The Rumpus Room (1030 N. Water St.) immediately made an impact on the Milwaukee beer bar scene when it opened one year ago. Celebrate that fact with them. On Thursday, Oct. 11 from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Rumpus is hosting a pig roast. For just $15 you can sample all of the pork that you can handle (consider it a personal challenge). But save room because you can wash it down with 25 different beers (at just $4 each) or 25 whiskeys ($3 each). Ummm, a no-brainer, right? Congrats to Rumpus Room for a great year.
Odd Beer of the Decade
Breweries come up with strange concoctions from time to time. Experimentation is fun, and it generally creates buzz. I had long thought that Dogfish Head Chicha, which uses the saliva of brewers to break down the corn used in the brewing process (brewers actually chew and spit out the corn used to brew the beer), was the strangest. Until now. Denver’s Wynkoop Brewing has raised (lowered?) the bar with its Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout. That’s right, one of the ingredients in the brew is bull testicles. If you’re headed to the Great American Beer Festival in Denver this week you can try some for yourself. If not, you’re likely out of luck because I don’t foresee this making its way to store shelves.
Best of Milwaukee Beer Dinner Wraps Up
The awesome five-part Best of Milwaukee Beer Dinner wraps up at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 15 at Rumpus Room. Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout and Goose Island Madame Rose are two of the standout beers on the menu, and what the top-notch chef’s come up with is a mystery. Call 292-0100 to get a reservation, but do so quickly, this event will surely sell out.
Barley Pop of the Week
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I’m hearing that the extremely limited Bell’s This One Goes to 11 Ale (one of the best names of a beer ever) may start creeping into the Milwaukee market any day now (exactly when seems to be hard to nail down). I couldn’t wait and picked some up south of the state line. The name is accurate because this beer is big. Intense hops, a distinctive malt flavor, and a noticeable boozy finish (thanks to an 11 percent ABV) combine for an assault on the palate. Keep an eye out for this monster, because when it hits Milwaukee store shelves it likely won’t last long.
Quick Taps
Unfortunately, I’m not going to the Great American Beer Fest in Denver this weekend.
Shameless plug: I’ll be at the PR+ Social Media Summit at Marquette on Wednesday in a craft beer/social media panel pretending that I know what I’m talking about.
Events Brewing
Tuesday, Oct. 9: Beer and cheese pairings at Sweet Mullets Brewing (N58 W39800 Industrial Rd., Oconomowoc, 262-456-2843) with affable host Mark Duchow from 6-8 p.m. for just $20. Call the bar for more information or to make a reservation.
Tuesday, Oct. 9: Erv’s Mug (130 W. Ryan Rd.) hosts yet another beer dinner. This time it’s beers from Tenth and Blake. The pepper stuffed tenderloin paired with Big Eddy Russian Imperial Stout is a definite highlight.
Thursday, Oct. 11: Try samples from Henry Weinhard’s from 4 to 7 p.m. at Discount Liquor Milwaukee (5031 W. Oklahoma Ave.)
Friday, Oct. 12: Tallgrass Brewery samples at Discount Liquor Milwaukee from 4-7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 12: From 6 to 8 p.m. the Pabst Mansion (2000 W. Wisconsin Ave.) pays homage to the likes of Pabst, Blatz, Schlitz and Old Milwaukee with a Retro Night beer tasting that includes brats and a silent auction of cool antique breweriana. Cost is $35 ($30 for members) and tickets can be purchased at the mansion, online, or by calling 931-0808.
Saturday, Oct. 13: Tallgrass Brewery comes to Discount Liquor Waukesha (919 N. Barstow Ave.) from noon to 3 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 13: Lederhosen, beer stein holding competitions, and sausage (yep, sausage) will all be on hand all day at WOBtoberfest at World of Beer (1300 Brady St.).
