Fifth Ward Brewing Company

In the mid-1800s, when Oshkosh was earning its reputation as “Sawdust City,” communities were bonded by the ideology of hard work and family. At the end of these long and laborious days in the sawmills, people would gather and celebrate a job well done by sharing a beer at their local watering hole. Oshkosh, at that time, had a number of growing breweries. One of those Oshkosh Breweries was located in the Fifth Ward district, where the campus of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh now sits. Aptly named Fifth Ward Brewery, the business was owned and operated by a young German immigrant named Christian Kaehler. Christian was known for brewing small quantities of quality beer in the traditional German style, that was intended to be enjoyed by those in the community who worked hard and deserved it. After 25 years of operation, the Fifth Ward Brewery poured its last batch of beer in 1882. This was considered the end of old-world brewing traditions in Oshkosh and gave way to more modern industrial processes and equipment.

Over a hundred and thirty years later, Ian Wenger and Zach Clark had no idea that they were homebrewing in the shadow of the original Fifth Ward Brewery that stood just blocks away from Clark’s college house. The two young home brewers and entrepreneurs from Oshkosh who shared a similar brewing mentality as Christian, and decided to start a brewery, bringing small-batch, quality beer back to those who share their same Midwest work ethic.