In this case weird feels normal.
MobCraft Beer is once again celebrating its birthday with an in-person Weird Fest block party in Walker’s Point!
Last year, the oddball beer event went virtual, like pretty much everything else, but this year, in honor of the crowd-source brewery’s eighth anniversary, the third annual Weird Fest will return to Virginia Street, between 5th and 6th Streets, on Saturday, July 17 from noon until 10 p.m.
As always, there will be four programs of Mondo Lucha wresting, live music, street performers food, quirky beer you won’t taste anywhere else and more, like live mural painting by artist Drew York.
Also as ever, the event is free.
This year’s crazy, limited-edition draught concoctions include:
- The Scotch Whale: Scotch barrel aged sour stout
- Zany Zucchini Bread: Witbier with cinnamon, vanilla, zucchini and walnuts
- Garden Fresh Mint Slapper: Sour ale with cucumber, mint, lemon, and a touch of rosemary
- Hell Hazed Over: Hazy IPA with hot habanero peppers
- Milopolitan: Barrel aged milk stout with strawberry and cacao nibs
- Crème of Mushroom: Barrel aged milk stout with mushrooms
- Dill Pickle Sour: Sour ale with dill, cucumber, red pepper flakes and garlic
There will also be the release of an Eight Year Anniversary Double Barrel Aged Stout that will be available only in four-pack cans to go. It’s probably not weird enough to qualify for the on-site festivities.
This year, instead of working with others to create food pairings for each brew, MobCraft’s own kitchen will cook up specialty items, including octopus spring rolls, to pair with the beers.
Vanguard and Café Corazon will also be there, serving some signature items plus each will have a special Weird Fest offering.
After some belly dancing at noon, musical performances by the likes of Spare Change Trio, Nick Ramsey & The Family and Sgt. Sauerkraut, which plays polka versions of Beatles tunes, get going. At 7 p.m., Moses launches a three-hour DJ set accompanied by fire dancers.
There will also be a Mondo Lucha meet and greet around 5 p.m., as well as sales of commemorative six-packs of MobCraft IPA in Mondo Lucha can designs.
For details on performances, etc. 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.
