This week we're Sipping On G&J, a juniper-influenced IPA from MobCraft Beer of Madison. We also gab about a couple of beer events coming up in Oshkosh. On with the show...
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
A Week Full of Beer
Thursday, November 12: Beer vs. Wine Dinner at TJ's Harbor Restaurant
Beginning at 6:30 pm, TJ's will host a four-course dinner with each course accompanied by a beer and a wine. The object (aside from filling your inner being with delicious stuff) is to decide which beverage pairs best with the morsels on the plate in front of you. They've dubbed it a barrel-to-barrel challenge. I like that. Anyway, it's $50 a seat and all the info you need to squeeze in on it is right HERE.
Friday, November 13: O'so Tap Takover at Dublin's
In celebration of O'so Brewing's eighth anniversary, Dublin's will host an O'so tap takeover beginning at 6 pm. They'll have eight (get it?) O'so beers on tap. For $30 you'll get a glass that will entitle you to unlimited pours of O'so beer until closing time. Do the math, that's a good deal. Sarah Lehner from O'so will be on hand passing out schwag and talking beer. Speaking of which, here's the O'so list for Friday night at Dublin's.
- Imperial Black Scotch Ale (Wee Heavy)
- Convenient Distraction (Imperial Coffee Porter)
- Imperial Cafe Amber Aged on Coffee
- Infectious Groove (A kettle-soured session ale)
- Hopdinger (American Pale Ale)
- Rusty Red (Red Ale)
- Night Train Porter
- The Big O (American Wheat Ale - this year's GABF gold medal winner in the category)
Tuesday, November 17: Gardina's Beer Bar Vol. 24
This time, it's going to be Surly Brewing taking command of the joint. Beginning at 6 pm, Gardina's will begin pouring four beers from the Minneapolis brewery including a couple of rarities. They'll be offering flights as well as individual pours. And here's that list...
- Hell, a German-style Helles Lager
- Abrasive Oatmeal Double IPA
- Cacao Bender Brown Ale with Cocoa Nibs
- Damien (Child of Darkness) Dry-hopped Black Ale
In addition to the beer, Gardina's will also offer an optional four-course dinner, pairing each of the Surly beers with a dish dreamed up by Head Chef Dane Campbell. For everything related to that, go HERE.
Whadda week!
Monday, November 9, 2015
Then and Now: Horn & Schwalm's Brooklyn Brewery
Here we have a couple of pictures of the same building. We'll be looking east from Doty St. just south of W. 16th Ave. The first shot isn't dated, but appears to have been taken in the late 1880s when it was Horn & Schwalm's Brooklyn Brewery. The picture immediately below it was taken yesterday afternoon. It's now the home of School Stationers Corporation. Built in 1879, this is the oldest intact brewing structure in Oshkosh.
Over the years I've somehow managed to sidestep posting anything here resembling a thorough overview of this brewery. Time to fix that. Here's a chronology of the lead-up and significant events related to Horn & Schwalm's Brooklyn Brewery.
1851
A 25-year-old German brewer named Leonhardt Schwalm emigrates from his native Saxony. He settles in Winnebago County in the Town of Nekimi.
1852
At the age of 17, August Horn emigrates from Bavaria with his parents Gottlieb and Barbara Horn. The family establishes a farm south of Oshkosh in the Town of Black Wolf.
1858
Schwalm opens a saloon on the south side of Oshkosh in the old 3rd Ward (the precise location remains unknown). An early advertisement for the saloon announces that Schwalm is serving “Excellent Lagerbier,” which he had “Attentively” made.
1862
Schwalm leases the Lake Brewery from Anton Andrea. He produces beer there until 1865.
1865
October: Schwalm purchases four lots south of what is now W. 16th Ave. between Doty and S. Main St. He begins planning his brewery in Oshkosh. It will become the first full-sized production brewery in Oshkosh to be located south of the river.
November: Leonhardt Schwalm purchases the Butte des Morts Brewery from his brother Louis Schwalm.
December: Schwalm sells the Butte des Morts Brewery to Frederick Bogk.
1866
The Schwalm Brewery on the south side of Oshkosh is producing and selling lager beer. There are now six breweries operating in Oshkosh.
Schwalm sells half his interest in the brewery to August Horn. The two are related by marriage. The brewery is known early on as the Schwalm and Horn Brewery.
1870
More than twenty people often reside at at the brewery, including the 15 children of the Horn and Schwalm families. The staff of brewery workers share living quarters with the two families.
1872
Brewery worker Leonard Schiffmann dies after falling into a deep vat of boiling wort at the brewery.
1873
Leonhardt Schwalm dies unexpectedly. He is 45 years old. His cause of death isn't revealed in the reports of his passing. The Schwalm family remains involved in the brewery's operations.
1878
The brewery has come to be known as Horn & Schwalm's Brooklyn Brewery. It is the second largest of the six breweries operating in Oshkosh producing 1,366 barrels of beer. The Glatz Brewery is the largest producing 1,530 barrels of beer.
1879
The brewery and its store of beer are destroyed by fire. Horn & Schwalm post no production for the year. Following the fire, a new brewery is built at the same location. Constructed of brick, the brewery is 45 x 65 feet with three stories above ground and a large beer cellar below. It has an annual capacity of 3,500 barrels. It is described as the best-equipped brewery in Wisconsin outside of Milwaukee.
Leonhardt Schwalm's 21-year-old son, Theodore Schwalm, becomes co-proprietor of Horn & Schwalm's Brooklyn Brewery.
1883
Theodore Schwalm is placed under Guardianship due to his excessive drinking. He is 25 years old.
1885
The Brooklyn Brewery helps to launch Oshkosh’s Anti-Prohibition Association.
A tornado hits the brewery. The brewery's barn and several of its outbuilding are destroyed. The brick brewery built six years earlier goes unharmed.
1888
Theodore Schwalm dies. Death is attributed to his damaged liver. His widow, Sophia Schwalm, becomes the brewery's co-proprietor with August Horn.
Horn & Schwalm's Brooklyn Brewery begins a period of rapid expansion. Production increases to approximately 10,000 barrels annually.
1891
Expansion of the brewery continues. Capacity is increased to 20,000 barrels.
The Brooklyn Brewery becomes the first brewery in Oshkosh to use mechanical refrigeration.
This is now the the largest brewery in Oshkosh. Its beer is being exported to counties in the surrounding area.
1893
The panic of 1893 coupled with increased competition from Milwaukee breweries wreaks havoc for Oshkosh brewers. Horn & Schwalm enters into an agreement with the Glatz Brewery and Kuenzl's Gambrinus Brewery to fix prices on beer sold in Oshkosh. During this period, such price fixing schemes are legal.
1894
Horn & Schwalm's Brooklyn Brewery merges with the Glatz Brewery and Kuenzl's Gambrinus Brewery to form the Oshkosh Brewing Company. August Horn is named the brewery's first president.
1894-Today
After the 1894 merger, this facility continued in operation. It transitioned into a bottling plant and offices following the construction of a new brewery on the property in 1912. After the closure of the Oshkosh Brewing Company in 1970, ownership of the property changed several times before being purchased by Robert Stauffer in 1986. The property is currently owned by Robert Stauffer, Jr.
Want more? In the past, I've posted a number of stories relating to Horn & Schwalm on this blog. You can find those here.
Over the years I've somehow managed to sidestep posting anything here resembling a thorough overview of this brewery. Time to fix that. Here's a chronology of the lead-up and significant events related to Horn & Schwalm's Brooklyn Brewery.
1851
A 25-year-old German brewer named Leonhardt Schwalm emigrates from his native Saxony. He settles in Winnebago County in the Town of Nekimi.
1852
At the age of 17, August Horn emigrates from Bavaria with his parents Gottlieb and Barbara Horn. The family establishes a farm south of Oshkosh in the Town of Black Wolf.
1858
Schwalm opens a saloon on the south side of Oshkosh in the old 3rd Ward (the precise location remains unknown). An early advertisement for the saloon announces that Schwalm is serving “Excellent Lagerbier,” which he had “Attentively” made.
1862
Schwalm leases the Lake Brewery from Anton Andrea. He produces beer there until 1865.
1865
October: Schwalm purchases four lots south of what is now W. 16th Ave. between Doty and S. Main St. He begins planning his brewery in Oshkosh. It will become the first full-sized production brewery in Oshkosh to be located south of the river.
November: Leonhardt Schwalm purchases the Butte des Morts Brewery from his brother Louis Schwalm.
December: Schwalm sells the Butte des Morts Brewery to Frederick Bogk.
1866
The Schwalm Brewery on the south side of Oshkosh is producing and selling lager beer. There are now six breweries operating in Oshkosh.
 |
| The Original Schwalm Brewery |
Schwalm sells half his interest in the brewery to August Horn. The two are related by marriage. The brewery is known early on as the Schwalm and Horn Brewery.
 |
| August Horn |
1870
More than twenty people often reside at at the brewery, including the 15 children of the Horn and Schwalm families. The staff of brewery workers share living quarters with the two families.
1872
Brewery worker Leonard Schiffmann dies after falling into a deep vat of boiling wort at the brewery.
1873
Leonhardt Schwalm dies unexpectedly. He is 45 years old. His cause of death isn't revealed in the reports of his passing. The Schwalm family remains involved in the brewery's operations.
1878
The brewery has come to be known as Horn & Schwalm's Brooklyn Brewery. It is the second largest of the six breweries operating in Oshkosh producing 1,366 barrels of beer. The Glatz Brewery is the largest producing 1,530 barrels of beer.
 |
| A sign at the entrance to Charles Raasch's Main St. Saloon in Oshkosh advertising Horn and Schwalm's beer |
1879
The brewery and its store of beer are destroyed by fire. Horn & Schwalm post no production for the year. Following the fire, a new brewery is built at the same location. Constructed of brick, the brewery is 45 x 65 feet with three stories above ground and a large beer cellar below. It has an annual capacity of 3,500 barrels. It is described as the best-equipped brewery in Wisconsin outside of Milwaukee.
 |
| The stone-arch entrance to the beer cellars is still intact |
 |
| A fire insurance map of the 1879 brewery |
Leonhardt Schwalm's 21-year-old son, Theodore Schwalm, becomes co-proprietor of Horn & Schwalm's Brooklyn Brewery.
1883
Theodore Schwalm is placed under Guardianship due to his excessive drinking. He is 25 years old.
1885
The Brooklyn Brewery helps to launch Oshkosh’s Anti-Prohibition Association.
A tornado hits the brewery. The brewery's barn and several of its outbuilding are destroyed. The brick brewery built six years earlier goes unharmed.
 |
| Aftermath of the 1885 tornado |
1888
Theodore Schwalm dies. Death is attributed to his damaged liver. His widow, Sophia Schwalm, becomes the brewery's co-proprietor with August Horn.
 |
| Theodore Schwalm |
Horn & Schwalm's Brooklyn Brewery begins a period of rapid expansion. Production increases to approximately 10,000 barrels annually.
1891
Expansion of the brewery continues. Capacity is increased to 20,000 barrels.
The Brooklyn Brewery becomes the first brewery in Oshkosh to use mechanical refrigeration.
This is now the the largest brewery in Oshkosh. Its beer is being exported to counties in the surrounding area.
1893
The panic of 1893 coupled with increased competition from Milwaukee breweries wreaks havoc for Oshkosh brewers. Horn & Schwalm enters into an agreement with the Glatz Brewery and Kuenzl's Gambrinus Brewery to fix prices on beer sold in Oshkosh. During this period, such price fixing schemes are legal.
1894
Horn & Schwalm's Brooklyn Brewery merges with the Glatz Brewery and Kuenzl's Gambrinus Brewery to form the Oshkosh Brewing Company. August Horn is named the brewery's first president.
 |
| Can you pick out the Brooklyn Brewery within this image? |
1894-Today
After the 1894 merger, this facility continued in operation. It transitioned into a bottling plant and offices following the construction of a new brewery on the property in 1912. After the closure of the Oshkosh Brewing Company in 1970, ownership of the property changed several times before being purchased by Robert Stauffer in 1986. The property is currently owned by Robert Stauffer, Jr.
Want more? In the past, I've posted a number of stories relating to Horn & Schwalm on this blog. You can find those here.
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Oshkosh Beer Show #22 - Round II of the IPA Challenge
This time were drinking two, identical IPAs. However, one of them was purchased from a local retailer that kept the beer on a warm shelf, while the other came from a store where the beer was stocked in a cooler. We do a blind tasting of the two beers to find out if we can tell the difference. Can we?
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Production at Fox River Brewing Continues to Surge
Production at Fox River is up 38% over the same period last year. In fact, Fox River has already produced more beer during the first eight months of 2015 than it did in all of 2014. At this point, the brewery is among the fastest growing in the state.
Here's the raw data. Over the first eight months of this year Fox River has produced 1353.16 barrels of beer*. That's 509.06 more barrels than it brewed in the first eight months of 2014. Fox River's total production for all of 2014 was 1334.28 barrels. Obviously, they've already blown past that number and if this pace continues, the brewery will be close to 2,000 barrels by the end of this year.
Historically, production has been split nearly evenly between the Fox River breweries in Oshkosh and Appleton. But with the bottling line installed this past spring at the Appleton facility the balance has begun to shift. Through August, 610.47 barrels have been brewed in Oshkosh while 742.69 barrels were brewed in Appleton.
For comparison sake, here's the August production for the three breweries currently reporting in our vicinity (Bare Bones is not yet included in the Department of Revenue's published reports).
- Stone Cellar / Stone Arch: 307.85 bbls.
- Fox River Brewing: 284.18 bbls (combined Oshkosh and Appleton).
- Appleton Beer Factory: 37.00 bbls.
The final push to the close of this year should be interesting. Everyone I've spoken to at Fox River has indicated that both breweries are maxed out in term of capacity. If this pace continues, and there's no reason to suspect it won't, look for for Fox River to expand in the near future.
*One barrel equals 31 U.S. Gallons, or 13.6 cases of beer, or 330 12oz. bottles.
Monday, November 2, 2015
The Winnebago County Breweries of 1870
The Brewers Association reports that there are currently more than 4,000 American breweries in operation. It's the highest brewery count since the 1870s. Those peak years were in evidence here in Winnebago County as well.
In 1870, Winnebago County was home to 11 breweries, the most in operation in the county at any one time. Oshkosh led the way with six breweries, while Menasha had two. Butte des Morts, Neenah, and Winneconne each had a single brewery.
Let's put that in perspective. In 1870, Winnebago County's population was 37,279. That equates to one brewery for every 3,389 people. As of the 2010 census, the population of Winnebago County is 166,994. But today we have just two breweries. When Lion's Tale Brewing opens in Neenah this month we'll have a third. That'll give us one brewery for every 55,665 people.
Here's another way to look at it. If today we had as many breweries per capita as the Winnebago County of 1870, there would be 49 breweries in this county. We have some catching up to do.
Here's an interactive map showing the locations of those 1870 breweries. Click the red balloons for more information about the brewery locations shown here. To open the map in a separate window, follow this link.
In 1870, Winnebago County was home to 11 breweries, the most in operation in the county at any one time. Oshkosh led the way with six breweries, while Menasha had two. Butte des Morts, Neenah, and Winneconne each had a single brewery.
Let's put that in perspective. In 1870, Winnebago County's population was 37,279. That equates to one brewery for every 3,389 people. As of the 2010 census, the population of Winnebago County is 166,994. But today we have just two breweries. When Lion's Tale Brewing opens in Neenah this month we'll have a third. That'll give us one brewery for every 55,665 people.
Here's another way to look at it. If today we had as many breweries per capita as the Winnebago County of 1870, there would be 49 breweries in this county. We have some catching up to do.
Here's an interactive map showing the locations of those 1870 breweries. Click the red balloons for more information about the brewery locations shown here. To open the map in a separate window, follow this link.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Oshkosh Beer Show #21 - The Libertine
This week we get liberated with The Libertine, an Imperial Red Ale brewed by Fulton Beer of Minneapolis. Fulton is new to the Oshkosh market, but this brew has us looking forward to more.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Local Brew News - End of October Edition
Lots to get to. Let's start off with a beer.
Bobby Jungwirth, Oblio's & Old Tankard Ale
Starting off with a sentimental favorite... You may have seen that Pabst has brought back Old Tankard Ale. It's a beer Pabst first introduced shortly after Prohibition. Old Tankard died its initial death in the 1970s. It was revived briefly in the 1990s before being scrapped once again. When I heard it was coming back again, I was immediately reminded of former Oshkosh mayor Bob Jungwirth.
Not only was Jungwirth our mayor, he worked most of his life driving a beer truck for Lee Beverage of Oshkosh. Back in the day, he was the man who totted Pabst and Old Tankard Ale around Oshkosh. In fact, he was known to many as Bobby Pabst. Here's a shot of Bob Jungwirth circa 1970 with his beer truck. Yes, those are cases of Old Tankard Ale stacked in the background.
The point of all this is that the new Old Tankard Ale is currently on tap at Oblio's as a kind of tribute to Jungwirth, who died in 2012. I never met Jungwirth, but I've heard some great stories about him from Mark Schultz and Todd Cummings of Oblio's. They credit Jungwirth with helping them to figure out how to run a bar.
Last year, Schultz described to me their first interaction Jungwirth: "The first day we met him, he walked behind the bar and said, ‘Sit down, shut the fuck up and I’ll tell you how to make money in this business.’ We learned so much from him. We were young and naive and he was a wealth of information."
If you get a chance, stop in at Oblio's and check it out. Old Tankard is a hearty American-style pale ale. It's being brewed at the Wisconsin Brewing Company in Verona based on a recipe from Pabst’s 1937 brewers' log (though they have changed up the hops). It's a good beer and an nice tribute to a man who was once central to the beer scene here.
O'Marro's Beer and Candy Pairing
Tomorrow night, they'll start gearing up for trick or treat at O'Marro's with a series of beer and candy pairings. It starts Wednesday, October 28 and will continue on through Halloween. Not sure what beers will be paired with which candies, but that's what trick or treat is all about, isn't it? Beer. Candy. O'Marro's. Good enough. Check out the Facebook event page here.
Beer Dinners at TJ's Harbor Restaurant
At TJ's they're really getting into this beer dinner thing. I haven't been able to make it to one of their's yet, but I've heard good things. They have two more coming up.
On November 5, TJ's will host a dinner featuring the beers Sierra Nevada brewing. The full menu, pairing and details are right here.
Then on November 12, TJ's will have a Beer vs. Wine Dinner. The info on that one is here.
O'so Tap Takeover at Dublin's
In celebration of O'so Brewing's 8th Anniversary, Dublin's will feature an O'so tap takeover on Friday, November 13. They'll have 8 O'so beers on tap and a special offer: for $30 you get an O'so snifter and all the O'so beer as you can manage to swallow from 6 pm to closing. Friday the 13th and all you can drink. Good luck!
A Couple More Beers While We're At It
Two more beers around town you might want to seek out.
If session beers are your bag, get over to Fox River Brewing. They have on a terrific English Mild named Quiet Brown now on tap. I'll let FRBC brewmaster Kevin Bowen describe it: "This is the quintessential 'session beer.' Pours a light brown color with a slightly tan colored foam. The aroma has toasted and roasted malt characters with hops taking a back seat and keeping quiet." Nice job, but he neglects to mention that it's delicious. At a mere 3.4% ABV you can drink it all day.
At the other end of the spectrum we have Duet, an American IPA now pouring at Gardina's. This is a big, 7% West Coast IPA from Alpine Beer Company (now part of the Green Flash family) of San Diego. It's a hop hammer featuring loads of simcoe and amarillo hops over a big, chewy bed of malt. This beer just screams San Diego IPA. If you're a hop head, this is an IPA not to be missed.
Local Brewery News
Quick update on how a couple of our planned breweries are faring in their campaigns to launch.
At Fifth Ward Brewing they're still working on the financing side of things. In the meantime, though, their plan of locating the brewery at 611 Oregon St. has been scrubbed. The building has been purchased by another party. Ian Wenger and Zach Clark of Fifth Ward will seek out a new space, once their financing phase is complete.
Over at the Highholder Brewing things are moving along as planned. Mike Schlosser and Shawn O'Marro of Highholder have submitted their paper work to the state, now it's time to wait. Once they have their approval, they should be able to begin brewing shortly after.
Meanwhile, there's Lion's Tale Brewing Co. in Neenah. Looks like they'll be up and running next month. When Lion's Tale opens, it'll be the first time Neenah has had a brewery in 100 years. Damn!
Bobby Jungwirth, Oblio's & Old Tankard Ale
Starting off with a sentimental favorite... You may have seen that Pabst has brought back Old Tankard Ale. It's a beer Pabst first introduced shortly after Prohibition. Old Tankard died its initial death in the 1970s. It was revived briefly in the 1990s before being scrapped once again. When I heard it was coming back again, I was immediately reminded of former Oshkosh mayor Bob Jungwirth.
Not only was Jungwirth our mayor, he worked most of his life driving a beer truck for Lee Beverage of Oshkosh. Back in the day, he was the man who totted Pabst and Old Tankard Ale around Oshkosh. In fact, he was known to many as Bobby Pabst. Here's a shot of Bob Jungwirth circa 1970 with his beer truck. Yes, those are cases of Old Tankard Ale stacked in the background.
The point of all this is that the new Old Tankard Ale is currently on tap at Oblio's as a kind of tribute to Jungwirth, who died in 2012. I never met Jungwirth, but I've heard some great stories about him from Mark Schultz and Todd Cummings of Oblio's. They credit Jungwirth with helping them to figure out how to run a bar.
Last year, Schultz described to me their first interaction Jungwirth: "The first day we met him, he walked behind the bar and said, ‘Sit down, shut the fuck up and I’ll tell you how to make money in this business.’ We learned so much from him. We were young and naive and he was a wealth of information."
If you get a chance, stop in at Oblio's and check it out. Old Tankard is a hearty American-style pale ale. It's being brewed at the Wisconsin Brewing Company in Verona based on a recipe from Pabst’s 1937 brewers' log (though they have changed up the hops). It's a good beer and an nice tribute to a man who was once central to the beer scene here.
O'Marro's Beer and Candy Pairing
Tomorrow night, they'll start gearing up for trick or treat at O'Marro's with a series of beer and candy pairings. It starts Wednesday, October 28 and will continue on through Halloween. Not sure what beers will be paired with which candies, but that's what trick or treat is all about, isn't it? Beer. Candy. O'Marro's. Good enough. Check out the Facebook event page here.
Beer Dinners at TJ's Harbor Restaurant
At TJ's they're really getting into this beer dinner thing. I haven't been able to make it to one of their's yet, but I've heard good things. They have two more coming up.
On November 5, TJ's will host a dinner featuring the beers Sierra Nevada brewing. The full menu, pairing and details are right here.
Then on November 12, TJ's will have a Beer vs. Wine Dinner. The info on that one is here.
O'so Tap Takeover at Dublin's
In celebration of O'so Brewing's 8th Anniversary, Dublin's will feature an O'so tap takeover on Friday, November 13. They'll have 8 O'so beers on tap and a special offer: for $30 you get an O'so snifter and all the O'so beer as you can manage to swallow from 6 pm to closing. Friday the 13th and all you can drink. Good luck!
A Couple More Beers While We're At It
Two more beers around town you might want to seek out.
If session beers are your bag, get over to Fox River Brewing. They have on a terrific English Mild named Quiet Brown now on tap. I'll let FRBC brewmaster Kevin Bowen describe it: "This is the quintessential 'session beer.' Pours a light brown color with a slightly tan colored foam. The aroma has toasted and roasted malt characters with hops taking a back seat and keeping quiet." Nice job, but he neglects to mention that it's delicious. At a mere 3.4% ABV you can drink it all day.
At the other end of the spectrum we have Duet, an American IPA now pouring at Gardina's. This is a big, 7% West Coast IPA from Alpine Beer Company (now part of the Green Flash family) of San Diego. It's a hop hammer featuring loads of simcoe and amarillo hops over a big, chewy bed of malt. This beer just screams San Diego IPA. If you're a hop head, this is an IPA not to be missed.
Local Brewery News
Quick update on how a couple of our planned breweries are faring in their campaigns to launch.
At Fifth Ward Brewing they're still working on the financing side of things. In the meantime, though, their plan of locating the brewery at 611 Oregon St. has been scrubbed. The building has been purchased by another party. Ian Wenger and Zach Clark of Fifth Ward will seek out a new space, once their financing phase is complete.
Over at the Highholder Brewing things are moving along as planned. Mike Schlosser and Shawn O'Marro of Highholder have submitted their paper work to the state, now it's time to wait. Once they have their approval, they should be able to begin brewing shortly after.
Meanwhile, there's Lion's Tale Brewing Co. in Neenah. Looks like they'll be up and running next month. When Lion's Tale opens, it'll be the first time Neenah has had a brewery in 100 years. Damn!
Monday, October 26, 2015
Schussler Craps on Corn
 |
| Joseph Schussler |
When Schussler began brewing in Oshkosh in 1850, he made all-malt. But by the time Schussler ended his brewing career in Fond du Lac in 1892, chances are he was doing like everyone else: brewing an adjunct beer using corn. Whatever the case, Schussler looked down upon the practice.
In 1898, Schussler gave a long, rambling interview to a Milwaukee reporter where he made his feelings clear. Here's what he had to say about how beer had been made before the introduction of corn to American brewing.
Fifty-two years ago beer was made ... in a far different manner than beer is made today. No machinery was used and the output never exceeded forty barrels a week, but the grade was pronounced far superior to any that is now on the market. “It was pure barley and hops and not corn and other adulterations as are used today,” said the old brewery man. (1)
Of course, Schussler was out of the game at this point. He had nothing to loose by bad mouthing adjunct beer. But even brewers still plying the trade, were less than enthusiastic about brewing with corn. Ads from the period rarely mention that corn was part of their recipes. While brewers would go to great lengths to explain how exquisite their malt and expensive the hops they used were, the use of corn was something that remained better left unsaid.
Here's an example of just that. This is an ad for The Rahr Brewing Company that showed up in the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern on July 31, 1913. It's a clumsy thing all the way though. First, they make an unfortunate comparison between making sausage and beer. Then comes this line about ingredients: "... high priced selected barley malt, hops, etc."
You can guess what they mean by "etc." That would be corn. At this point it was a mainstay in the Rahr recipe. But like other brewers, they'd just rather not mention it.
Note
(1) This excerpt is from a Milwaukee newspaper clipping that does not include the masthead or publication date. Other articles in the clipping make it possible to date the piece as being published in either January or February 1898.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Oshkosh Beer Show #20
This week, Adam and I get into a beer that is truly seasonal. We’re drinking Deschutes Hop Trip, a pale ale brewed with fresh hops that go straight from the bines and into the brew kettle.
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