Winter in the Midwest can sometimes make us feel as if we are all hibernating; waiting for spring to come so that we can do something exciting outdoors – without turning into a human popsicle. January can be the absolute worst month for this sense of confinement. November and December keep us busy with prep for holidays. February can get a little sluggish, but it is a short month with Valentine’s Day thrown in the middle. March brings the promise of spring. Those cold temperatures of winter must fight off the warmer temperatures of spring for a few weeks longer. For the most part, April begins the unthawing and we can begin to plan outdoor adventures again.

Bare Bones Brewery had a different idea for January. They decided to host an outdoor beer festival for any and all brave Wisconsinites with only the three best B’s any of us could ask for - craft beers, a bonfire, and barbeque. There were two different ticket types. VIP tickets allowed you into the event an hour early, a warming station with complimentary hot cocoa and coffee, as well as 25 samplings slots. Regular tickets entered you into the event and awarded you with 20 sampling slots. Everyone received the benefits of the barbeque, the bonfire, and a souvenir 5 ounces glass in which you used to receive your samples.

The set up was well thought out. There were seven breweries that offered 4-5 different brews. Pale ales, red ales, IPAs, stouts, and hot ciders were some of the types of brews offered for anyone to try. Bare Bones even had two barrels of warm water with 5-gallon buckets to rinse out your glass between samples. The workers of the breweries were kind and energetic, despite the cold. They helped you to pick out a beer if you were unsure, or told you which they preferred. There were plenty of tables for anyone to sit down and eat, or to just chat. The bonfire was near the stations and turned into quite the hot spot – it felt like a single digit day despite the sun. They had two games of corn hole available to play. The attendees were great too. People were courteous of one another – if they cut you in line they apologized and let you go first.

One problem that a lot of the breweries had to battle with was their lines freezing. It was so cold that sometimes they couldn’t pour you a certain beer until their line unfroze.

A problem I faced, personally, was having enough time to use up all of my sampling slots. They gave you a ticket numbered up to 20 or 25. Each time you fill your glass, the brewery would cross off one of your numbers. The event ran from 2pm-6pm, or 1pm-6pm if you were VIP. That’s 100 (or 125) ounces in 4 (or 5) hours. It sounds easy, but let me tell you, it is harder than you think. Most of the brews were somewhere between 6.5 – 10.5% ABV. There was one or two at 11 or 11.2%. While the pale ales went down easy, I felt obligated to try some of the darker brews – how often do you get to sample them? This, of course, meant a higher alcohol content thus slowing me down.

As I mentioned earlier, the attendees were all friendly – strangers struck up conversations with you while you huddled near the bonfire or while you were waiting in line for the next brew sample. You could nurse a 5-ounce drink for a half hour while talking to someone. The temperature kept your beer cold while you chatted away.

This was not only the first of its kind for Oshkosh but also a first for me. Here are some things that I learned:

  • Forget fashion, think warmth. There were many people in their camo snow pants, fur hats, and any other heat trapping clothing. While I did layer up, I should have worn snow pants instead of leggings under my jeans. Boots with fuzzy socks instead of a thin pair of socks with my fur-lined moccasins. A hat to protect my hair from being singed by flying ambers, as well as a warm jacket that I didn’t mind being singed/spilled on.
  • Start off with the pales ales, they go down faster.
  • Don’t be afraid to break conversation to refill your glass.
  • Actually, probably start off with half full glasses to sample brews until you are at least half way through your samples. This also allows you to try things you might not normally without committing to a full 5 oz.
  • Eat a nice big, absorbing meal a few hours before attending. There were a number of people drunk with only half (or less) of their card crossed off.
  • I attended with my parents, and I would say that having a nice little group is probably best. We were a pretty good size. Not too small where people might not want to start up a conversation, yet not too large that people couldn’t be involved in conversation.