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MobCraft Beer once again celebrates its anniversary – the ninth! – with Weird Fest street festival on Saturday, July 30 from noon until 10 p.m. in the taproom, 505 S. 5th St., and on Virginia Street.
In addition to beer, of course, there will be Mondo Lucha wrestling, live music, food, street performers, face painters, vendors, and more at the free festival.
The centerpiece will be the annual release of weird limited beers, which this year include:
- MKE Roll - Sushi inspired Rice Lager with turmeric, lemongrass, cucumber, ginger, and toasted sesame seeds.
- Chicago Hot Dog - Hold the meat! Chicago-style hot dog inspired beer brewed with poppy seed buns, yellow mustard, spices and sport peppers. This beer idea was originally submitted to our Weird Fest “Weird Beer” competition three years ago and is making its triumphant return.
- Curry Kolsch - Curry inspired Kolsch with curry spices, coconut and peanuts.
- Andrew’s a Fungi - Amber Ale featuring lion's mane, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms. Invented by MobCraft Co-Owner and Lab Nerd, Andrew!
- Low pHunk Key Lime Pie - Sour Ale conditioned with lactobacillus using a solera blending method. Refreshingly tart, blended with lime, lactose, and a hint of vanilla and cinnamon.
“The Chicago Hot Dog Beer truly does taste like you are about to chow down on the legendary Frank, even though no hot dogs were harmed in the making of the beer,” says MobCraft’s co-owner Andrew Gierczak, whose name is on this year’s mushroom amber ale.
“The earthiness of a secret blend of mushrooms combines with the maltiness from MobCraft Amber Ale to create a unique flavor experience nearly unrivaled in the world of professional brewing. This is a tribute to the fungi that nourish and feed the world in their myriad of ways,” Gierczak says.
There will also be the special Nine Year Anniversary Double Barrel Aged Stout – a Bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout finished in a port wine barrel for seven months – available in extremely limited two-pack cans to go. Limit one per person.
For complete details on performers, entertainment schedules and more, visit the Weird Fest webpage.
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.
