Beer Dinner and a Free Growler at Fratellos

Fratellos in Oshkosh will end the year with a beer dinner. On New Years Eve, they’ll offer a five-course dinner, each serving paired with a different Fox River Brewing Company beer.

Tickets for the dinner are $55 and if you get them before Christmas, they’ll throw in a free growler of beer from Fox River’s Bago Brew series.

The dinner begins at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, December 31. To make a reservation call (920) 232-2337.

And here’s the menu…

Course 1
Honey glazed bacon wrapped dates and cayenne almond
Paired with cask-conditioned Anniversary Red Ale

Course 2
Black and white bean soup served table side
Paired with Imperial Pilsner

Course 3
Scallop on a bed of taro root puree, Parmesan tweal and zucchini, red pepper and onion brunoise
Paired with  Abby Normal (a Belgian-style dubbel)

Course 4
Filet mignon in a pumpernickel rye marinade garnished with a buerre blanc served with napa cabbage potato puree and zucchini and carrot oblique
Paired with Buffalo Mike’s Pumpernickel Rye

Course 5
Three-layer white, dark and milk chocolate mousse
Paired with Zinful Triple (a Belgian-style strong ale aged in a red zinfandel barrel)

Catching Up With Fox River Brewing

A smattering of odds and ends to pass along about Oshkosh’s Fox River Brewing Company and their modern-day tied house, Fratellos.

Eat for the Beasts Tonight
That’s an event title I just made up, so don’t hold it against anybody, but me. Anyway, here’s something real: if you drop in for dinner and a couple of beers at Fratellos tonight (Wednesday, December 10), they’ll donate 15% of your total bill to the Oshkosh Area Humane Society. The deal works from 4 p.m. until closing. All you need do is mention the Human Society to your server and that 15% will go to help the animals at OAHS. It’s a good excuse to have a couple/three extra beers with your meal. As if you need an excuse. You can peruse the Fratellos menu HERE and eyeball their current beer list is HERE.

Bago Brew Abounds
Back in June I wrote about Fox River Brewing’s plan to begin distributing their beer locally again. Well, that’s now well underway. Fox River is distributing three of their beers and if you’ve been to Fratellos recently you’ve seen the rebranding that has gone along with that. Caber Tossing Scottish Ale has been renamed Marble Eye. BLÜ, their blueberry fruit beer, is now BLÜ Bobber. Rounding out the trio of distro beers is 2 Dams, an unfiltered blonde ale that was introduced this past summer

If you take a look at where the beers are being distributed, you’ll see that the emphasis is clearly on places outside of town. I suppose that makes sense considering Fratellos remains the hub of their beer sales here. That distro list is interesting, though. It bears a distinct resemblance to the distribution pattern for Chief Oshkosh Beer in the late 1940s, early 1950s. It’s fascinating to see how these things tend to repeat themselves.

The South-Side Billboard

This went up this past fall near the corner of 14th and South Main streets. That’s right on the edge of the old brewing district where Peoples Brewing and the Oshkosh Brewing Company were once pounding out around 100,000 barrels of beer annually. Last year, Fox River Brewing produced 646 barrels of beer in Oshkosh and another 672 in Appleton. Needless to say, there’s plenty of room for growth around here.

Bowen Talks Brewing
Here’s a video interview from the Craft Conscious podcast with Fox River brewmaster Kevin Bowen where he talks about the intersection of beer and coffee. Beer isn’t the only thing Bowen has been brewing.

Anniversary Deal on Pumpernickel Rye
Back in October, I posted about the brew day the Society of Oshkosh Brewers had at Fox River Brewing. The beer is now out and Fratellos in Oshkosh is serving up a good deal on it. If you do that Facebook thing, check THIS out to get the deal. If you don’t do Facebook, just go to the bar, wish them a happy 20th birthday and they’ll hand you a free 10 oz. glass of Buffalo Mike's Pumpernickel Rye. They’ll also sell you a growler of Pumpernickel Rye for $5. Just say the words. The thing is, Fox River Brewing's 20th Anniversary isn't until next December. Hey, this isn't the first time an Oshkosh brewery got its launch date mixed up. These breweries are always in such a hurry to grow old.

A Couple of Hometown Brews

There’s a couple of excellent Fox River Brewing Company lagers pouring exactly right now at Fratellos in Oshkosh. They’re rich and hearty and a nice buffer to this cool damp that’s hovering about. Let’s check ‘em out...

Foxtoberfest
Here’s Fox River’s entry into the Oktoberfest stream. I need to have a couple more, but this might be my favorite American Oktoberfest for this year. I’ve drank a lot of them over the last two months and have come across too many that are overtly sweet. While the malty character of this style might suggest sweetness, the beer ought to end up being relatively crisp and dry. This one gets it right.

It’s a bronze beer that sends a waft of Munich-malt aroma out of the glass. I get a lot of clean malt flavor from this. I kept thinking bread crust and caramel with a dash of pepper from the hops. The finish has a snappy bitterness that’s a good counterweight to the malt flavor.

Here’s something for the homebrewers. I got in touch with Kevin Bowen, brewmaster at Fox River, and he was kind enough to share all the basics on this beer. It goes like this:

Numbers
Original Gravity: 16.2° P
Terminal Gravity: 3.9° P
Lovibond: 12°
ABV: 6.2%
IBUs: 22.2

Malt Bill
2row
Vienna
Munich 1 & 2
Bonlander Munich
Caramunich 3
Dehusked Carafa 3
Acidulated
Chocolate

Hops
German Select
Sterling
German Hallertau

Schwarzbier
Schwarzbier literally means black beer. Back in the day, they used to call this style Kulmbacher. It was once a popular style in Oshkosh with the local brewers producing it year round. Fox River’s take on the style is somewhat of a throwback to those earlier beers. Most schwarzbiers you find these days are somewhat whispy. They’re often like a pils with a neutral coloring malt to blacken the beer. This one is more substantial.

It’s definitely a black beer with foam that’s sticky and tan. There’s a hit of roast in the aroma that follows through in the flavor. There’s a fat note of licorice here. I enjoy that. It’s a full-bodied beer. Very pleasing in the mouth. I was shocked when I learned that it’s just 4.1% ABV. It seems much more substantial. It’s a beer to drink by the growler! I really like this one.

Once again, here’s Kevin with the specs:

Numbers
Original Gravity: 11.5° P
Terminal Gravity: 3.5° P
Lovibond: 48°
ABV: 4.1%
IBUs: 17

Malt Bill
Pilsner
2 row
Munich 2
Caramunich 2
Melanoidin
Dehusked Carafa 3

Hops
German Magnum
Czech Saaz

KINK
Something else you might want to know: Fratellos has Ale Asylum’s KINK on as their guest beer right now. I haven’t had it, but I’ve heard good things. It’s a 7.4% Blegian-style Abbey ale. According to Ale Asylum it’s, “Creamy and smooth with a thrust of spice in the aroma and a climatic finish.” Sounds dramatic.

Here’s the full board showing what’s pouring at Fratello’s as of yesterday.
Click the pic for easier reading. Prost!

A Couple Beers for Labor Day Weekend in Oshkosh

Labor Day weekend is upon us. Time to think about what you’ll drink. You going to try slugging down an oily imperial stout while you stare at the grill watching your meat burn? Hell with that. Grab a real beer; as in a beer your father would recognize as beer. Wrap your hand around a nice, cold pilsner. Right now in Oshkosh, we have a couple prime examples of just how tasty a traditional pilsner beer can be. There’s a reason this beer style conquered the world. Let’s quench some thirst…

Fox River Brewing Company German Pilsner
Within the pilsner style there's a subset of beers that range light-blonde to deep-gold in color. Where they differ is in their balance of malt and hops. The German-style pilsner leans to the maltier side. This pils from Fox River Brewing gets that just right. It’s  a golden beer that pours with a pillow of white foam that lingers to the dregs. The aroma reminded me of soda crackers with a dash of fresh pepper. The beer is medium-bodied with a fresh-malt flavor that’s grainy and light. Those malt notes are balanced by a relatively firm bitterness that doesn’t present itself until the very end. Crisp and exceptionally clean, I can’t think of any food that this beer wouldn’t pair well with. They’re selling German Pilsner at Fratellos in Oshkosh in pints and in take-home growlers.

Side Note: Last month, they installed a new draught system behind the bar in the restaurant portion of Fratellos. The beer coming out of those lines has been noticeably better. Along with the new system, they also added four more tap handles bringing the number of beers they have on draught to 13. If you haven’t checked out what’s happening there lately, give it a shot. What you find might surprise you.

New Glarus Hometown Blonde
Here’s another German-style pilsner, but one that leans a wee bit more towards the hop-side of things. This is a seasonal offering from New Glarus and, to me at least, this year’s version seems more robust than last year’s. I like that. It’s a clear, straw-colored beer that sends a cascade of bubbles up from the bottom of the glass to create a creamy head of white foam. The aroma is akin to white bread under a grassy, almost lemony note from the hops. The beer is intensely carbonated and crisp with a mild biscuit-like malt flavor. The hops come across brightly with more of that grass along with a subtle minty tatse. There’s a pleasing and lingering bitterness to the finish that makes this beer another great match for all types of food. This is an exceptional lager that even your Lite-beer loving friends will probably warm to. Hometown Blonde is all over the place: gas stations, grocery stores... it’s easy to locate this one in Oshkosh.

Have a great weekend and don’t burn those brats. Prost!

A New Draught System at Fratellos in Oshkosh

A quick note about the beer at Fratellos in Oshkosh. Earlier today (Tuesday), they installed a new draught system in the restaurant bar. I dropped in for a couple pints with a friend tonight and I can tell you there’s a noticeable difference. The beer tasted amazingly fresh. The first beer I tried was 1853, a dark lager that I’ve always enjoyed. Tonight it tasted fantastic with its toasty malt flavor shining. I followed that with a creamy and roasty Trolley Car Stout and was equally impressed. When you get a chance, make a point of checking this out. You might be surprised by what you find there.

The Return of The Chief

Last week, Fratellos in Oshkosh brought back The Chief and that pleases me to no end. It’s a Classic American Pilsner and is based upon the version of Chief Oshkosh Beer that was brewed here by the Oshkosh Brewing company from 1950-1961. The beer is easy drinking, yet substantial, with a creamy mouthfeel, a mellow bitter/sweet flavor and a fast, dry finish that urges you back to the glass. When done well, I love this style of beer and this is an excellent example of how good it can be. When you taste one like this, it becomes a little easier to understand how the American Pilsner came to so throughly dominate the American beer landscape.

This is the second time that Fratellos has put The Chief on draught. The first tapping was back in September 2012. In May of 2012, Jay Supple of Fratellos had the idea of recreating one of the bygone Oshkosh beers to coincide with the release of The Breweries of Oshkosh, the book Ron Akin and I had written about the history of brewing here. For a couple of reasons, I suggested we do the 1950s version of Chief Oshkosh. For one, it was the best known of all the beers that had once been made here. More importantly, I had slew of information about the make-up of the beer. In the course of researching the book, I had collected a solid base of material for recreating the 1950s version of Chief Oshkosh, including brewers logs, chemical analysis of the beer and some fairly detailed tasting notes. And I knew it was a good beer. I had brewed it several times myself and served it to numerous people, some of whom were quite surprised that a true American Pilsner isn’t the insipid thing that the big brewers have made it out to be.

In late June of 2012, I turned over my collection of information and a recipe I had used for the beer to Kevin Bowen, brewmaster at Fratellos/Fox River Brewing Co. Kevin modified it to fit his brewhouse and went at it. When the beer was served three months later, I thought it was fantastic. And the two pints of The Chief that I had yesterday were every bit as good. Of course, you can see my bias here and when it comes to this beer I make no claim of impartiality. I love that I’m able to step up to the bar and get a taste of the sort of beer that was once common in Oshkosh. The only problem is, this is going to be another limited release of The Chief. Get it while you can.

It's Beer vs. Wine Tonight at Fratellos in Oshkosh

Tonight, Tuesday, September 25th at 6:30 pm, Fratellos in Oshkosh is hosting a battle between the grape the hop. They’re having a four-course meal where guests will be asked to judge whether a selected beer or wine pairs best with what’s on their plate. Here’s the fight card:

Round 1

Quartz White Blend vs The Chief Beer

Panzanella Salad 

Round 2

Votre Santé Pinot Noir vs Fox for the Hounds Pale Ale

Salmon Rillettes 

Round 3

Chateau St. Jean Red Blend vs Caber Tossing Scottish Ale

Seared tenderloin with Chèvre gnocchi

Round 4

Coppola Pink Moscato vs Trolleycar Stout

Espresso Crème Brûlée 

Check out Round 1, there, with “The Chief” standing proud! I think you know which one I’m pulling for.The whole deal is just $25 per person.  For reservations call 920.232.2337. 

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!

Oshkosh Best Ale at Fratellos

We don’t see many English Ales around Oshkosh. Bass and Newcastle are all over the place, but both of those beers have grown into mass-market brands and in the process have shed much of the character and subtlety that make the best English Ales so enjoyable. For the time being, at least, we’ve got a better option. Fratellos in Oshkosh is currently pouring a beer they’ve named Oshkosh Best and it’s an excellent example of a classic style of English Ale, the Premium Bitter.

There’s a tendency among American brewers who dabble with English-style Bitters to get hung up on the bitter aspect of the beer. They often wind up blowing away the malt component of the brew with an overdose of hops. The brewers at Fox River Brewing haven’t fallen into that trap. They’ve made a wonderfully drinkable ale that deftly balances its tasty maltiness with a pleasing bitterness. The beer pours to a deep gold under a creamy, white head. Stand it next to a pint of Fuller’s London Pride and you’ll see that their hues are identical. The aroma is of fresh, grassy hops mingled with a mellow, milk-like sweetness. That’s exactly what the beer delivers, too. The smooth malt character hints at toffee before giving way to a well-placed bitterness that doesn’t overwhelm the flavors which proceed it. The beer finishes with earthy, fresh-hop notes that linger on the palate.

The Brew Board at Fratellos

If you love hops, but aren’t looking to be bitten by bitterness this is a beer you shouldn’t miss. I’ve been drinking a lot of big IPAs this summer and the first growler I had of Oshkosh Best reminded me of what brought me to beer in the first place. This brew is proof that a great beer needn’t clobber you with out-sized flavors that overwhelm the palate to be exceptional.

If you’d like to take a look under the hood of Oshkosh Best, go here to check out Brewmaster Kevin Bowen’s notes.

Beer Job in Oshkosh

Enjoying your job (or lack thereof) this fine Monday? Rather be a pro-brewer? Here’s your shot. Fox River Brewing Company in Oshkosh is looking for an assistant brewer. Or more specifically, “a passionate, technically gifted, quality focused, safety driven, and team oriented Brewery Assistant/Cellarman... a vital part of a three person brewery staff responsible for Fox River Beers both on and off site.”

Brewing beer is a tough job. The work is demanding and the pay is notoriously lousy. But if you really love it... here’s a LINK to the posting. And here’s a LINK to something that may temper your enthusiasm. Or maybe not.

Joe Walts and the The RePublic Brewpub

We’ve added a new section of links to the side-bar under the heading The View From Wisconsin and there’s one site in particular within that batch, we’d like to encourage you to visit. The RePublic Brewpub is a blog by Joe Walts, now the assistant brewer at Fratellos here in Oshkosh and Appleton (that's Joe over on the right).

The blog tells the story of Joe’s two-year struggle to establish his own brewpub in an economic climate that was hostile at best. But the site covers a lot more than just the business of starting a business. As it moves along, the blog grows into the personal story of someone dealing with the inevitable obstructions that arise as they pursue their passion. If you’ve ever dreamed of starting your own brew pub, you won’t want to miss it. And for homebrewers, the site is loaded with brewing notes and information. All the way around, it’s a great read.

Brewers: Here’s a LINK to Joe’s File Cabinet of brewing info. It’s a terrific resource and most of it is presented in a manner that’s easy to understand for brewers of all levels.