wildcat
When Prohibition began, Oshkosh didn't go dry. Homebrewers and wildcat breweries kept the city awash in beer. Oshkosh Wildcat is brewed from a recipe commonly used during that time. An amber beer, it has the "high kick" that was common among the illegal brews that flourished in Oshkosh during the "dry" years of 1920-1933.

Otter St. Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest-style beer has become the traditional fall beer of Oshkosh. The homebrewed Oktoberfest we'll be tasting was made in Oshkosh and comes with a deep, amber color, a medium body, and a malty flavor featuring notes of caramel. The clean, dry finish of this lager is in keeping with its German roots.

The event will last just over an hour and the price is right: free! Hope to see you there.

Linking Up The Local Beer Scene

Let’s cut right to it: if you’re an Oshkosher with beer on the brain, here’s a cluster of local links you ought to be aware of.

We’ll start off with tap lists. I wish all of our good-beer joints in town were doing this, but so for only O’Marro’s & Dublin’s go to the trouble of posting their beer lists online. The O’Marro’s list also includes a convenient feature that allows you sort the beers five different ways. The Dublin’s list goes deeper on specifics, giving a brief description and the ABV of what they’re serving. 

Becket’s is doing something along these lines with their Becket’s Beer Blog on Facebook. There, they post pictures of their tap handles as the new beers go on.

Also on Facebook, O'Marro's Public House Page regularly posts a “Beer DeJour” on their page where they feature something special from their list.

Let’s go back to Dublin’s for a moment. On their Youtube Page, they’ve been putting up short, tasting-notes about featured beers. New videos go up about once a week.

Even Festival Foods in Oshkosh has gotten into the act. Greatbrewers.com gives a decent listing of what’s available – craft wise – at the Oshkosh store. It’s limited by the distributor, but it gives you a good idea of what you’ll find on the shelf in their craft-beer section.

If you're shopping for packaged beer, check out Saveonbrew.com. Punch in your zip code and how far you’re willing to travel and it’ll spit back a list of beers that are on sale within your area.

If you’re not already sick of reading my shit, the Oshkosh Beer Garden, my monthly column for the Oshkosh SCENE, can be found at the Food & Dining section of their web page.

Then there’s the homebrewers. Here’s the woefully out of date Society of Oshkosh Brewers web page. That’s all right, this thing is being overhauled as I type. Give it another look in a few weeks.

Nutrition Discount Center’s plan to expand their homebrew offerings has yet to pan out. I talked to Jon at NDC yesterday and he says he’s got the stuff, but finding the time to get it inventoried and on the shelf has been a problem. He tells me he has a ton of new hops, yeast and specialty grains that will soon be ready for. In the meantime, NDC has some incredible deals on 50# bags of Briess Malt.  As the new stock becomes available, this next link ought to become increasingly valuable. NDC’s Brew Nation Daily Deal is a printable coupon for homebrewing and wine making supplies. It changes daily and it’s worth a click now and then if you’re looking for a deal on brewing supplies.

One last batch: A number of local homebrewers have started up Facebook pages for their home breweries. These will give you an idea of what some of these folks are up to. Here are a few of them:

• Bdubs Brews
• The Bearded Goat Brewing Studio
• Flyin Finn Brewery
• Ransom Brewing Co.
• Twelve Steppe Brews

An Event More Than 160 Years In The Making!

Well, here we go... The Breweries of Oshkosh lands on Saturday, September 22 at 1 p.m. at Fratellos, here in Oshkosh. And thanks to the fine folks at Fratellos and Fox River Brewing, we’re going to have the perfect beer and book pairing. Here’s a rare opportunity to get a taste of a classic Oshkosh beer. Hope to see you then!

The Dark Season

Yesterday afternoon at 5:38 pm we reached the winter solstice. The darkest part of the year is here and there’s nothing that brightens these short, black days better than a big, black beer. It’s time to go opaque.

Let’s start over at Fratellos' Fox River Brewing Company where they’re making something of a secret of the fact that this December marks their fifteenth year of brewing in Oshkosh. They’ve just resurrected the venerable Titan Porter, though, and it’s a proper companion for wondering where the hell all that time went. This is a porter in a rich and robust vein with a great aroma of toast on the verge of scorching. A healthy dollop of coffee and chocolate follow through in the quaff and it closes with a dry, dark-malt and hop bitterness that lingers until the next pull. Get it while you can.

At Festival Foods in Oshkosh, they’ve recently stocked up on a couple of worthy black beers. The Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is an odd, little ale that’s nothing like that other Guinness Stout you know about. When I say little, I mean that annoying European practice of  sending us beer in 11.2 oz bottles instead of giving us the full 12. Aside from that, this beer is big enough at 7.5% and is heartier than you’d expect any breed of Guinness to be. Lot’s of smoky, charred malt aroma smolders off this one and the flavor comes on with a carbonic shot of burnt grain and bitter hops. The hop aspect of this surprised me; it’s almost American in execution. I don’t know that I’d make a habit of this beer, but it’s definitely one to seek out and experience.

And just in at Festival, all the way from trusty and rusty Kalamazoo, is our old friend Bell’s Kalamazoo Stout. This brew tends to come and go around here, but right now there’s a fresh batch waiting to get reacquainted with your liver. This is one of those comfortable stouts that’s easy to take for granted until you start drinking and remember all over again what a fine beer it is. The beer comes with all the standard, American stout features. It’s roasty and peaty and a little sweet with a nice zip of hops and it’s all balanced so well that only a dolt would miss it’s deliciousness. Ummmm.

All right, one last beer for those among us afraid of the dark. Festival now has New Belgium’s Frambozen Raspberry Brown Ale, a fruit beer that skips down the same lane as New Glarus’ Raspberry Tart. Frambozen isn’t going to blow you away with the sort of succulent unctuousness of the Tart, but it’s no slouch and one to put on your list if fruit beers with a Belgian slant are your thing. Also, the aroma and color is quite un-beer like, so if you’re having one of those days you could probably get away with drinking this at work. Just an idea.