Saturday Walking Tour

Just a very quick post to note that as part of this Saturday’s B'Gosh It's Good Breweriana Show, I’ll be leading a very informal walking tour of historic saloon and beer-related spots along North Main Street. The walk begins at 6pm, leaving from the parking lot behind Oblio’s. There’s no fee, or need to sign-up. Just show up at 6pm and away we’ll go. Hope to see you there. Prost!

The Bier Hall at The Gibson this Thursday

This Thursday, September 23, the Gibson Social Club will open to the public for the first in an ongoing series of Thursday-night Bier Hall events. "We're going with an authentic German Bier Hall vibe," says Will Amacher, the Food & Beverage Director at the Gibson. "There's really nothing I like better than seeing big mugs of beer sliding around."

The Gibson Social Club opened in August after a year of extensive renovation to the historic building it occupies at 537 N. Main Street. Primarily a private event space, the venue will also host public events from time to time. Hence the Bier Hall.

"The place already kind of looks like a German Bier Hall, so that aspect of it won't be too difficult," Amacher says. "We'll have eight beers on tap, including at least a couple of Oktoberfest beers along with beers from local breweries like Fifth Ward and Lion's Tail. I'm a big fan of the malty stuff, so this is really my season."

Amacher behind the bar at The Gibson Social Club.

"We're kicking it off with Danny Jerabek from Copper Box playing," Amacher says. "My goal today is to hook up a Hammerschlagen source. That's about the last detail and we're good to go."

The Bier Hall at the Gibson opens at 6 p.m. Thursday. There's no cover. The event is open to the public. For more details visit The Gibson's Facebook event page.

Oshkosh Craft Beer Week

Oshkosh will celebrate its first Craft Beer Week with nine days of beer-centric events beginning Saturday, March 7 and running through Sunday, March 15. It's all being organized by the Oshkosh Convention and Visitors Bureau with help from each of Oshkosh's four breweries.

Craft Beer Week will be bookended by a pair of beer fests. The week kicks off with the 3rd Annual Winter Beer Fest at Bare Bones beginning at 12 pm on Saturday, March 7. Tickets for that are still available and if you get them in advance you'll save $10. You can find tickets and more info on that fest HERE.

The week concludes with the EAA's Hops & Props beer tasting on Saturday, March 14. The beer dinner portion of that fest is already sold out, but tickets are still available for the beer sampling. More on that HERE.

Finally, O'Marro's will host an afterglow sort of event on the bloody Sunday morning of March 15 with a "St. Paddy's Season Sunday Service" at the pub beginning at 10 am. You don't want to go cold turkey, after all.

Throughout the week, there'll be a host of new beer releases, special offers, and prizes available in Oshkosh's brewery taprooms. The best place to keep up with all of that is HERE. You might want to bookmark that site. The Convention and Visitors Bureau continues to update it as new events are added.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau would like to make Oshkosh Craft Beer Week an annual event and expand it to include more venues in Oshkosh. Let's make this a success and get out and enjoy our local beer scene!

All right, one last thing... would you like a sticker like this one?

Go to the Oshkosh Craft Beer Week Facebook Page and message them your address. They'll mail it to you. Prost!

Germans in Wisconsin

This week began a new exhibit at the Oshkosh Public Library titled Neighbors Past and Present: The Wisconsin German Experience. It's an excellent presentation about the Germans who migrated to this region and the enduring influence they have had on communities such as ours. If you're interested in understanding the culture of Oshkosh, this exhibit is essential. It's all on the second floor of the library and free and open to the Public.

Of course, when you're talking about Germans in Wisconsin, beer is going to have to be a part of the discussion. Local breweriana collector Steve Schrage was given a display case to show off part of his substantial collection of memorabilia related to German brewers and beer bottlers in Oshkosh. My picture doesn't begin to do that display justice...

A portion of that display is given over to Oshkosh's independent beer bottlers of the late 1800s. I've written about this crew before HERE and HERE. Like the breweries they worked on behalf of, these bottling operations were run almost exclusively by German immigrants. Some of their bottles now on display at the library are incredibly rare.  It's worth a trip over just to get a look at those. It's probably the only opportunity most of us will ever have to see these items in person.

Neighbors Past and Present will be on display at OPL until February 28. In addition to the displays, the library will host a series of related programs. And OPL has put together a nice set of online resources that add substantially to the experience. I can't recommend this exhibit highly enough for anyone fascinated by how we became what we are.

Twin Cities Beer

This Friday, October 11, I’ll be at the Elisha D. Smith Public Library in Menasha talking about the history of beer and brewing in Neenah and Menasha. The talk begins at 3:00 pm. It’s part of this year’s Fox Cities Book Festival. I’m going to cover the entire (and sometimes contentious) history of brewing in the two cities from the first brewery of 1850 right up to the opening of Barrel 41 last year. Hope to see you there. For more info, CLICK THIS.

An Oshkosh Beer-Baron Tour of Riverside Cemetery

This Saturday, October 5th, will be the first of two guided tours through Riverside Cemetery in Oshkosh to visit the graves and tell the stories of 12 of Oshkosh's most colorful brewers and saloon owners. The tour is being coordinated and led by Donna Brotske of Riverside. I've supplied the research behind the tour and will be on hand to help answer questions and add some details about the people inhabiting the graves we'll be visiting.

The second tour, on October 12th, will be identical to the October 5th tour. Both tours begin at 10 a.m. and will last approximately 90 minutes. Tickets are $10, with proceeds going to help with upkeep, maintenance, and improvements of the cemetery. Space on these tours is limited and registration is required. Call 920-236-5092 to take care of that.

We'll visit the graves of Oshkosh luminaries such as Joseph Nigl, Herman Steckbauer, Lorenz Kuenzl, Charles Rahr, and eight more. It should be a lot of fun. I've been wanting to do something like this for years. I hope you can make it. For more info, check out the Facebook Event Page.

I’m Talkin’ Prohibition...

This Saturday, August 17, I’ll be at the Oshkosh Public Museum telling the story of Prohibition in Oshkosh. As you’ve probably already gathered by skimming this blog, this town went wild during the “dry” years.

The talk starts at 1pm. And after the talk, we’ll sample a few beers courtesy of Fifth Ward Brewing. FYI: The Museum charges an $8 admission fee for non-members ($6 for seniors). OPM members get in free. Hope to see you there!

For more info, CLICK THIS, or checkout the Facebook event page.

Peoples Beer at the Oshkosh Public Library

Wednesday, July 17, I’ll be talking Oshkosh beer history at the Oshkosh Public Library. The talk will focus on Peoples Brewing Company of Oshkosh and the incredible story of Wilhelm Kohlhoff, the last of the German-born brewers to make beer there.

Wilhelm Kohlhoff

It won’t be all talk. We’ll also have a keg of beer made by Jody Cleveland, head brewer at Bare Bones Brewery. Jody made this beer from the original recipe supplied by Kohlhoff. This is as close as you’re ever likely to get to the Peoples Beer that flowed in Oshkosh during the 1950s and 1960s.

The talk begins at 6 p.m. and will take place under the dome in the library. Free samples of beer will be available immediately following the talk. Hope to see you there!

Learn to Brew this Weekend at The Cellar

Saturday, January 14, The Cellar homebrew shop in Oshkosh will offer a free, introductory class on homebrewing. Class begins at 11 a.m. The instructor will be Tim Pfeister, a local homebrewer, hop grower, and beer geek.  Tim knows his shit. You may know him from this.

Consider attending if you’re thinking about getting into homebrewing or have already dipped into the hobby and want to up your skills. Actually, it would pay to sit in even if you're not interested in brewing, but want to learn more about beer in general. Educating yourself on the process is among the best ways to deepen your appreciation for what’s in your glass.

As long as we’re talking homebrew… Lion’s Tail Brewing in Neenah is hosting the 2017 Northeast Wisconsin Homebrew Open. Deadline to get your beer in is February 18. More info on that one, here.

The winner gets to brew 10 barrels of their beer in the Lion’s Tail brewhouse. And a free party when the beer goes on tap. Pick up your entry form and rule sheet up in the taproom at Lion’s Tail or email them info@lionstailbrewing.com. The Facebook event page for the comp is here.

Collaboration with Lion's Tail Brewing & The Ruby Owl Tap Room

Lion’s Tail Brewing and The Ruby Owl Tap Room are teaming up for a craft beer and food pairing on January 12, 2017, at the Ruby Owl Tap Room in downtown Oshkosh. Here’s Alex Wenzel of Lion’s Tail and Adam Carlson of The Ruby talking about their upcoming event.

Upcoming Beer Events

The beer year gets off to a promising start with a quartet of beer events coming up over the next couple of weeks. Here’s the what...

Saturday, January 7
Oshkosh Girl’s Pint Out brew day at Bare Bones. The GPO crew gets its mash on with the making of a bock beer at Bare Bones Brewery. Perfect for the beer-curious woman who’d like to meet up with others who want to know more about beer. The brew starts at 10 am. The beer is being made in honor of Anna Windhauser, who started the first homebrew store in Oshkosh back in 1925. Check out the GPO event page for more.

Wednesday, January 11
Beer Dinner at Dublin’s featuring beers from Oshkosh’s Bare Bones Brewery. Meet the gregarious RJ Nordlund, brewmaster from Bare Bones. $35 per person. Dinner begins at 6 pm. Contact Dublin’s to reserve a place at the table.

Thursday, January 12
Surly Brewing Co. beer dinner at Chester V's. Four courses & four beers. $35 per person or $65 per couple. Dinner starts at 6:30 pm. Check out the Facebook event page for more info.

Thursday, January 12
Pasta and beer pairing at Ruby Owl Tap Room. Here's a swank, little flyer with all the details...

Darkest Night of the Year Tap Takeover at Dublin's

Here’s Jon Cameron with the scoop on the Barrel-aged beer event taking place at Dublin’s Irish Pub this Saturday, December 17. They’ll have more than 20 barrel-aged beers on draft.

Upcoming Beer Events

We’ll have a few beer events coming up over the next couple weeks. Here’s the line-up...

November 2 – Tuesday
Fox River Brewing Company will have a beer and jerky tasting in the brewery’s Oshkosh taproom from 4pm until closing. Four different flavors of Jack Link's beef jerky will be paired with 10oz. Pours of Fox River beer. $15 per person or $10 for Mug Club Members. More info here.

November 9 – Wednesday
Chester V’s presents a 5-course dinner served with 5 specialty beers from Lakefront Brewing. Tickets are $35 per person or $65 per couple. Reservations are required. More info here.

November 9 – Wednesday
Scheduled opening of the area’s newest brewpub, Dairyland Brew Pub in Appleton. More on Dairyland here.

November 10 – Thursday
Nebraska Brewing Company tap takeover and slider pairing at the Ruby Owl Tap Room. Four NebBrewCo beers will be paired with sliders inspired by the beers. Offer begins at 3 pm and will run for most of the evening. No reservation necessary. $25 per person. More info here.

November 11 – Friday
Feed the Dog at Ruby Owl beginning at 8 pm. The band Feed the Dog plays while Bare Bones Brewery’s Feed the Dog Scotch Ale pours. Guest performance by Bare Bones Brewmaster RJ Nordlund. More here.

November 14 – Monday
The Roxy is hosting a Beer vs. Wine dinner. Each course of the five-course meal will be paired with a beer and a wine. You decide which is best. Dinner begins at 6:30 pm. $45 per person. Sign up at The Roxy bar or call (920) 231-1980.

A Beer Time Capsule

Whether you call it craft beer, microbrew, speciality beer, or what have you, beers of distinction have had a home in Oshkosh for more than 150 years.

Jody Cleveland and I are going to explore the history of these unique beers on Thursday, October 27, at 6:30 pm at the Oshkosh Public Library. Admission is free and so is the beer we’ll serve in conjunction with our talk. It’s the beer I want to get into here.

We’ll serve samples of four beers Thursday night. The beers have been brewed from recipes based on research into the periods when these beers were originally brewed and drank in Oshkosh. Here’s a quick rundown of the beers we’ll be pouring.

Oshkosh Salvator
This was produced in 1858 by Oshkosh’s Busch Brewery, forerunner to The Fifth Ward Brewery. As the date would suggest, this will be the most rustic of the beers we’ll have on tap. It’s a full-bodied, deep-amber lager with a noticeable hop bitterness. By the way, the hops used in this beer are descendents of hops grown in Winnebago County in the 1850s. This beer truly is a time capsule in a glass.

Kuenzl’s Kulmbacher
This one is based on an 1875 beer brewed by Lorenz Kuenzl at the Gambrinus Brewery in Oshkosh. It’s a dark lager of the sort that was once exceedingly popular here. An all-malt beer in 1875, Kulmbacher was a favorite of Oshkosh’s German immigrants who brought a thirst for the beers of their homeland to their new home in the new world.

Peoples Old Derby Ale
Oshkosh brewers didn’t dabble much in ale, but here’s an exception. Peoples began brewing Old Derby Ale in 1937. The original iteration was an American interpretation of an English stock ale. This is a medium bodied ale with a pronounced hop flavor supplied by cluster hops.

Chief Oshkosh Red Lager
This beer marks the beginning years of the specialty beer revival in Oshkosh. Produced by the Mid-Coast Brewing Company of Oshkosh and brewed at the Stevens Point Brewery, this first appeared in Oshkosh in 1991. It’s an all-malt amber lager akin to a Vienna lager. This was the first American “Red Lager” and the first craft beer to be canned.

There you have it. Hope to see you Thursday and share some beers with you. Prost!

Here Comes Oktober...

A trio of beer-soaked events coming up this weekend to get your Oktober underway...

Oshkosh Oktoberfest

Authentic Polka Music by Day; German Bier Hall by Night… The Seventh Annual Oshkosh Oktoberfest happens Saturday, October 1 at the corner of 6th and Oregon.

Festivities kick off with a 2K beer walk/run beginning at 11:00 a.m. (Registration at 10:00 a.m.). Following the run, the fest gets into gear with music, food, wiener dogs races and of course plenty of good beer. And I’ll be there from approximately 12-4 p.m. leading folks through a guided sampling of German-style beers. If you go, stop by and say hello.

Much more info on Oshkosh Oktoberfest is available here.


Bare Bones Brewery’s Bitchin' Bonfire Bone-nanza!
Same day, but just a little later, Bare Bones Brewery will host its inaugural fall fest, appropriately named Bitchin' Bonfire Bone-nanza!

They’ll have a bonfire, BBQ, beer and music in the lot outside the brewery. Among the the bands playing will be Nordlund, featuring Bare Bones brewmaster RJ Nordlund. You gotta see that!

The Bone-nanza begins at 5 p.m. and will last well into the night. For more info, check out the Facebook event page.



Oshkosh Girls Pint Out
The first gathering of the Oshkosh Chapter of Girls Pint Out will happen Sunday, October 2, at 5 p.m. at Bare Bones Brewery.  All the info on that can be found right here.

You don’t need to sign-up for the event, but if you do go it would probably be a good idea to head over to the Facebook event page and hit the "Going" button. That’ll give them a better idea of how many folks they’ll have in attendance.

Coming Right Up...

A few ways to have fun with your mouth this week in the Oshkosh area...

A Taste of Things to Come from Rushford Meadery and Winery
Did you know a meadery/winery/cidery recently opened in Winnebago County? Now you do. Rushford Meadery and Winery is up and running in the the Town of Rushford just outside of Omro.

Owners Shane and Laurel Coombs have been keeping a somewhat low profile pending the opening of their tasting room, which ought to have its doors open before too much longer. Until then, here’s a chance to get a glance and a taste of what they’re up to.

Tomorrow evening, as in Wednesday, September 14, the Coombs will present five of their new meads at Bare Bones Brewery Taproom. The event runs from 5:30-7:30 pm. If mead is your thing, you really should check this one out. They’re making some great stuff in Rushford. For more info, go here.

Beer Flight School O’Marro’s Public House
At O’Marro’s they’ve launched a Thursday Night Beer Flight program that’ll serve as a weekly, guided tasting through the word of beer. It kicks off this Thursday, September 15 and runs through the evening, no sign up or advance tickets needed.

They’ll have $5 rotating beer flights, $5 Pizza and free pool. Lance Lehman, a beer industry insider who really knows his stuff, will be on hand to guide your flight. Or, if you’d rather, you can fly solo. More info here.

Wet Hops
Over the next few days, we’ll see the first wet hop beers produced commercially in Oshkosh go on tap. Both Fox River Brewing and Bare Bones Brewery produced wet hop beers ---. Each of these beers has an interesting backstory that I’m hoping to share in the coming days. Stay tuned, more to come on this one...

Lion’s Tail Celebrates Oktoberfest 
The Oktoberfest seasons is upon us. We’ll see a number of celebrations around here, with Lion’s Tail Brewery leading things off this weekend.

On Friday September 16 from 5-11 p.m. and Saturday September 17 from 1-11 p.m., Lion’s Tail will host its first Oktoberfest on the brewery grounds at 116 S. Commercial St. in Neenah. They’ll have live music, food trucks, contests and plenty of beer, including the brewery’s first Oktoberfest-style lager. For more info check out the Facebook event page.

We’re going to have a busy fall full of beer around here. This is just the beginning. Prost!

Beer Here, This Week

A few quick words about the beer around here this week…

Last Saturday's Rainbow over Bare Bones

The Launching of the Short’s
You may have noticed beer from Michigan Short's Brewing Company showing up recently on tap lists on store shelves in Oshkosh. This week, Short’s will make a bigger splash with launch parties at Chester V’s and Oblio’s.

• Tuesday, June 7, Oblio’s will host a Short’s launch party from 6-8 p.m.

• Then on Wednesday, June 8, Chester V’s will host a Short’s tap takeover from 7-9 p.m.

If you can’t hit either of those, you can always swing by Ski’s for a taste of Short’s. The downtown market currently has Short’s flagship beers in stock, including Bellaire Brown and Huma Lupa Licious. Speaking of Ski’s, they’re also now offering mix 4 and 6 packs. Check that out here.

And if you want to find out what Short’s is all about, here are two guys who have a few things they’d like to tell you.

Bare Bones Anniversary Party
Hard to believe, but Bare Bones has been up and running for a year now. Seems like only yesterday this was happening.

The celebration at Bare Bones begins Thursday, June 9, with a tent party featuring live music from Bare Bones brewmaster RJ Nordlund. Food will be available from Tasty Weiner's on Wheels.

Then on Friday, June 10th, Bare Bones will have a Pig Roast by Hillbilly Bob with live music by Bad Habitz. It’s been an adventurous year for Bare Bones, they have plenty to celebrate.

Check out the brewery's Facebook event page for more.

Butte des Morts Beer
Sunday, June 12, at 1 p.m., I’ll be speaking at the Butte des Morts Lion’s Club about the history of brewing and salooning in Butte des Morts. For such a little place, Butte des Morts sure had a lot going on when it came to beer.

Here’s the best part: There’s going to be beer to sample. I put together a recipe for the sort of beer that was being brewed in Butte des Morts Beer in the 1860s. The recipe was brewed at Bare Bones by assistant brewer Jody Cleveland and will be offered during and after the program. Here’s all the info. Hope to see you there!

American Craft Beer Week in Oshkosh

Yes, this is American Craft Beer week. Here’s a roundup of what’s going down around here...

Craft Beer Week at Fox River Brewing Co.
Over at Fox River they’re celebrating all week long with special events, deals and more. Tonight (Tuesday, May 17) beginning at 5:30 p.m., they’ll have a Mug Club Member social with free appetizers and tasters of Fox River’s Session IPA along with other beer pairings. Check out the entire week’s worth of events here.

Summer Sneak Peek at Lion's Tail Brewing Co.
At Lion’s Tail they’re celebrating Craft Beer Week tonight (Tuesday, May 17) by tapping pilot batches of three seasonal brews that will be released this summer. Tonight, get a sneak peak at the brewery’s Kettle-soured Blackberry Black, Streetball 25 Lager (California Common), and their Summer Red IPA. They’ll have live music to along with the beer. Check out the event page HERE.

Oso's & Potosi Tap Takeover at Chester V’s
Thursday, May 19, Chester V’s will host a dueling Wisconsin breweries tap takeover featuring O’so Brewing of Plover and Potosi Brewing of – that’s right – Potosi. This is an early-bird takeover beginning at 2 p.m. Check out the event page for more including the list of all ten beers that’ll be pouring.

Craft Cycle Run for Craft Beer Week
This Friday, May 20, meet up with other cyclists at 5:30 p.m. for a ride up the Wiowash State Trail to Bare Bones Brewery. The ride begins at Fox River Brewing at 6 p.m. Each rider will receive a free beer coupon, after purchasing their first FRBC beer (the coupon can be used at a later date, if you’d like). After a beer or two at Bare Bones, the group will head back to Fox River Brewing around 8:30 p.m., for live music on the Patio. Here’s the event page.

Fifth Ward Brewing Company
Here’s a different kind of Craft Beer Week event. I posted this on Facebook this weekend, but for those who don’t indulge in that particular vice, here it is for you. If you’ve been past 1009 S. Main in Oshkosh recently you may have noticed the big “sold” sign. That’s a very good sign. Fifth Ward Brewing Company has now secured the building where they plan to launch their brewery. We’re one step closer to another brewery opening in Oshkosh.

Beer Sampling Saturday at Barley’s

Barley & Hops final beer sampling of the season is this Saturday, May 7 from 6-9 p.m.

By now, I think we all know how this works. Here's the rundown, anyway...

• If you head to Barley’s and land your ticket before Saturday night you’ll pay $20.
• If you wait and pay at the door, it’ll set you back you $25.
• Really, it's a bargain, either way.
• This time, Stevens Point Brewery gets center stage. Think Whole Hog Series. You'll also get a sharp looking Point pilsener-style glass as part of the tasting.
• And as always, there’ll be dozens of beers from other breweries to sample as well as a good selection of wine and spirits.
• You know you want to...

Need more info? Check this out.

Upcoming Beer Events

A brief shout about a trio of beer events on the near horizon...

Cask Tapping at Chester V’s
Wednesday, February 3 (as in tomorrow), Chester V’s will tap a specially prepared cask of Fox River Brewing Company’s Skywalker Stout. Skywalker is a 7.4% ABV Imperial Stout with a hop bill that resembles an IPA. The base beer is hopped with mosaic, simcoe and citra. The cask that'll pour at Chester V’s has undergone an additional dry-hopping in the cask with Australian galaxy and citra. Kevin Bowen, brewmaster at Fox River, will be on hand to tap the cask at 5 p.m. Pints of this beer will be just $3.50. Check out the Facebook Event Page for more.

The 7th annual Fond du Lac Brewfest
Saturday, February 6, Fondy’s annual beer festival takes place at the Fond du Lac Fairgrounds from 5-9 p.m. They’ve pulled in a lot of new breweries for this year’s fest. Check out their complete line-up HERE. Tickets are available online for $45. There's info on that and more, right here.

Barley’s Beer Sampling Series
Here’s some more good news. Nate at Barley & Hops has decided to move this next installment of his beer sampling series to Saturday night. Saturday, February 13 from 6-9 p.m. Barley’s will feature more than 60 beers and a slew of spirits and wines. Tyranena Brewing Co. will be the host brewery. Get your tickets in advance at the pub for $20 or at the door for $25, if tickets are still available at that point. Either way it’s a sweet deal, but better to get them in advance. This is likely to be a heavily attended event. Check out the Facebook Event Page for more info.