April 2019 Meeting

April Meeting Minutes:

The SOB’s found ourselves back at O’marro’s this month for an evening of informative sipping and laughter. We welcomed several new faces and enjoyed a wide variety of beverages.

New Member Welcome:

This month you SOB’s did a great job of spreading the word and inviting guests. Colin and Rodney are two fine fellas who are just getting into brewing. So far, they’re doing a great job; they’re extract brewers who brought in a few bottles of beer to share. More on those later. Jonathan and Micah were introduced next. Jonathan has a few years of brewing experience and is starting to get into all grain brewing. Micah, on the other hand,has a year’s worth of brewing experience and is utilizing an extract set up. Last but not least, Stafford and Tom are a brewing pair sent over by our friends at Barebones. Tom has a long history of brewing but now sticks mostly to wines and helping Stafford in his brewing explorations. Stafford began brewing a few months ago with IPAs, only recently finding the decadence and excitement of brewing darker style beers. Thanks to all of you for inviting such fun groups of people. We hope to see allthe new faces at upcoming events and meetings.

Treasurer’s Report:

That time of year is once again approaching – membership renewals. See Kurt to renew your membership by June. The cost is still $20 for the year. New members can also see Kurt to officially register. If you have been waiting for membership cards, they’re hot off the press. Again, see our esteemed treasurer for your proof of membership.

Survey Results:

We got the survey results in and are using them to improve the SOB experience. Moreover, the club gave away a brewing clock to one lucky survey participant. Congratulations Matt Saunders and thank you for helping us!

Barebones Wort Share:

Earlier this month the SOB’s were at Barebones to help Jody brew and English Brown Ale. The wort produced during the day was shared amongst the group to be fermented and flavored however they see fit. Some brewers are adding strange yeast strains, some are adding sugars, while others are adding funky adjuncts. These beers will be shared at the May meeting which will be held at Barebones. Stay tuned for more on that!

Big Brew Day:

This year national Big Brew day is held on Saturday May 4th. We’re hosting a big brew at the Cellar to celebrate. We’ll begin brewing at 9AM. Feel free to brew or just stop in for some samples and company. The AHA has announced that blonde ales and NEIPA’s are this year’s “official’ styles (no need to brew either.) Sign up HERE if you are planning to stop by. So, get ready for the big day and spread the word far and wide!

Bus Trips:

The bus trips have been planned! This Spring we’re taking a bus tour to the Wausau/Waupaca region. On the itinerary are stops at Red Eye for lunch, Bull Falls, 22 Lakes, and HH Hinder. The bus will depart May 11th at 9:30 AM from the old JCP parking lot in Oshkosh. We will return the same day at approximately 7:30 PM. Anticipated cost is $35 which includes bus fares and a tour at Red Eye (pay at the bus). If you’re interested, sign up HERE. Additionally, the SOB’s are offering a bus ride to the Chilton beer fest on May 19th. The cost is $10 for the bus ride; there are still (2) tickets available for the event at a cost of $40 (contact Jeff Eaton). The bus will depart the old JCP parking lot at 11:30 AM on the 19th and return at 7:00 PM. To get on the bus sign up HERE. Remember to pay Jeff and Becky for event and bus ride tickets.

SOB Club Competition:

Every July the SOB’s host a club competition for members. We’re changing things up this year. First, the competition (and July meeting) will be held at Fox River Brewing Co. in Oshkosh; the winning beer will then be brewed at Fox River. Second, the July competition will only accept beer entries. We will be hosting an additional competition at our September meeting at Rushford for all mead, wine, and cider entries. You heard that right, two competitions this year! We are investigating the possibilities of having BJCP judges for the events, making this a great opportunity to receive feedback on your brews. More information will be coming soon. Until then, whip up some grade-A beverages, set aside (4) 12-oz bottles (or the equivalent), and prep for the 3rd annual club competition!

Lake Arrowhead Beer Camp:

We have once again been invited to the beer camp/walk at Lake Arrowhead campground. This year the event takes place on the weekend of August 23rd-25th. Three campsites will be set aside for SOB’s to occupy during the event at no cost; all you need to do is bring beer to serve during the walk. Last year three groups camped during the event, two brewed, and more stopped down to serve. A sign-up sheet will be available at future meetings.

Contacting Representatives:

The SOB’s are on a mission to update homebrew laws that would allow us to charge admission at events where homebrew is served. This will help us to raise more money for charity at events like Casks and Caskets. To aid in this effort, the SOB’s are drafting a letter that you can sign and send to your local representatives. This letter will be available at future meetings and events (particularly Big Brew Day.)

Member Beers:

Ty Shippee brought in two versions of “quick” lagered beers. His bohemian rye lager took only 10 days to lager utilizing gelatin for clarity, a kegerator to maintain temperatures, and a diacetyl rest that raises the beer slowly raised the temperature to 65℉ for a few days (until it stops stinking.) Both of Ty’s rye and vienna lagers are fine examples of the style, with only a slight diacetyl character. Not bad for a short lagering period. New member Rodney and Colin brought in some of their first brews, which are recipes available at the Cellar. Rodney’s Irish red and Colin’s Blonde are both excellent interpretations of Dave’s original recipe. They’re clean, easy drinking, and true to style. Keep up the good work, fellas! Chuck shared a few bottles of cinnamon cider that he’s been aging since 2014. It smelled like fall and the 19 (ish) ABV was easily disguised behind a dry, enjoyable drink.

Lion’s Tail Beers:

This month we focused on beers from Lion’s Tail Brewing in Neenah. Head brewer Alex Wenzel is a chemical engineer by trade with an obsession for water. Each beer he brews is carefully treated with the appropriate water adjustments to create the perfect water profile for that style. Alex brews a wide range of styles, including traditional styles like Rock the Block Bock (which donates 50% of the profits to Habitat for Humanity) and Too Caught Up IPA which is a tried and true centennial IPA recipe. More adventurous beers like Pineapple Milkshake Pale Ale and the upcoming Golden Stout Collaboration can also be found on tap. Thank you to Alex and the crew at Lion’s Tail for sending us delicious samples of your amazing beers!

March 2019 Meeting

March Meeting Minutes:
This was a hectic month for the SOB’s. Besides our usual imbibing, we were leaderless, which almost lead to mass hysteria and chaos. Thankfully, Scott, stepped in to save the day. With a commanding voice, our previous secretary quickly ushered us through the night’s agenda.

New Member Welcome:
Three new members. You read that right. Three brave souls officially joined the SOB’s on
March 20th – are they up for the fun, drinking, and comradery? It certainly seems so! Justin
Hammer was the first to be introduced. He is an avid brewer with 3 years of experience,
pumping out a whopping 25(ish) brews annually. Holy Toledo, way to go Justin! Brian Hickey was our next new member. Brian is new to the area and new to the brewing world. Although he hasn’t yet brewed a beer, he’s a craft beer fanatic (hopefully we can help develop him into full-fledged brewer.) Finally, owner and head brewer of Barrel 41 Nate Sharpless joined the SOB’s. Welcome to all our new members; we’re honored to be a part of your brewing journey!

Treasurer’s Report:
Kurt gave us our monthly financial update to assure us that we aren’t broke. Thanks, Kurt, for keeping track of our money!

Newsletter/Email/Survey:
Are you receiving the bimonthly emails? If not, contact us to ensure that you are added to the
email list. Why? Because of the exciting information we’re sharing via email. Like the monthly newsletter which contains tidbits of brewing knowledge, club events, and local beer activities.
Also, in the email blast was a 10-question survey which will help the board to develop club events and activities for your enjoyment.

Cask and Caskets Update:
Tentatively, we are planning to host Casks and Caskets for a third year at the Hilton Garden Inn in Oshkosh. To improve attendance, we are planning to host the event the weekend after
Halloween. Hopefully more people will be free and ready to party that weekend as opposed to the weekend before. On a side note, are you looking to be more involved in the club? You can easily help by joining the Cask and Caskets board. You will meet once monthly to discuss and plan for the event.

Bus Trips:
A spring brewery tour trip is in the planning stages. At this point Travis and Jeff are anticipating a tour date of May 11th. We will be heading west this year to explore the breweries of the Stevens Point, Wausau, and Waupaca areas. More information and a sign-up sheet will be released as plans are solidified. Stay tuned.

Member Brew Days:

Are you interested in hosting a “mini” Big Brew day at your house? Call it a medium brew day,
if you will. Simply contact a board member with the date, location, and attendance limit for your brew day. We’ll create a sign-up sheet and organize the details for your brew day.
Upcoming Club Events:
The SOB’s are always on the move. Maybe we’re brewing together, maybe we’re drinking
together, often we’re doing both! Mark your calendars for these upcoming events:
April 6th
 – Lee’s book signing at Fox River Brewing Company in Oshkosh from 1-3 pm.
It’s not everyday that one of our members is recognized for a achieving a goal as
momentous as having a book published. Let’s get out there to support the hard work and
dedication Lee has put into Winnebago County Beer.
April 7th: Barebones Wort Share to visit Jody at Bare Bones Brewery to collect some wort out of a professional mash tun. Brewers are allowed a maximum of five gallons of wort to hop, spice, ferment, to their liking. At the following May meeting brewers are invited to bring their finished beer back to the club so we can sample each interpretation of the beer. A few spots will be available at the brewery for brewers to set up their systems and carry their brew out with Jody at Bare Bones (first come first serve.)
April 17th – Our monthly meeting will be back at O’marro’s where Dave from the Cellar
will be teaching us about grains. On a side note, who wants to buy the Cellar?
May 4th- Big Brew Day: A time proven classic, Big Brew Day is returning for another
year. SOB’s will gather at the Cellar to brew together and enjoy the merriment of
learning each other’s brewing techniques and systems.
May 19th- Chilton Beer Bus: We will once again be offering a beer bus up to the Chilton
Beer fest. Why not spend a day drinking with some of your favorite SOB’s?
Barrel 41 Tour:
The second installment in our Breweries of the Cheese State adventure brought us to Barrel 41 in Neenah. Owner and Head Brewer (and now club member) Nate Sharpless welcomed us with open arms and great beers. Barrel 41 has been opened for a little under 6 months, making it one of the most recent additions to the areas thriving beer scene. The microbrewery utilizes a 7-barrel electric brew system. On an average week Nate is brewing one to two batches to keep the 5 fermenters full and beer flowing from the taps. Speaking of the beer, a wide range of styles are
offered on tap, ranging from imperial stouts to saisons. We highly encourage everyone to take advantage of the warm, log cabin ambiance of Barrel 41 to sip down some grade-A beers. A special thanks to Nate and the crew at Barrel 41 for hosting this rowdy bunch of SOBs

February 2019 Meeting

February Meeting Minutes:

 

The SOB’s trudged through snow and slick roads on February 20, 2019 to attend the first official meeting of the year. At this meeting we discussed upcoming events for the year, asked for member input, and explored High Holder Brewing Company with owner and head brewer Mike Schlosser.

Treasurer’s Report

Kurt summed up our financial status. In fact, we do have money in both the Casks and Caskets as well as the general club fund

Calendar

The tentative calendar for the year was revealed as well as the theme. This year we will be focused on “Beers of the Cheese State.” Meaning, that we will be bringing in beers from some of your favorite local breweries and discussing the brewing history of our great state. With that being said, we’re planning on a few more off-site meetings this year so we can get the full effect of the breweries. Below is a schedule for our next few meetings:

Date	Discussion	Location
March 20	Barrel 41	Barrel 41, Neenah
April 17	Grains, Brewery TBD	O’marro’s, Oshkosh
May 15	Bare Bones	O’marro’s, Oshkosh
June 19	Brewery TBD	TBD

 

We’re looking for you input to help fill out the “TBD” sections in our calendar. Where do you want to go? Which breweries would you like to learn about?

Events

We are in the works of planning several great events for the year. That’s right, we’re going to be drinking more beers! Our first event of the year, in fact, already occurred. Several SOB’s traveled down to the Fond du lac Brewfest to sling some beers. Among the most well received beers was Jeff Eaton’s lucky charm cream ale and Darren Reichenberger’s raspberry cream ale. Way to go, fellas! Coming up we have a few important events:

• April 7th – Barebones Wort Share: Sign up HERE to visit Jody at Bare Bones Brewery to collect some wort out of a professional mash tun. Brewers are allowed a maximum of five gallons of wort to hop, spice, ferment, to their liking. At the following May meeting brewers are invited to bring their finished beer back to the club so we can sample each interpretation of the beer. A few spots will be available at the brewery for brewers to set up their systems and carry their brew out with Jody at Bare Bones (first come first serve.)

• May 4th – Big Brew Day: A time proven classic, Big Brew Day is returning for another year. SOB’s will gather at the Cellar to brew together and enjoy the merriment of learning each other’s brewing techniques and systems. Sign up to come.

• May 19th – Chilton Beer Bus: We will once again be offering a beer bus up to the Chilton Beer fest. Why not spend a day drinking with some of your favorite SOB’s? More information and a sign–up sheet to come.

• June 22nd – World of Beer Festival: This is a new one! The Beer Baron’s of Milwaukee have invited us to their famous beer festival hosted at the Bavarian Bier Haus. Warm up your kettles and start brewing your world-class beers to serve to some thirsty patrons. More information will be coming at future meeting, but for now sign up HERE.

• July 17th – SOB Club Competition: Back by popular demand, the monthly meeting in July will once again be the club competition. A few slight changes have been made. First, the competition will be held at Fox River Brewing Company in Oshkosh. This will allow us a little more elbow room to judge beers. Second, Fox River has agreed to brew the winning beer (the only limitation is that wild soured beers will not be brewed.) More information and a sign-up sheet will be released as the date approaches.

• Bus Tours: We’re planning, but we need your help. Where do you want to go? When do you want to go? Aaaaah! Help! We need your ideas to help make these events what you want.

• Member Brew Days: Do you want to host a SOB brew day at your house? Contact us to let us know. You tell us the day and we’ll work to fill in the details.

• Cask’s and Caskets: This is a little way out. However, we’re in the planning process. Currently we’re trying to pick the date: either, the last Saturday in October (Oct. 26) or first Saturday in November (Nov. 2). Additionally, we’re trying to change some homebrew laws. Mainly we want to pressure the state to allow us to charge admission for our all charity event. If you have connections or a way to help, please don’t hesitate! We can use all the help we can get.

Survey

Feel like we’re asking for a lot of information from you? Fear not! We sent out a handy-dandy survey for you to answer all these questions. Where is it? In the February email blast, of course. Click on the link under the survey picture and help us help you!

Newsletter

Speaking of email blasts, we’re adding a little more spice to your life. Logan Anderson will be taking over the monthly email blasts. In addition, he’ll be adding a monthly newsletter for you to peruse. The newsletter will contain information about member achievements, monthly recipes and knowledge, local beer events, and quirky jokes for your pleasure! If there is more information you’d like to see, please share!

Beer Brackets

Our final order of business? March madness brackets! No, not that kind; the beer drinking kind! Oshkosh Independent is hosting a local brew battle in which brews from your favorite breweries are pitted against each other in an attempt to be named the areas best beer. The Independent is looking for our help. All we need to do is show up at the designated local establishment on the day of the battle and count votes. Couldn’t be simpler. If that’s not enough the Independent will give out a $15 gift card for you to sip down a few beers as you count, what a deal! If you want more information about the event find it HERE. The event bracket can be found HERE. And the sign-up form is HERE.

SOB Brews

Does it sound like the SOB’s have gone soft and didn’t offer any beer at the meeting? That’s not true at all! Kurt Weina brought in his Backyard Sunshine Centennial IPA. A “wet” IPA made with homegrown hops and boasting a clean, easy drinking bitterness that is hard to find in an IPA. 5 ounces of hops went into this bad boy, but our lips weren’t left puckering as might be expected. Another specially hopped beer tasted was Brian Schneider’s Saison. A dark version of the style and hopped with wild Allenville hops, this brew highlighted the versatility of belle saison yeast. Brian reported that the yeast was slow to start but left an enjoyable character in the finished beer. Leave it to Jeff Eaton to think up something strange; his Cocoa Pebbles Brown Ale is a cereal mashed beer with what else but cocoa pebbles. In Chuck’s word’s “you can taste that,” and boy could you. This was such an enjoyable beer it left some of us wondering, can we do a mash with only cereal? Fourth on the list was Mike Engle’s Vanilla Porter. Again, we were all amazed by the talents of the pico-brew system. Strong roasted flavors were bolstered by a smooth vanilla backbone that left us wanting more. A little off the beer trail, Shawn Lord brought in his Strawberry Rhubarb wine. After a short search for the cork screw we popped that baby open and past it around. It was a perfect fruit wine that had us ready for the summer months!

High Holder Brewing Company Tour

On to the main event! Mike Schlosser invited us to High Holder, his microbrewery located in the back room of O’marro’s. Mike opened shop in January 2018 and quickly outgrew the originalsystem. Within the first 6 months High Holder had to expand to a 1-barrel system to meet production needs and keep kegs filled. In the first year of operation 10-12 different brews were pumped out of the brewery and the people drank them up faster than Mike could fill kegs. On tap the night of our meeting High Holder had a Barrel Aged Doppelbock and Altbier on top. That wasn’t all, a special grisette brewed with a saison and Brett yeast was poured just for the club. The beer reminded us of a summertime Kolsch with slightly more tartness. For a one-manoperation brewing on the weekends after his full-time job, Mike has elevated High Holder to high standard. Plans of expansion are in the works with a full taproom possible in the next 2-5 years. Thanks, Mike, for the awesome tour and beer!

That concludes February’s meeting! A lot of news and information was shared. And even more great beers were poured. See you next month.

January 2019 meeting/Christmas Party

On a frigid January evening, the merriest bunch of S.O.B’s you ever did see met at Fifth Ward Brewery for the annual Christmas party. It was a night of good food, great company, and of course all the beer one could wish for. We reveled in the memories we made over the past year; with outstanding events like big brew day, beer camping, and casks and caskets, how could we not? Of course, no Christmas party is complete without a moment or two of hard work – cue the abbreviated business meeting.

The only business task on the docket for the night was to elect a few new board members. This year three positions came open for election – President, secretary, and member coordinator. In true S.O.B. fashion the election was far less serious than expected with many “Dilly Dilly’s” belted out from the crowd. First on the list was member coordinator. No volunteers or nominations were forthcoming, however Travis Sullivan arrived in the nick of time to save us from the crickets in the room. Thanks, Travis, for your impeccable timing and for agreeing to be the new member coordinator. Next in line was club secretary. Logan Anderson was nominated and agreed to get drunk once a month to write these delightfully entertaining meeting minutes. Last but not least we needed a President. Again, no volunteers stepped up to the arduous task of leading the pack of wild brewers. Mike Engel, in knight-like fashion, agreed to hold the position for another term.

A special thanks to all past, present, and new board members for putting in the work to ensure the club runs smoothly.

With that being said, the board is looking for your input. Yes, you the one reading this. What would you like to see from the club in the next year? Does your brewing equipment demand to be used in more club collaborative brews, does your sense of adventure nag at you to visit every local brewery, or maybe your inquisitive mind is calling you to understand the finer tunings of brewing beer? Whatever your heart desires let us know so we can steer the club in a direction that suits the interests of the entire club.

Here’s to another amazing year of beer and friends! Cheers!

 

New Faces:

Unfortunately, the Christmas party didn’t wrangle in any new faces. Keep an eye out for new brewers and remind all your brewing friends of the areas most fun drinking club!

 

Upcoming Club Events:

•On February 2nd, several club members will be serving their very own recipes at the Fond du lac Brewfest. There is no longer room for more servers, but we’d love to see all your rosy faces. Stop down for a sample (or 6.)

 

Local Beer News:

•Lion’s Tale Brewery in Neenah is hosting the 2019 Homebrewer’s Open on February 19. All entries are welcome with the requirement that at least one Briess malt be used in the recipe.

•Looking to chill out and chug some beer? Head to Bare Bones Brewery on February 23, for the second annual Winter Beer Fest. Check out their Facebook page for more information and tickets.

•Northeast Wisconsin Beer Battles – so maybe you’re not into sports, well this is a bracket anybody can get behind. Simply go to one of 10 participating watering holes, drink the competing beers, and vote for your favorite. For more information follow this link: Beer Battles.

•Tired of leaving your furry friend at home while you enjoy a night of wine? Wine and Wags (March 2nd) is a dog friendly wine tasting event put on by Rushford Meadery in conjunction with N.E.W.PAWSibilities. Check out the event on Facebook or at either hosting establishment for more information

December 2018 meeting

Baby it was cold outside, so the SOB’s hunkered down at O’Marro’s Public House, where everyone wants to stay inside and have a drink.

New Faces

Blake Schlepy from New London – was a member of the SOB’s about 20 years ago.  Has an all-grain system he brews on and is currently in the process of a doppelbock that will be aged in a whisky barrel.  Darren Riechenberger – from Oshkosh, brewing about 15-20 years.  Note:  he was the one that came up with the recipe for the asparagus stout that was served at C&C.

Treasurer’s Report

Kurt Weina, our highly esteemed Treasurer, gave our financial report.  For those who have paid your dues, membership cards were available.  For those that haven’t…..our club Goon will see you shortly…..

Signups

In addition to the regular meeting signup, there was a signup sheet for the FDL Brewfest which is happening in February.  The SOB’s have been part of this since the inception (~ 6 years) and don’t see any reason why we should stop.

Casks & Caskets Donation Summary

Mike provided a summary of the 7 food pantries that benefited from the $6,200 that the SOB’s donated to them due to the monies raised from Casks and Caskets.

1stand 2ndBeers Sampled

Blake Schlepy – brought two beers. The first one was made with a Bohemian lager yeast, and the second was made from the second runnings and used a Belgian yeast.  The Doppelbock went over very well – very clean and malty.  On the second one, Shane Coombs offered some insight that it seemed to have higher tannins from the lauter process resulting in a higher pH (great feedback was provided, and I wasn’t able to capture the whole thing – thanks for the feedback!).  Nice work Blake!

Mike asked the group if they would like to have a pH topic at a future meeting and there were about 8-9 people who asked if we could do that.

3rdBeer Sampled

Kurt Weina – Spiced Brown Ale made with a plethora of spices and herbs.  Came in at a hefty 8.4% and was absolutely delightful. Kurt noted that all the spices, except for the clove, was ground by himself and added all in the boil.

Board Members

There are 3 positions for voting at the January meeting: President, Secretary, and Membership Coordinator.  Mike ran through a list of all the duties that these positions take care of. Nominations were solicited.  Scott nominated Logan for club secretary and he accepted.  No other nominations were suggested at the meeting. Mike noted that nominations could be done via email as well.

Christmas Party Info

Will be on January 20that Fifth Ward Brewery.  The club will provide the meat and buns, and the members are asked to bring a dish to pass.  For those wanting to do a gift exchange, you can bring one (~ $15). Both gag and serious gifts are on the table (but let’s be honest, everyone loves the serious gifts).

SOB Schwag

Mike noted that we have a metric crap-ton of Casks & Caskets schwag for sale at the meeting. Empty your wallets people!!!!! This stuff ain’t going to move itself!!  All the money raised from this will go into the Casks & Caskets fund.

Mulled Wine

Jeff and Becky brought a mulled wine which was just what the German doctor ordered!!

Holiday Beers

Kurt Weina gave the spiel for the holiday brews and during the spiel, noted that Oshberg has a great history of holiday beers during its storied brewing past.  That being said, we sampled a number of different brews.

•Paulaner – Salvator Dopplebock (amazeballs)

•Shiner – Holiday Cheer (peach-y)

•Great Lakes Brewing – Christmas Ale (Christmas band-aid)

• Harpoon – Winter Warmer

•Rushford Meadery and Winery – Cider Rush Spiced Semi-Sweet Hard Cider

 

This was my last meeting as club Secretary part-deux.  It has been a pleasure.  I hoped you have enjoyed these notes over the past two years.  My heart and soul have been poured into this. Or not, it’s hard to say really.  Sometimes if I sampled too much, I wrote about robots.  And then sometimes I didn’t.  You tell me.  What?  Go home notes, you’re drunk.  Go SOB’s!!!!

October 2018 Meeting

October 17, 2018

The SOB’s once again returned to the hallowed halls of of O’Marro’s Public House in what was to become a most enchanting evening of fermented delight.  

New Faces

Logan brought in a whole crap-ton of German exchange students who where here for two weeks to study abroad.  As it turns out, what they really wanted to study was beer.  And the good news is that we had lots of it.  Zach, was also here checking things out tonight with Zach Frasier. 

Treasurer’s Report

If you haven’t paid your dues, please see Kurt right away.  Note:  Kurt has our membership cards and just needs to have them printed so stay tuned. 

Signups for Beer Tours

This weekend’s Milwaukee area brewer tour is on like Donkey Kong.

1st Beer Brewed

Steve Wissink – Bass Ale Clone kit recipe ‘borrowed’ from a popular brewing magazine.  Comments generally included that it was smooth and clean with a good finish.  

Homebrew Contest from July – Presentation of Medals

Spencer won second and third place, so the club presented him with medals along with gift certificates from The Cellar for his winnings.  

2nd Beer Brewed

Mike Engel – a lager brewed off of his new Pico C brew. The Pico system makes about 3.5L and is connected to the interwebs and uses an App, which is where this world is going. But to be fair, I’m pretty sure that King Gambrinus himself would have used such a contraption back in the day if he had the option.    

Casks & Caskets

Mike went over the fact sheet, which included the following:  

This year we will provide one souvenir glass for a $35 donation and two glasses for a $50 donation.

The band this year is the 432’s.  They do a little bit of everything, except for mumble rap.  They won’t be doing mumble rap.  If anyone asks them to do mumble rap, there is likely to be some throat punching.

Also this year, we will not have pictures for each beer (although everyone is welcome to make their own). Jeff has a template if anyone is interested they can contact him.

Food will be in the ballroom this year.

There will be a discount on the hotel at the Hilton Garden Inn ($89/night). Tell ‘em you’re a real SOB.

We should utilize Snaptweets, Instabooks, FaceSpace, and LinkedBook during the event to have people take pictures and post them to these various social media platforms.  The suggestion was made to come up with a hashtag and make sure that is put on the promotional material so that people know to take pictures with that hashtag. This will help promote the event real-time. #notjustformillenials

Will have the 3-tab wristbands for the voting.  

Lee will put out a blog tomorrow on Oshkoshbeerblog, and it will go to the Oshkosh Independent magazine.  Right now we’re at about 170ish people.  

Oktoberfest Beers

Revolution Brewing Company

Spaten

Bull Falls

3rd Beer Sampled

Logan – Strawberry Rhubarb Berliner Weiss. This one was amaze-balls!!!

4th Beer Sampled

Cranberry orange caramel vanilla crème ale with 40,000x as much lactose as allowed by law.  

5th Beer Sampled

Logan’s – Brown Ale

6th Beer Sampled

Chuck’s – Kentucky Brown Ale

7th Beer Sampled

Logan – Vanilla Stout

Brewing Calendar

January 2019 will be the Christmas party, because that seemed to work well during this year. 

Megan added much content to the meeting as we discussed literature, horses, and the pros and cons of intrinsic semiconductors.  And not necessarily in that order. Also, Megan got one of the German guys to strip down, which was a little weird.   Also, Mike lost control of the meeting at about 7:30.  

September 2018 Meeting

September 19, 2018
The SOB’s gathered at Rushford Meadery and Winery in Omro, a converted elementary school now making some of the area’s finest meads and wines.
New Faces
PJ Wagner who heard about the SOB’s from the Central Wisconsin Brewers and Vintners.
Treasurer’s Report
Kurt Weina, our esteemed Treasurer, reported our finances.
Signups for Beer Tours
Per Travis Sullivan, the Explorium Brewery isn’t open until 3, so we have 3 places set up as cash-in-hand (i.e. you’ll pay for whatever amount you want to drink or eat). The 4th place would be a tour at Milwaukee Brewery Company, where the tour (plus a beer or two included) is about $10 max. The more people who sign up, the cheaper the bus. But until we finalize numbers, we can’t provide a specific number on the total cost. Travis noted that 1840 Brewery and Eagle Park Brewery are the for-sures, and Broken Bat, MKE, and Explorium are the maybes. Everything will be on the East side of Milwaukee so there won’t be a lot of travel/navigating needing to be done.
Brewing Talk
On 10/15 or 10/16, Caestecker Public Library in Green Lake is hosting a brewing information week and has reached out to Mike to see if there is interest in someone from the club speaking. If anyone is interested in speaking at this, Mike will send the info to them.
Casks & Caskets
Last year, we did a friends & family signup for about a week. We’ll do the same thing this year to allow friends of family of SOB members to get first shot at the C&C tickets. After that, we’ll send the link to people who have attended in the past. If we still don’t get enough people, then we’ll open it up via our FB page, and Lee will to a blog post from the Oshkoshbeer Blog.
Mike noted that we are still in need of a band. Michelle suggested that we pursue an acoustic band this time, because it can be very difficult to hear things if you’re pouring where the band is.
Rushford Meadery and Winery Tour
Shane Combs, co-proprietor of the fine establishment, provided the assembled thirsty mass a tour of the facility and a viewing of a grape pressing. Part of the overall cool-factor-awesomeness of the tour is realizing that this meadery/winery is housed in a former school house. The production floor is the old auditorium and the tasting and overflow rooms are in former classrooms. As I listened to Shane speak about the process, I couldn’t help but imagine all the kids who had sat in that auditorium in the past, not knowing that down the road, where they once learned and played, would one day make all the booze their tired teachers were wishing they had.
Member’s Beers
Chuck Tomsovich – Groin Slap Pale Ale. Now, I’m not exactly sure how Chuck came up with the name of this one, and I didn’t ask. The beer was good though, so I asked for another Groin Slap.

Brewing Calendar
January 2019 will be the Christmas party, because that seemed to work well during this year.

 

June 2018 SOB Meeting

June 20, 2018
The SOB’s gathered at Appleton Beer Factory, where no Virginia, this factory has no Oompa Loompas – but some really great beer!
Please note, that due to the acoustics and background noise in the restaurant, I did not even attempt to take notes as it was too difficult to hear everything. Instead, this month’s notes will be based off the agenda we went through.

Theme for the Night
As we have decided to do a world beer theme for each meeting, tonight’s subject is beers from Germany. More details on that later on in the minutes.

Treasurer’s Report
Kurt Weina, our prestigious Treasurer, reported that we have money. That’s all I got ‘cause I couldn’t hear how much we actually have. Somewhere between $1 and $1,000,000 I would guess.

Appleton Beer Factor Tour
Ben Fogel, co-owner of ABF was kind enough to not only allow us to have our meeting at the brewpub, but also provided the SOB’s with an overview of their brewing system. I was not able to catch all the details, but I do know that Ben, along with his pipefitter and co-owner father Jeff Fogel, did most of the work setting up the brewery themselves. One of the unique aspects of this brewery, besides the fact that it is entirely visible from the dining room floor, is that it is a mostly gravity fed system (something usually only done with homebrew systems). Thanks again Ben!

Lake Arrowhead Camping Brew Day Recap
Jeff Eaton provided the club with a recap of the homebrewing day and demos out at Lake Arrowhead Campground. I couldn’t hear too much of what he said, but I do know that those who attended had a great time based on the Face Book pictures that were posted from that weekend.

Milwaukee Bus Tour Update
The bus tour for Milwaukee breweries is still being worked out, no new details to share.

Brewing Calendar
July is the homebrew competition.
This year we will have the monthly meeting and competition at the Cellar once again. Just remember, the Cellar has moved to 465 N Washburn St. in Oshkosh!
Zach and Ian from Fifth Ward will be judging and also will brew the winning beer at some point down the road! Along with Zach and Ian, we have Kevin from Fox River, Jody from Bare Bones and Andy Piontek from Stone Arch as judges.

August will be the SOB picnic.
Still looking for someone to volunteer to prepare the meats like we have had last year.
Signups are online so keep watching for the SOB email blasts for a link.

September 8th will be the SOB Homebrew Showcase, to be held at The Cellar from ~ 9am-4pm
We will plan on having homebrew demonstrations (~ 1 hour each) over the course of the morning and afternoon. The public will be invited and there’s a better than normal chance that there will be homebrew.
Looking for people to volunteer to be part of a planning committee so please contact Mike Engel as soon as possible.
We also would like to turn this into another Big Brew Day for anyone who would like to brew beer instead of take part in the education portions.

January 2019 will be the Christmas party, because that seemed to work well during this year.

German Beer Update
Brent Martins did a fantastic job procuring, researching, and pouring a delightful selection of German beers. Among the beers we learned about and sampled from:
Schlenkerla Rauchbier
Weihenstephaner Pilsner
Reissdorf Kolsch
Ayinger Hefeweizen
Aventinus Weiss

April 2018 Meeting

April 18, 2018

The SOB’s gathered at O’Marro’s Public House, home of HighHolder Brewing Company, home of the bar that was Irish before it was cool to be an Irish bar.

New Faces

No new members in tonight’s meeting.

Theme for the Night

As we have decided to do a world beer theme for each meeting, tonight’s subject is beers from England. More details on that later on in the minutes.

Treasurer’s Report

Kurt Weina , our prestigious Treasurer, reported that we have $2586.12 in the club coffers with the Casks & Caskets fund at $2520.55.   Kurt noted that if you haven’t received your membership card to see him.  Also note that dues are coming up in June, which is a paltry $20.  A terrific bargain for the sheer awesomeness of the Society of Oshkosh Brewers!

Member’s Beers

There were no members’ beers tonight.

Brewery News

Omega Brewing is now open on Main Street in Omro.  They sold completely out of beer on their grand opening!!

Jody Cleveland has accepted the position of head brewer at Bare Bones, and he noted that every brewery in Oshkosh now (except for 1) has an SOB for a head brewer!!!!!

Bus Tour

Due to the stupid weather, the Milwaukee brewery bus trip on April 14th was canceled.   We will figure out when to reschedule this, perhaps in the fall.  Besides, the Milwaukee Brewers will probably be in the World Series at that time so it should be awesome.

SOB Clothing

Scott has done some research on hats and shirts from Embroider Me in Appleton (this is who we used a few years back).  There was some pretty good interest so we will pursue further to see what can be arranged. As far as the hats went, the non-meshstyle was favored over the ‘trucker-style’ mesh hat.  As far as shirts went, both work-style and polo shirts had interest.  Stay tuned for further info on this.

Brewing Calendar

• Big Brew Day is May 5th at The Cellar

o Note:  The Cellar has moved onto Washburn street.

▪ The rear of the building has a lot of open space that will work for us.

▪ There will be water available for use.

o The SOB’s will put out press releases and put out posters to try to bring in more public

o Kurt has secured a food truck from the Mexican restaurant in Omro, so bring your taco-eating pants!

• Chilton Brew Fest on May 20th

• June 2nd will be the Beer Camp at Lake Arrowhead.

o The Campground has reached out to Mike and she is offering us more spaces for free as a club if we’d like.  Check in can start at 4pm on Friday and checkout by 3pm on Sunday.  She noted that we are free to brew there.  They also mentioned they will be doing a stein holding contest so start working out those forearms people!!!

• June 16th is the Wisconsin Beer Lover’s Festival and Richard Cardenas is organizing a bus.

• July is the homebrew competition.

• August will be the SOB picnic.

• September 8th will be the SOB Homebrew Showcase, to be held at The Cellar from ~ 9am-4pm

o We will plan on having homebrew demonstrations (~ 1 hour each) over the course of the morning and afternoon.  The public will be invited and there’s a better than normal chance that there will be homebrew.

o Looking for people to volunteer to be part of a planning committee so please contact Mike Engel as soon as possible.

o We also would like to turn this into another Big Brew Day for anyone who would like to brew beer instead of take part in the education portions.

• September 19th at a winery

o Because Vines and Rushes wanted to charge us $150 and then charge us at least that for food, we decided to pass on them.

o Instead we’ve been in contact with Rushford Meaderyand Winery and will look to be there instead.

• January 2019 will be the Christmas party, because that seemed to work well during this year.

English Beer Update

Mike Engel had volunteered to discuss the style this month.  The bloody English are known for their top fermented cask-style ales.  The beer is brewed and brought to the pub served via a beer engine.  The styles they have include stouts, porters, old, bitter, pale ales, and of course the IPA.  Not like what we have in the U.S. of course, because we beat the English in a bareknuckle fistfight a few years back, and out of principle we must outdo them in everything, cause….‘Merica.  Before hops, these chaps would use things like honey and mugwort.  Back in the day, the ladies brewed beers.  When the fellas took over sometime later they started brewing guilds, because they needed to form groupsin order to validate themselves.  There was a ton more info that Mike provided, but I figure that is why we have Wikipedia.  Thanks Mike!!!

• Moreland’s Old Speckled Hen

• Green King’s Wexford Green King

• Well’s & Young Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale

• Young’s Double Chocolate Stout

• Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout

 

Post Script

Jody and Michelle brought a coffee stout from Epic Brewing, and it was called SOB (for Son of a Baptist). Long live the S.O.B.’s!!!!!!!!!