Beer & Cheese 2022

ICONS COLLIDE in this, our most Wisconsin-y of special features. Jordan & Pippen, Batman & Robin, Beer & Cheese ... No Wisconsinite’s table is set without them. No local get-together is as sweet. No Upper Midwestern life is truly lived without them at our side. So with this feature, we raise both glass and toothpick – and we celebrate. Go Pack.

3RD AND VINE’S BEER AND CHEESE FLIGHTS

try a delicious pairing of beer and cheese at this local bar

WORDS AND PHOTO: SAWYER HOFF

BEER FLIGHTS HAVE BEEN A POPULAR WAY TO TRY DIFFERENT BREWS FOR A LONG TIME, BUT NOW YOU CAN ALSO TRY SOME DELICIOUS BEER WITH AN ACCOMPANYING SLICE OF FRESH CHEESE.

3rd & Vine on Eau Claire’s west side has been open since last year and it’s already known for the great selection of beer and cheese. One of their most popular menu items features the best of both worlds thanks to rotating beer and cheese flight.

While the brews and cheese flight options vary every day, the pairings

have been meticulously chosen through trial and error by the beer gurus over at 3rd & Vine.

Many patrons will try a flight weekly because there’s always a chance to try something new.

“WE REALLY WANTED TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT IT DOESN’T JUST HAVE TO BE WINE AND CHEESE.”

and cheese,” said 3rd & Vine owner Jared Bilhorn. “There’s a lot of complexity with beer and there’s a lot of wonderfully made craft beer in the region, and obviously some of the world’s best cheese.”

–JARED BILHORN, OWNER OF 3RD & VINE

“We really wanted to show people that it doesn’t just have to be wine

Bilhorn said a couple of his personal favorite combinations include a couple of dark lagers from Fair State and

Working Draft paired with a cheese called Mimolette (a hard cheese first developed in France).

If that’s not enough beer and cheese for you, 3rd & Vine also has a monthly subscription available through their cheese club, where you can receive two quarter-pound portions of complimentary cheese and other perks, and offers six rotating beer tap lines in-store.

Visit 3rd & Vine at 1929 third St., Eau Claire, and learn more about their menu and beer flights at 3rdandvine. com.

5 MUST-HAVES AT EC CHEESE & DELI

this shop has been a longtime destination in the Valley for all things dairy

WORDS: MCKENNA SCHERER• PHOTOS: ANDREA PAULSETH

VOTED BY LOCALS AS THE #1 BEST PLACE TO BUY CHEESE IN THE “BEST OF THE CHIPPEWA VALLEY 2022” POLL, EC Cheese and Deli’s boast of being the Valley’s top choice for cheese seems to be the general consensus. With dozens of cheese varieties, a unique and scrumptious sandwich menu, plus toptier ice cream, and more, the shop has garnered longtime regulars who are loyal to their chicken salad or specialty sandwiches and is committed to serving up local eats.

We asked the store team what their top five must-haves are. Feast your eyes upon these goodies:

THE DIETERS DELIGHT SANDWICH.

Served on rich whole wheat bread and layered with Monterey jack cheese, fresh smoked turkey breast, sprouts, tomato, onion, lettuce, cucumbers, and slathered with mayo, this sandwich packs a punch sure to fill you up without weighin’ you down.

CHICKEN WILD RICE SOUP.

EC Cheese & Deli owner Jodi Liddle said the team was surprised their soup landed in the top three in the 2022 Best Of for best soup in the Valley, but anyone who’s tried it out themselves gets why. Landing at No. 3, any soup at the shop captures that inviting, homemade vibe that warms more than just your stomach.

THE BLT. A classic favorite, the local shop serves up a BLT exactly the way you like it: bacon, lettuce, and tomato. No floof, no games. Served on toasted wheat bread with mayo spread across, the bacon shines through as the tender star in this handheld.

MUENSTER CHEESE.

You’ve had your Swiss and your Colby Jack and maybe even your Habanero and spicier cheeses, but I think the Muenster is often overlooked. This particular variation is Muenster Goat Cheese from Nordic Creamery, made instate, and it is just perfect.

RUM BLACK CHERRY ICE CREAM.

A list of the shop’s five must-haves wouldn’t have been complete without a scoop or two of their sweet ice cream. Their choice? Rum Black Cherry ice cream in a waffle cone. You have the choice of snagging some cream in a cup too, but with the delightful sweetness of the shop’s waffle cones, why miss out?!

THE

CHICKEN

MUENSTER CHEESE

RUM BLACK CHERRY ICE CREAM

CREATIVITY IN – AND ON – THE CAN

artist’s colorful designs help Brewing Projekt’s beers stand out

WORDS: TOM GIFFEY

IF THERE’S ANYTHING MORE BOLD, CREATIVE, AND ATTENTION-GRAB BING THAN THE BEERS CREATED BY EAU CLAIRE’S BREWING PROJEKT, IT’S THE LABELS ON THE OUT SIDE OF THE BREWERY’S 16-OUNCE CANS.

In recent years, those labels have been created by Twin Cities-based graphic artist Brett Vosen. For those who’ve seen them, Vosen’s designs are un mistakable, full of goofy creatures and bizarre settings, all of them pulsing with vibrant colors.

If you’ve been to the Brewing Pro jekt (1807 N. Oxford Ave., Eau Claire) or have perused the shelves at hundreds of retail outlets around the region, Vosen’s artwork has likely grabbed your eye: In crowded beer coolers, his labels stand out with comical images of angry blenders, fruit-tossing skeletons, and chatty slices of pie.

“I kind of emulate comic books, graphic novels, and animation,” Vosen explains. “That’s the kind of media I enjoy the most.” Major in fluences include Mike Mignola (most famous as the creator of the comic Hellboy) and Ghostshrimp (a graphic designer who created backgrounds for the cartoon Adventure Time).

Vosen ended up making art for the Brewing Projekt by chance. He was scrolling Instagram one day back in 2019 when he saw the brewery was seeking an artist. A craft-beer lover who was already a fan of the Brewing Projekt’s products, Vosen applied, created a couple of test labels, and landed the freelance gig, which turned into a staff job the following year.

Vosen grew up in Madison and studied graphic design at Madison College before relocating to the Twin Cities a few years ago. Before the Brewing Projekt gig, he’d done a few one-off de signs for other brewer ies and worked creat ing box and can de signs for a sparkling water company.

These experienc es emphasized the importance of grab bing attention with a label. “You’ve got to really focus on what’s going to be seen head on,” he explains. And while his designs are optimized for the vertical shape of a tall boy can, they wrap all the way around, giving curious viewers extra details to explore.

Vosen estimates he’s created more than 75 labels for the brew ery. And he’s not just exercising his creativ ity by designing labels: In the past few years, he’s also named many of the beers. While some of the Brewing Projekt’s stalwarts – such as Gunpowder IPA and the Dare Mighty Things series – predate Vosen, he’s named many recent creations, in cluding Jungo Joose, Ooey Gooey, and Big Plans.

For Vosen, the creative process typically begins with a description of a new beer – a beer, mind you, that he hasn’t tasted yet. (The brewery wants to get its products into drinkers’ hands as quickly as possible, so the brewing process is happening at the same time as the design process.)

Vosen doodles in a sketchbook, developing images and the beer’s name at the same time.

“I try to just kind of let it come out really organically, not put too much focus in the initial stage and just see what comes out,” he said.

As the design progresses, he’ll share drafts with the rest of the team.

“I try to always show at least a loose, rough sketch to them as well just before I commit fully to it,” he said. “Sometimes I just kind of go wild and it works out totally fine as well.”

So does he have favorites among all these colorful labels? Vosen is partial to his design for Big Plans (an IPA with Idaho 7 and El Dorado hops), which features a lazy bear

lounging on a sofa, his paw in a bag of chips and a half-eaten pizza scattered in front of him. The artist’s pet cat even makes a cameo on the label.

As for the beers themselves, Vosen is a fan of the hoppy Dare Mighty Things brews as well as Breakfast Buds, an imperial stout with coffee and maple syrup – whose label, in typical Vosen fashion, fea tures an anthropomorphic maple syrup dispenser dashing toward an anthropomorphic coffee cup.

“Our beer and labels match up pretty well most of the time,” he concludes. “I think we’re kind of ec centric brewers and I have eccentric labels. I feel like it’s always kind of a perfect match.”

KIND

BREWERS AND I HAVE ECCENTRIC LABELS.”

IN PRAISE OF LIQUID BREAD

childhood memories from a family brewery

WORDS: JOHANNES STROHSCHÄNK

I JOINED THE PROLETARIAT CLASS AT THE RIPE AGE OF 12. FOR A FEW HOURS A DAY, I WOULD SURREN DER MY PHYSICAL AND MENTAL SELF TO A HIGHER AUTHORITY.

My employer and master, who ruled over my every fiber and nerve, was relentless – from con trolling the angle of my stance, the movement of my arms, the tilt of my head, to steering my pupils, even guiding my thoughts. I was his slave. When finally I was allowed to step away from him I was physically and mentally drained.

“He” was the bottle labeling machine in my grandparents’ brewery in Michelstadt, Germany. A picturesque, busy small town nestled in the hills of the Odenwald forest, Michelstadt is located about 40 miles south of Frankfurt, between the rivers Rhine, Main, and Neckar. It is very old, founded in 741 by an un cle of Charlemagne!

The Michelstädter Bier brewery belonged to my stepgrandfather. Founded in 1721, it is actually young compared to the other landmarks in town, like its medieval city walls. Still, although now defunct, the brewery would have celebrated its 300th anniversary in 2021. In its heyday, it supplied a large region with the German standard varieties of its “liquid bread” – Export, Märzen, Bock, Pils. It went without saying that, following the German purity law, first passed in Bavaria in 1516, only four ingredients were used – water, hops, malt (from barley), and yeast. Many towns in a radius of some 30 miles featured taverns and inns owned by the brewery and leased out to their managers. I remember the old slogan: Dir und mir, Michelstädter Bier! (“Michelstädter Bier for you and me!”)

The brewery operated in different parts of town. There was the old historic sandstone com pound downtown, a stone’s throw from the city hall. It basically formed a square surrounding a cobblestone courtyard. The main building fronted the street, with the business office and a restaurant called Zum deutschen Haus on the ground floor, and my grandparents’ living quarters, as well as a ball room, upstairs.

Behind on the right side followed the brew house with its brick smokestack, facing a large

coal bunker on the left and the carport sheltering the two delivery trucks as well as a tractor. In the back, the filling room and a giant barn completed the complex. I will never forget the characteristic smells that lingered within the court’s enclosure, coming from three sources – the brewhouse, the beer cooling pan, and the coal bunker. Following the beer cooking process in the giant copper kettle, the dregs consisting of spent hops and malt were deposited right in front on the pavement where they were picked up by farmers to be fed to their hogs. It is difficult to describe this smell, spicy bit ter, with a strong note of grain. It is still one of my preferred fragrances.

On the edge of town, near the old city wall, the brewery’s fermenta tion cellar was dug into a steep hill. A new branch brewery was situated right on top of the cellar, and in the town’s surrounding fields my grandfather’s family owned a pond for ice production.

Considering the brewery’s age and its great reputation in the area, I gladly accepted my proletarian fate. I was proud to contrib ute to the brewery’s smooth functioning by operating so important a machine. But I also realized once and for all that it is the machine that turns one into a robot, not the other way round.

My “child labor” at my grandfather’s brewery not only made me feel important, it also gave me a sense of responsibility, as if I had a personal stake in the entire operation. I didn’t know exactly what tied me so to this enterprise – apart from the fact that it belonged to my grandparents – but in hindsight I must say that the whole place literally enveloped me with its activity, its people, its build ings, its equipment, and above all, its smells. Once the beer had cooled off in its giant overhead pan, a brewery worker would crank up the old, beaten-up red tractor, hitch it to a tank on rubber wheels, pull it under the bridge from where the beer was drained from the cooling pan into the tank. Then Albert, the worker, would motion toward me to take my usual perch on the tractor’s left fender, and out we rumbled through the arched passage – its corners since the Middle Ages protected by short sandstone bollards – into the street.

Pulling the heavy tank, the tractor huffed and puffed, bouncing and pitch ing on the age-old cobbled pavement as we slowly made our way across the town’s market square and up the hill. As people heard and saw us coming and their heads turned, I felt like royalty accepting the adulation of my subjects bowed to the ground, hats in hand. No longer was I a lowly factory worker at the service of a machine; I was the mighty, supreme guardian of a sacred transport – no crown jewels, no gold bars, but the most divine liquid in the world, the nectar of gods.

Up the hill wheezed the tractor with its pre cious cargo, following the medieval town wall, at long last reaching a heavy, ironclad arched oak door, set in the hill, which magically opened its two wings just as we arrived. Out stepped Schorsch, the cellar master, holding up an arm-thick pipe that disappeared behind him in the dark. Soon, the beer was flowing from our mobile tank through the pipe into the cellar. As one followed the pipe inside, down wet steps, hollowed out from centu ries of heavy boots, a musty, yeasty smell took over until one reached the bottom, some 200 feet inside the mountain, lit by a few dim lightbulbs in their wire mesh cages. The transition from the summer heat outside to the cool cellar always made me shiver. There were the two huge, square stone vats filled with the amber fluid, one of them capped by brownish yellowish foam. This was the finished, fermented beer. The other vat held the new beer we had just delivered. Once the cellar master had added the yeast, with its characteristic flavor, the new fermentation process would begin.

My stepgrandparents are long gone now; the old brewery has been repurposed for apple brandy production, its other buildings above the cellar, bought up by an investor, awaiting a new purpose. Like everywhere, the past cannot be reawakened, except in our memory, a memory I savor. Another holdover from my brewery experience is my taste for good beer, to be enjoyed just as much as a glass of fine wine.

Johannes Strohschänk is a professor emeritus at UW-Eau Claire.

“NO LONGER WAS I A LOWLY FACTORY WORKER AT THE SERVICE OF A MACHINE; I WAS THE MIGHTY, SUPREME GUARDIAN OF A SACRED TRANSPORT – NO CROWN JEWELS, NO GOLD BARS, BUT THE MOST DIVINE LIQUID IN THE WORLD, THE NECTAR OF GODS.”

BEST OF BEER & CHEESE

local faves, according to our 2002 Best of the Chippewa Valley Poll

BEST LOCAL BREWERY

1st Place: The Brewing Projekt

2nd Place: Leinenkugel’s

3rd Place: Lazy Monk Brewing

BEST BEER SELECTION

1st Place: The Fire House

2nd Place: The Brewing Projekt

3rd Place: The Growler Guys

BEST FRIED CHEESE CURDS

1st Place: Milwaukee Burger Company

2nd Place: Ellsworth Creamery

3rd Place: Live Great Food Truck

BEST PLACE TO BUY CHEESE

1st Place: EC Cheese & Deli

2nd Place: Yellowstone Cheese

3rd Place: Marieke Gouda

BEST LOCAL BEER (SPECIFIC BREW)

1st Place: The Brewing Projekt - Gunpowder IPA

2nd Place: Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy

3rd Place: The Brewing Projekt - Puff Tart

LAZY MONK IS LIVELY FOR OKTOBERFEST

creating a genuine Oktoberfest experience right here in the Valley

WORDS: MCKENZIE MINTER • PHOTO: ANDREA PAULSETH

NEAR THE CHIPPEWA RIVER SITS NOT JUST A BREWERY, BUT A PLACE WHERE – at least according to its website –“you walk in as strangers, but leave as friends.” Eau Claire’s Lazy Monk is a brewery that encourages you to speak with strangers by eliminating music and secluded tables, and their mission for Oktoberfest has always been to maintain authenticity and build community.

“We try to stay with the tradition al, not the Americanized Oktober fest,” says co-owner Theresa Frank. “So, when you’re in Germany, it’s about the bier, food, and camarade rie.”

While both their “Oktoberfest Meat and Cheese Night” and “Ger man Schnitzel Dinner” events on

Tuesday, Sept. 27, and Thursday, Sept. 29 respec tively, are sold out, there are still lots of activities to take part into expe rience a more tradi tional Oktoberfest. The festivities start on Saturday, Sept. 24, at Lazy Monk, 97 W. Madison St.

“We actually do German brats, the Ger man-style pretzel, and we have music,” Frank said. Of course, they’ll also be serving their Oktoberfest lager which Frank describes as an am ber, malty bier.

In addition to that, this year Lazy Monk is holding a fundraising event with The Community Table on Saturday, Oct. 1. The Community Table is a nonprofit that has been feeding those affected by food insecurity since 1993. This event, called the “Dessert Extravaganza,” will feature bakers bringing in desserts that at tendees can bid on.

“We wanted to end this year on a community note, Where we’re help ing to take care of members of our community,” Frank said.

Even though two of the events are already sold out, there’s still

lots of fun to be had at Lazy Monk’s upcoming week-long Oktoberfest cel ebration.

For more information about Okto berfest and Lazy Monk’s events, visit lazymonkbrewing.com.

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GET THE GOODS

BY JAMES JOHONNOTT

LOCAL BREWERIES

Bloomer Brewing Company 1103 9th Avenue, Bloomer • 7159334995 • bloomerbrewingco.

com A fun, casual, family friendly taproom and destination brewery. Their staple brews are lagers, with fresh new varieties of IPA and sours. Flights are a great way to sample what’s currently on tap. The taproom offers food, and can be rented for events.

Brewery Nonic 621 4th St. W, Menomonie • face book.com/brewerynonic A small, taproom only, truly handcrafted brewery specializing in super fresh beers from a wide variety of influences in a historic building. Built within the old train depot building in historic downtown Menomonie. The brewery features 8 taps, 4 of which are yearround favorites. The remaining are filled with seasonal and experimental concoctions.

The Brewing Projekt 1807 N Oxford Ave, Eau Claire • thebrewingprojekt.com The Brewing Projekt’s mission is to craft awesome, unique, or hard-to-find ales and lagers. The taproom at the Projekt is right inside of the brewery complete with all the sights, sounds, and smells of the craft.

Chippewa River Distillery & Brewster Bros. Brewing Co. 402 W River St, Chippewa Falls • (715) 861-5100 • chippewariverdistillery.com A brewery and distillery in Chippewa Falls with a gorgeous taproom/bar and regular visits from area food trucks. Customers are also able to bring food in or order food there. Check out their rotating selection of award-winning delicious beers and high-quality spirits.

Durand Brewing Company N6649 State Highway 25, Durand • facebook.com/durandbrewing co/ Durand Brewing Company is a new brewery that is just starting operations. It is locally owned by two veterans who love the art of brewing.

K-Point Brewing at The Coffee Grounds 4212 Southtowne Drive, Eau Claire • (715) 834-1733 • thecoffeegrounds.com/k-point-brewing Taking its name from a ski jumping term, this nanobrew ery adjacent to the Coffee Grounds focuses on brewing small batches of beers “that are never out of style.” Enjoy one of their unique stouts, ales, or lagers paired with food from the café at the Coffee Grounds. Also hosts beer dinners, fish frys, and more.

Lazy Monk Brewing, LLC 97 West Madison Street, Eau Claire • info@lazymonkbrewing.com • lazymonkbrewing.com Step into the old world, German-style Bier Hall to try over 14 taps, a root beer, and a great atmosphere. They specialize in brewing Bohemian Beers, and also have British and American seasonal beers, plus special limited edition holiday beers. Take home growlers and 4 packs.

Leinenkugel’s 124 E. Elm St., Chippewa Falls • 888-534-6437 • leinie.com Brewing since 1867, Leinenkugel’s is one of America’s oldest craft breweries, boasting a portfolio of several distinctive, flavorful beers inspired by its natural

Northwoods surroundings. The brand has put Chippewa Falls on the map for their adventurous array of full-flavored brews in small, high-quality batches.

Lucette Brewing Company 910 Hudson Rd., Menomonie • (715) 233-2055 • lucettebrewing. com Lucette takes its name from Paul Bunyan’s girlfriend. Their brews include the Farmer’s Daughter (a blonde ale with coriander) or a highly rated pale ale Ride Again (a drinkable ale with notes of floral and citrus), plus one-of-a-kind small-batch creation. Try their four-beer sampler flights or “guest beers” from other Wisconsin breweries. The Woodfired Eatery serves classic house pizzas, seasonal creations, calzones, and salads.

Modicum Brewing 3732 Spooner Ave. Suite A, Altoona • 715-895-8585 • info@modicumbrew ing.com • modicumbrewing.com Local craft brewery Modicum Brewing offers a stylish tap room resting in full view of its brew tanks. They pour from a select batch of recipes developed by brewmaster Eric Rykal. Plenty of seating, room for large groups, and tasty snacks from local producers.

Northwoods Brew Pub 50819 West St., Osseo • (715) 552-0510 • northwoodsbrewpub.com In a new, industrial-style setting, patrons at North woods Brewpub can enjoy changing seasonal menus and 29 handcrafted beers as well as six so das, all brewed on site. Covered outdoor seating will be on a massive new patio.

Ombibulous Brewing 1419 Winchester Way, Altoona • Find it on Facebook The new kid on the scene, Ombibulous Brewing has a handful of classic taps; two east coast IPAs, a stout, a black lager, a honey red lager, and soon a lemon wheat. The taproom is full of prohibition-era aesthetic with dark wood and leather seating.

Rush River Brewing Company 990 Antler Ct., River Falls • rushriverbeer.com Providing locally brewed ales throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota since 2004.

Sand Creek Brewing Co. 320 Pierce St., Black River Falls • (715) 284-7553 • sandcreekbrewing. com Wisconsin’s third largest microbrewery, brewing fine craft-brewed ales and lagers.

Valkyrie Brewing Co. 234 Dallas St, Dallas • (715) 837-1824 • brewer@valkyriebrewery. com • valkyriebrewery.com Valkyrie Brewing Company is a small, family-owned and operated microbrewery (Est. 1994) in the Village of Dallas in Northwest Wisconsin.

Zymurgy Brewing 624 Main Street East, Menom onie • facebook.com/zymurgybrewing Zymurgy takes its name from the Greek word for the study and practice of fermentation. Brewmaster Jona than Christenson serves 15 taps from a raw-edge bartop. Zymurgy is modeled to be sustainable, earth-conscious, and minimize waste creation. Many brews are made with local ingredients. 12 taps of unique creations, and non-beer options like root beer, seltzer, and house ginger ale.

LOCAL CHEESEMAKERS

Cady Cheese Factory 126 State Road 128, Wilson • cadycheese.com Cady Cheese special izes in American type cheeses Colby, Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Gouda made from 100% natural ingredients. Enjoy free samples of the 100+ flavors of cheeses when you visit.

Eau Galle Cheese Factory N6765 State Highway 25, Durand • eaugallecheese.com Family owned since 1945, Eau Galle Cheese produces millions of pounds of cheese every year. Their asiago and parmesan have won 6 awards in national and international cheese competitions. They are a certified organic producer of hard Italian cheeses.

Ellsworth Creamery Cooperative 3001 County Road B, Menomonie • (715) 430-5311 • ellsworthcheese.com The recently opened

Menomonie location of the award-winning Ellsworth Creamery. Watch the cheesemaking process, try deep fried cheese curds, and enjoy pizzas, sandwiches, ice cream, fudge, specialty meats, and more.

Marieke Gouda 200 W. Liberty Drive, Thorp • mariekegouda.com Marieke Gouda crafts award-winning gouda year round in 13 distinct flavors. They have a restaurant on-site that serves up burgers, sandwiches, omelets, and more. Their dairy farm is just across the highway, and cheese is made within 5 hours of milking. You can book tours for both the farm and the cheese making facility.

Yellowstone Cheese 24105 County Highway MM, Cadott • yellowstonecheese.com Yellow stone Cheese offers homemade cheeses, wine, jams & jellies, mustards, maple syrup, gifts, take-n-bake pizzas, and so much more. They pride themselves on using milk from the Kenealy farm to create the over 30 flavors of cheese.

You’ve read all about the stuff: Now go get some locally made beer and cheese!