The Lineage of Oshkosh's Barley & Hops

The Cornerstone at
663 N. Main

If you find yourself at the beer sampling at Barley & Hops tomorrow night (October 2), take a moment to drink in your surroundings. Nate Stiefvater’s place at 663 N. Main is more than a century old and has a history that’s worth knowing something about. Let’s have a look.

The building that is now home to Barley & Hops was built in the summer of 1900 under the direction of Carl Schneider, an Oshkosh architect and mason who had been trained in his native Prussia. Schneider made the most of the $6,000 allotted for the building’s creation. He cast the imposing face of the structure in pressed brick that framed two dormers (which have since been removed), with opposing columns placed just below the roof line.  The two-story, 80-foot long building cut an impressive figure along upper Main. That’s probably just how its owner wanted it. The new saloon of William Kienast was going to stand out from the others.

William Gustave Kienast was born in Prussia on April 6, 1846 and came to America with his family at
the age of four. He was raised in the Town of Vinland and spent the early part of his life as a farmer. But as he grew older his interests strayed from the farm fields. He kept racehorses that he ran locally and at the ripe age of 54 decided to dive deeper into the sporting life by becoming a saloon man. Kienast wasn’t blind to what he was getting into. His twin brother, Gustave William Kienast, had previously operated a somewhat notorious saloon and boarding house on Main St. in Oshkosh during the 1880s and early 1890s. And William Kienast wasn’t going it alone. His family lived with him above the saloon and his 28-year-old son Charles was going to act as proprietor. The establishment came to be known as the Turf Exchange. An advertisement from April 1904 gives a sense of what the place might have been like.

Circa, 1916

WANTED—500 Men at the Turf Exchange
Saturday Night May 14th to Help Eat 150 Pounds of Fine Roast and Fried Fish.
All Come and Have a Good Time.
C.W. Kienast, Prop.

But the good times were short lived. In the summer of 1904, William Kienast decided he’d had enough of the saloon trade. In July, he placed an ad in the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern stating, “I Want to Go Out Business on Account of My Health Not Being Good. Will Sell Cheap if Taken Soon.” Within a year the place was closed. Kienast unloaded the furniture and fittings of his barroom, (including five card-playing tables, a pool table, 18 cuspidors and a full set of saloon fixtures) and in 1906 sold the building. He moved to South Dakota, returned to farming and eventually stumbled upon a fortune. In 1920, Kienast discovered a large vein of anthracite coal on his farm while drilling a well. The 74-year-old Prussian had struck it rich.

After the departure of the Kienast family, things grew somewhat less exciting at the big building on North Main Street. It housed a dress shop in 1906 and the Nichol’s Bakery in 1909. Each of the businesses floundered. Then in 1915, the building became home to the enterprise that would hold it longer than any occupant to date. That fall, the Butternut Baking Company refurbished the former saloon and moved in.  An early promotion for the Butternut describes what had become of the place: “The walls and ceilings are white enamel and everything is up-to-the-minute to the smallest detail. The state inspector informed us that our bakery is one of the best equipped and arranged plants in the state.”

Outside the Butternut Baking Co.; Circa 1916

But the orderly atmosphere held its own kind of danger. On a Friday afternoon in May 1916, the building and a life within were nearly lost. The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern reported on the near disaster:

BURNED BY HOT LARD - Employee at Local Bakery Falls with Kettle and is Severely Injured – Julius Kinner, a colored man employed at the Butternut Baking company’s new plant on upper Main street sustained severe and serious burns yesterday in a fire which for a time threatened the existence of the plant. A kettle of lard in which doughnuts were frying took fire. Kinner attempted to carry the burning lard out of doors and fell, the hot grease splashing upon his face, neck and arms. He was taken to St. Mary’s hospital and today his condition is said to be favorable. The damage to the bakery was comparatively small.
– Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, May 20, 1916

Mid-1960s

Time would prove Kinner’s misfortune to be an exception. For the next 50 years, the Butternut held steady at 663 N. Main with little turbulence along the way. The company was led by Charles J. Koehn, a sober, community-minded businessman with a deep interest in Oshkosh history. He was a collector of American Indian artifacts and a strong proponent of the Oshkosh Public Museum, where he acted as an honorary curator and served on the Museum’s Board of Directors. After Koehn’s retirement in 1945, the Butternut was sold to a Stevens Point bakery and operated by Leo Cholewinski a Polish-born baker. Cholewinski headed the company until it closed permanently in 1965.

After the bakery’s demise, the guts of the building were transformed again. In 1967, it was converted into Vern’s Cycle Shop. It would remain a bicycle shop for the next dozen years before becoming a spectacularly poor fit for the New Faith Fellowship Church in 1981. But this is a building that seems to want to be a tavern. In 1983, it was returned to its original intent with the launch of the Patti K. Lounge. That didn’t last, either.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s the taverns housed within this building would change names almost yearly. In 1984, it was Pappa Bear’s Public Pizzeria Tavern; In 1985, it was re-christened Ted E. Bear’s Pub & Pizzeria; and in 1986 it became Shoe’s Pub. Shoe’s would hold forth until 1990 when the flux began anew. It was called Ted’s Place in 1991 and the Tijuana Country Club from 1992 through 1994. In 1995 it became Godfather’s and so it would stay until 2001. The constant turnover is telling. For the most part, these were run-of-the-mill Oshkosh watering holes serving up a nondescript cocktail of rail booze and pale beer. They blended into the Oshkosh tavern scene of the period, which was bland, big and lacking in variety. That began to change for the better with the arrival of the 2000s.

Barley & Hops; 2013

In 2001, the impending demolition of the the old college strip on the east side of Wisconsin St. sent Nate Stiefvater looking for a new place to set up shop. He had run Nad’s (formerly The Bubbler and the Lost Dutchman) on the strip since his arrival in Oshkosh from Stevens Point in 1997. In December 2001, he took over Godfather’s and renamed it Barley & Hops. He’s been there ever since. Nate now owns the property and holds the second longest tenure in the 113-year-old building. Much has changed since he’s taken over. With 14 beers on tap and a large selection of craft beer in bottles, Barley’s has grown into one of the more reliable spots in Oshkosh for good beer. And there are more changes on the way. Next spring, Nate hopes to break new turf at the former Turf Exchange with the construction of a beer garden that will skirt the southern exterior of the building. Obviously, there’s still plenty of life left in Kienast’s old haunt. As Nate says, “This place was built to last.”

Cogtoberfest Bike and Beer Ride Saturday in Oshkosh

A quick reminder: it’s all about bikes and beer tomorrow in Oshkosh. The Wisconsin Bicycle & Beer Festival starts tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. at Grand Opera House Square in Oshkosh. The centerpiece of the fest will be a 15-mile Alleycat bike ride with five beer stops along the route where they’ll be pouring Wisconsin craft beer for riders. Aside from the ride, there’s going to be Oktoberfest themed games, authentic German food, raffles and music. Registration for the bike/beer ride costs $15. For more info and preregistration go HERE. To visit the Facebook event page go HERE. Whatever you do, be there!

Barley’s Beer Sampling Series Kick-Off is Next Wednesday, October 2

Fall must be here because Barley’s Beer Sampling Series is back. This marks the fourth consecutive year that Nate Stiefvater Barley & Hops in Oshkosh has been throwing these nicely priced, mid-week beer fests. He has four of them scheduled for this year’s series and it all kicks off at 7 p.m. next Wednesday, October 2 with host Capital Brewery of Middleton, Wisconsin taking center stage. The full line of Capital’s brews will be there for the tasting, including a bunch of their stuff we don’t normally see around Oshkosh. In addition to the Capital beers, the ales of Magic Hat Brewing of South Burlington, Vermont will also be featured. And if that’s not enough, there’ll be more than 40 other beers as well as spirits and wines to imbibe.

Tickets are $20 in advance (get them at Barley’s) or $25 at the door. It’s a good deal either way as it entitles you to all you care to drink from 7-10 p.m. If you go, stop by and say hello. I’ll be pouring and talking about German beers at one of the tasting tables. It ought to be another fun night at Barley’s.

Oshkosh Beer Sampler 034: Tanjanator Doppelbock

A slanted and endless survey of what’s pouring in Oshkosh, tallied one beer at a time.

What: Tanjanator Doppelbock by Old Bavarian Beer Company, Appleton WI.

Where: At Festival Foods in Oshkosh they’re selling 22 oz. bombers of the beer for $6.99

Why: Because this is a great time of year to enjoy an authentic Doppelbock. Plus, this beer has its roots in Oshkosh. Tanjanator is brewed and bottled by Fox River Brewing Company of Oshkosh on contract for Old Bavarian in Appleton. Previously, the Old Bavarian beers had been brewed by the Milwaukee Brewing Co., but last year Fox River took over production. Just last month, Fox River began bottling Tanjanator for Old Bavarian. So now for the first time in 18 years (since Chief Oshkosh Red Lager slipped off the shelves), you can walk down the beer isle and pick up a beer with “Oshkosh” printed on the label. Hey, it made me feel good. And that’s not the only Oshkosh connection here. Steve Olson, the brewmaster who develops the recipes for Old Bavarian, is a former member of the Society of Oshkosh Brewers. OK, that’s all fine, but what about the beer?

It goes like this: Tanjanator pours to a deep, dark red with a full, creamy head. The aroma is intense and malty, leaning heavily towards the munich malt side of things with a lot of biscuit and toast coming through. From that I was expecting a big hit of rich malt flavor, but the beer is a bit lean on the toasty melanoidans I was anticipating. It’s a substantial beer to be sure, but just not quite as full-bodied as what the aroma leads you to believe it will be. Still, there's plenty there to enjoy. The beer finishes with a welcome and firm bitterness that keeps you coming back to the glass. Tanjanator is an exceptionally drinkable Dopplebock, despite the fact that its ABV has to be in the 8% range. It’ll warm you, that’s for sure. If you appreciate a good Doppelbock, this is definitely a beer worth checking out.

Beer Ads in Oshkosh No. 17: Drink Oshkosh Beer Morning, Noon & Night

Click to enlarge

Here’s a doozy of an ad that’s 100 years old this week. It appeared in the Oshkosh Daily Northwestern on the Wednesday evening of September 24, 1913 and bears the happy advice that Oshkoshers ought to drink beer morning, noon and night. Check this out:

In the 

MORNING

A glass of Oshkosh beer will refreshen you after the night's sleep, invigorate you and fit you for the day's work.

At

NOON

A glass of Oshkosh beer with the dinner or lunch, "tops It off" just right and helps the stomach to digest the solid foods.

At

NIGHT

A bottle of Oshkosh beer will be appreciated, especially if body or brain is fatigued. It is nourishing and strengthening and soothes the nerves.

We can Serve You.

In 1913, the American Prohibition movement was on the rise. The Anti-Saloon League, the leading Prohibitionist group of the era, had changed their tact. Instead of fighting for dry laws on a state-by-state basis, they were now agitating and gaining support for a Constitutional Amendment to ban the production and sale of alcohol nationally. They achieved their goal six years later with little obstruction from the nation’s brewers whose limpid response is mirrored in ads such as this one.

Instead of defending their human right to make beer, brewers began pretending that what they were really producing was some kind of misunderstood health drink. Hence the advice to take an invigorating guzzle of it as soon as you crawl out of bed in the morning. Well I can think of worse ways to start the day. The consequences may not be as advertised, but it’s bound to be more fun than orange juice.

Falling Into a Weekend Full of Beer

Summer ends this year in Oshkosh with a couple good sign of fine things to come this fall.

Craft Beer Festival at Dublin’s Irish Pub
This Saturday, September 21, Dublin’s Irish Pub in Oshkosh will host their second Craft Beer Festival at the pub at 2070 W. 9th Ave. This is a full-on beer fest with more than 100 beers to sample. And the price is fantastic at just $25 a ticket. It’s for a good cause, too. The gang at Dublin’s managed to get most of the beer donated for this event, which will enable them to hand over all the proceeds to the Boys and Girls Club of Oshkosh. Meaning you can get your beer on while doing a good thing for some kids. Tickets are available at the Dublin’s.

The 6th Annual Oktoberfest Celebration at Peabody’s
Another beery bash to take in this weekend is the Oktoberfest celebration at Peabody’s. This one starts Friday at 5:00 p.m. and will run through the weekend. They’ll be ringing in the fall with a slew of Fest beers served in commemorative beer steins, a Pig roast and corn on the cob. They’ll also have live music and drink specials all weekend.

The fall drinking season is upon us, Friends. Prost!

Firkin Tapping Tonight at Gardina's

It’s Firkin time! With the crack of the mallet, Gardina's Wine Bar and Cafe transforms again into Gardina's Beer Bar. Tonight (Tuesday, September 17) at 6 p.m. they’ll be hammering the tap into a cask of O’so Sweet Lady Stout. This is a one-off cask of milk stout brewed with English malts and lactose that was matured on vanilla beans and cocoa nibs. It’s 6.7% ABV and the the only cask of its kind that O’so produced; meaning this will be your one shot at getting a taste of it. It all kicks off at 6 p.m. and the beer will flow until the cask runs dry. At last months firkin bash, the beer was finished in under two hours, so arriving on time would probably be a good idea.

Here's a jittery, little video taken at last month's Gardina's Firkin tapping on August 20, 2013. That's Shawn O'Marro doing the honors.

The Schlitz Beer Hall Honored

Next time you stroll down N. Main, check out the new plaque that was placed this past Saturday on the wall outside of Oblio’s Lounge.

The Oshkosh Landmarks Commission has a new program recognizing historically significant buildings and the building 462-464 N. Main is the first to receive a marker. Designed by Oshkosh architect William Waters and built in 1884, it was home to the Schlitz Beer Hall before the turn of the century. This joint has a history that’s certainly worth recognizing. If you have the time, here’s the whole story in two parts:

• The Lineage of Oblio’s Part One
• The Lineage of Oblio’s Part Two

Get a Free Sample of The Chief

Want a free taste of homebrewed Chief Oshkosh Beer? Here’s what you do: come downtown to the Farmer’s Market this Saturday morning and stop by the Society of Oshkosh Brewers stand; you’ll find them in the 400 block of N. Main. The SOBs will be there talking about homebrew and their upcoming all-homebrew beer festival, Casks & Caskets. If you ask nicely, they’ll be happy to hand you a ticket for a free sample of a homebrew clone of Chief Oshkosh Beer (based upon the 1950s version of the beer). With ticket in hand, take a couple steps over to Oblio’s where an SOB will be pouring out samples of the homebrewed Chief. Hand the SOB your ticket and they’ll hand you a generous sample (while supplies last, of course) of homebrewed Chief Oshkosh. It’s that easy. I tried the beer just this morning (oh, the rigors of blogging) and I’m happy to report that it’s tasting fine. And it just occurred to me that this will mark the fourth time within the past year that a clone of Chief Oshkosh Beer has been pouring in Oshkosh. Goes to show, you can’t keep a good beer down!

A Hop Grows in Allenville

My 2013 hop harvest is over. I pulled down almost eight pounds of hop cones over the last two
weekends. Not bad for a home grower, but it’s a pittance in comparison to the yields of the hop farmers of Winnebago County in the 1850s and 1860s. In 1855, for example, Silas Allen collected over 6,000 pounds of hops on five acres of land just north of Oshkosh. Allen’s farm was at the center of a hop growing belt of more than 20 hop yards that spanned the Town of Vinland and reached into the Towns of Winneconne and Clayton. And Allen was a prototype of the hop farmers who, by 1867, had made Wisconsin America’s largest producer of hops.

Hops Growing Wild in Town of Vinland

Silas Allen was born in 1813. He had been a hop grower in New York prior to coming to Winnebago County in 1846 and was said to have brought a barrel of hop roots on the wagon that carried he and his family west. He settled in Bald Prairie, a portion of which is now Allenville, in the Town of Vinland and began clearing land for farming. By 1853, Allen’s hop yard was in full flower.

Allen had gotten in at the right time. Wisconsin’s brewing industry was booming and the price of hops was on the rise. Allen parlayed his crop into a small fortune that enabled him to purchase surrounding tracts of land. According to his great-grandson, John Allen, the elder Allen and his son Timothy were predatory when it came to their business dealings. “They were aggressive,” John Allen says. “They always had to be the biggest. They were manipulators; legal thieves.” But Silas Allen didn’t have long to enjoy the spoils of his success. He died in July 1859 of sunstroke while harvesting hay. At the time of his death, Allen owned more than 700 acres of land in the Towns of Vinland and Clayton.

Timothy Allen took over his father’s hop yards and through the 1860s saw his family’s fortunes continue to increase. But as the decade came to a close an influx of new hop growers and the revival of hop growing in New York led to a glut of hops and a steep drop in prices. Following the crash of the hop market in 1868, the number of hop yards in the Town of Vinland began to decline. The last hop yard on the Allen farm ceased production in 1880, when the Chicago & North Western Railway tracks cut a swath 100 feet wide through it. The disruption brought an end to the Allen’s hop growing.

Allenville Hops

Hops, though, are an incredibly robust plant and they continue to flower on some of the sites of these former hop yards. This summer, I’ve spent time exploring areas in the Towns of Vinland and Clayton where hops were cultivated in the 1850s and 1860s. I’ve found a wealth of hops growing wild in both townships. These may very well be feral hops; as in hops that have survived on their own after their planned cultivation has ceased. On the site of what was the Allen farm they are especially plentiful. They grow up into trees and onto vines to heights of over 40 feet with a proliferation of cones. The hops are medium-sized and pungent with a sweet lemon aroma that’s somewhat similar to Strisselspalt, but more intense.

But will they make good beer? I’m trying to find out. I recently picked just over a half-pound of hops at the site of the Silas Allen farm and then dried them for brewing. This past weekend, I brewed a single-hop beer using these hops. If all goes well, I’ll be serving that beer at this year’s Casks and Caskets. If the hops from the Silas Allen site prove to be of good quality for brewing, my plan is to propagate them and share cuttings with other home growers in the area. We’ll see what happens. Maybe after all these years the Allenville hops are ready for a revival.

Here’s an update on the Allenville hops.