I gotta be honest with you, when deepest winter arrives, I wanna make like a bear and hibernate.
But some folks, apparently, enjoy this mercury-tumbling madness, and some of them are at Third Space Brewing, which brings back its Ice Bear Fest on Saturday, Jan. 27.
The fifth in-person “‘80s après ski-themed party” takes place from noon until 7 p.m. on the brewery’s expansive taproom patio, 1505 W. St. Paul Ave. in the Menomonee Valley.
Ostensibly, the event is a launch party for the return of the seasonal Ice Bear Porter, but I suspect co-founder and co-owner Andy Gehl actually enjoys being frozen.
He says the event was inspired by his experience at a ski party he attended in St. Anton, Austria.
“The Austrians really know how to party in the snow after a day on the slopes,” Gehl has said. “People dance on tables in their ski boots and sing along to crazy songs with fellow skiers who turn into instant friends after a couple après ski beers.”
The season porter’s name derives from a German après ski singalong tune that salutes the “Eisbär,” the “King on the Eternal Ice.”
Attendees are encouraged to arrive in ski gear and will get "extra recognition for anything from the '80s, skis and ski boots."
DJ Rick from Sound by Design will spin 1980s tunes outside from noon until 5 with The Wingmen performing covers of '80s music inside the taproom from 5 until 7.
Twisted Plants will be serving hot plant-based burgers and more eats out of their food truck, Third Space will release a special barrel-aged version of Ice Bear and there will be an outdoor bar, firepits (for the weak-hearted, I guess) and $10 “shotskis,” 2-ounce pours of Ice Bear, which is 9.5 percent ABV.
The taproom will be open.
“The goal of Ice Bear Fest is to bring people out of their winter hibernation for some fun in the snow with great beer, fun music, and a little silliness mixed in. It’s one of my favorite days of the whole year,” said Gehl.
You can pre-order Ice Bear Fest VIP Party Packages – $35 gets you a limited edition Ice Bear Fest crew neck sweatshirt, killer shades and a color-changing mug that gets you $1 off pours all day – online.
Admission to the fest is free.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
