Craft Beer Birthday Adventure

If you have a craft beer lover on your hands then a craft beer birthday adventure is a must! I had a really awesome time this year and it was all thanks to my amazing wife. She was the one that suggested this beer adventure which took us to four different stops, including two taprooms and a brew pub. I was able to enjoy a lot of different beers from brewers all over the country just by stopping at a few different places all with their own unique tap list.

The first stop on our birthday beer adventure was Bare Bones Brewery in Oshkosh, WI. I enjoyed their Dirty Snout Sweet Summer Stout, that is a mouthful, and it was a mouthful of awesome. Nice sweet smooth creamy stout that was surprisingly light and perfect for a hot summer day. This brewery does like to turn up the heat and has some experimental beers that will leave you with a bit of fire on your tongue. Their Bitch In Heat Strawberry Jalapeno beer is a unique blend of strawberries and jalapenos, the strawberry is fresh and sweet with a jalapeno flavor and kick at the end. Not going to lie I needed a chaser for my beer by the time I got to the end of that pint! Bare Bones has a nice brand new taproom and is set off the beaten path a little ways out of town but definitely worth the visit.

Next on our beer adventure, Chester V’s in Oshkosh, WI. This is a really neat location, from the use of old shipping containers in the construction of the building to the do it yourself tap handles right at your pub table! The tap handles are definitely a lot of fun but can get you into trouble quickly when all four of them at your table have awesome craft beer that you have not tried yet. The taps are connected to a tablet sized screen on the table and charge you by the ounce for each pour which is really great if you just want a sample before filling up the glass. It is also a really great idea for novice tap users so they don’t waste money on a pint of froth. We enjoyed some appetizers and a few great craft beers then it was off to the next stop.

The Ruby Owl Tap Room is already a favorite place of ours so of course we had to stop in. Here is our review of the Ruby Owl Tap Room from our first visit. This time I was very excited to try a beer from 3 Floyds brewing, their beers have been scarce in our area until recently. I enjoyed a pint of Alpha King on tap and it was excellent, a great american pale ale with a good hop character and a caramel sweetness that is just right. The Ruby Owl Tap Room is right in downtown Oshkosh and has 30 different beers on tap as well as a great menu of delicious food.

Finally to end our birthday beer adventure we stopped at TJ’s Harbor Restaurant on the shores of Lake Winnebago between Oshkosh and Fond du Lac for another round of beers and a great meal. We sat on the upstairs outdoor porch overlooking the lake and enjoyed the beautiful weather that day as well as the good food. I had an open faced salmon melt that was amazing and of course we had their awesome cheese curds.

This was the perfect day and the perfect way to celebrate my birthday, so next time you need an idea for the craft beer lover in your life take them on a craft beer birthday adventure like this one. Find some tap rooms, brew pubs, or great restaurants that serve good craft beer because a day of great food and craft beer can’t be beaten!