This is your second beer-related book, and you blog at OshkoshBeer.blogspot.com. How did you become interested in the topic of beer and beer history?
Actually, I don’t know that I’ve ever not been interested in beer. I grew up in a family with strong, German roots and beer was always a part of that. I started collecting beer cans when I was in elementary school and that triggered my initial interest in brewing history. But I never thought to write about it until after I moved to Oshkosh and started finding all these incredible stories about the breweries and beer culture here.
What surprised or interested you most while writing this book?
What continues to intrigue me is just the sheer number of breweries we've had. There have been 33 breweries in Winnebago County since 1849. The culture of beer and brewing was and continues to be incredibly rich here. It’s a major piece of our shared history that hasn't gotten the attention it deserves. It's something I think we should celebrate.
There’s been an increasing trend toward microbreweries in the last few years. Can you talk more about why?
I see it as a return to normalcy, at least around here. Historically, Oshkosh and Winnebago County have favored small, local breweries. The period from the 1970s to the 1990s when there were no breweries here was an aberration. My hope is that what’s happening now is only the beginning.
What’s your “Beer Headline” from the last century in Winnebago County?
It would be, “You’ll Never Stop Us.” It would have been the headline that appeared on January 17, 1920, the day Prohibition went into effect. People around here immediately began homebrewing and starting up wildcat breweries. The people of Winnebago County simply refused to give in to a misguided law that sought to destroy part of their native culture.
If you could sit down and have a beer with anyone from the past or present, who would it be and what kind of beer would you order?
That’s a tough one, but if I were forced to pick just one person, I’d sit down with Joseph Schussler and we’d drink the beer he was making in Oshkosh in 1850. It was an all-malt dark lager made with locally grown barley. He may also have been using locally grown hops. Schussler used to say he had a secret brewing method known only to himself. Maybe after a couple of beers, he’d spill the beans!
Lee Reiherzer will be at the library on Wed., July 17 at 6 p.m. under the Dome to discuss Winnebago County Beer: A Heady History. If you’re interested in brew craft, the library has several books available for checkout both at the library or through Overdrive.
