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When the Sprecher Root Beer Bash lands at Glendale’s Old Heidelberg Park, 700 W. Lexington Blvd., on Saturday, Aug. 2, beer lovers will get their first taste of a German beer collab, not from Sprecher, but from the Bavarian Bierhaus, located on the Old Heidelberg grounds.
That day, at 3 p.m., Bavarian Bierhaus will tap a barrel of Zwickel Festbier that it brewed in Glendale with the world’s oldest brewery, Freising, Germany’s Weihenstephan Brewery, founded in 1040.
According to Bavarian Bierhaus’ Elise Strupp, the Bavarian State brewery Weihenstephan has only ever done three previous collaborations.
There will be free samples in the fest hall until the barrel is spent. If you liked it and want more, you only have to walk a few yards to grab a liter or half-liter inside the Bavarian Bierhall, where it will be available on tap and to-go in crowlers and growlers.
The beer will also be of draft at select off-site accounts.
The two breweries have long had a relationship, with Weihenstephan’s Export Manager Marcus Engelt then visiting the Bavarian Bierhaus in 2022 and Bavarian Bierhaus owner and GM Josh Neureuther and Brewmaster Jacob Sutrick traveling to Freising.
There, the conversation turned to a brewing collaboration on a beer that honors the German Reihheitsgebot purity law and using ingredients from Germany and Wisconsin.
Thus, the 5.9 percent ABV Zwickel Festbier (with 23 IBUs) uses Weyermann Isaria malt and Weihenstephan’s lager yeast from Germany, along with Nugget, Crystal and Cascade hops from the Wisconsin Hop Exchange.
“(This is) a true Festbier–light bodied with smooth malt character, bright hop aroma, a subtle fruitiness, and a clean, mild bitterness,” says Neureuther.
“Zwickel Festbier is more than just a beer. It’s a testament to friendship, heritage, and the shared passion for brewing excellence: from Freising to Wisconsin.”
For more information on the beer, visit thebavarianbierhaus.com.
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. A fifth collects Urban Spelunking articles about breweries and maltsters.
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 been heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
