First stop on this tour was Oso Brewing Company in Plover, WI. A little longer drive this time as it was just over 2 hours to get to Plover, WI. Never having been to Plover, we didn't know what to expect. Surprise we were to find that Oso was in a strip mall. Who would have thought that one. They occupied two spaces. On one side was their tap room and on the other was the brewery. The brewery was a small facility, producing about 5000 barrels per year. Tour guide said they hoped to do about 7500 barrels. In case you were wondering, a barrel of beer is about 50 gallons, not to be confused with the typical, consumer-purchased half- (15.5 gallons) or quarter- (7.75 gallons) barrels. A fairly quick, 30-40 minute tour of the brewery, and then it was on to to tap room to sample the goods. Beers sampled: The Big O (Farmhouse Ale), Hopdinger (American Pake Ale), Hopwhoopin' (IPA), Memory Lane (Pilsener), Night Train (Oatmeal Porter), Rusty Red (Amber Ale), Doe in Heat (Golden Ale/Blonde Ale), Imperial Black Scotch Ale (Scotch Ale), Imperial Potato Maibock (Heller Bock), and Lupulin Maximus (Imperial/Double IPA).
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| A job for small people |
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| The Tap Room |
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| Barrel aging |
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| The Sampler |
One interesting fact...Oso Brewing Company got their start from repurposed dairy used equipment and equipment from Central Waters Brewing Company...our next, and last, stop on this tour.
Central Waters has quickly become one of my favorite breweries. After sampling nearly a thousand beers from all over, it's way too difficult to choose a favorite beer. There are so many great beers out there. Many times what beer I drink is dependent on the time of year or my mood. Each should be enjoyed differently. But what I have come to experience is that there are some breweries who take such pride and perfection in what they do, that there isn't a beer they produce that I don't love. Central Waters is one of those breweries to me.
Central Waters was founded in 1998 in the owner's dorm room. The story is that the initial attempts at brewing beer were so bad he didn't even drink them. Obviously they got the hang of it and soon enough were brewing beer out of an old Ford dealership. The original two owners were Paul Graham and Clint Schultz and were soon joined by Anello Mollica. I actually had the opportunity to meet Anello in October 2012 at Sugar Maple (one of my favorite Milwaukee bars) and listen to him tell us all about the beer they make as well as other stories about brewing. Central Waters is well-known for their bourbon barrel aged beer. In fact, they have become one of the largest, if not the largest, barrel aging brewery in the U.S. In October, Anello said they planned on using 12 thousand barrels in 2013. Yeah for us! During the Sugar Maple beer session as well as Milwaukee Beer Week this year, I had the rare opportunity to sample a few of their very special beers...Exodus (a sour ale brewed with cherries) and Fifteen (an imperial stout brewed especially for their 15th anniversary).
Back to the tour... Well, they only have one tour on Saturdays (5pm) and we missed it. Let's face it though, if you've been on one tour, you know how they make the beer. It's all about the presentation at that point.
The sample, from left to right (as you are looking at the picture), was: Bourbon Barrel La Petite Mort (Belgian Strong Ale), Brewhouse Coffee Stout (Stout), Belgian Blonde (Belgian Strong Ale), White IPA (IPA), Illumination Double IPA (Imperial/Double IPA), and Rye Barrel Aged Stout (Imperial Stout).
View more pictures here.
A great day it was. Already thinking about Beer Snob 3.0. Though Chicago and Indiana are still on my mine, there are nearly 90 breweries in Wisconsin alone. Of course, Chicago or Indiana are shorter drives than most Wisconsin breweries. Next trip might be to Madison. Guess you'll have to wait and see.
Until next time...Cheers!
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