WHAT IS OOGA?
OOGA is that sweet, old car horn sound, “Ah-oo-gah!”
The building that now stands as Ooga Brewing Co. had once been known as a former used car lot and auto shop. OOGA is a tribute to memorialize the building, ringing in with the sounds an old car horn would make.
We are all about community, living life with a smile, and a great drink. We don’t have visions of becoming a large brewery, instead we prefer to stay small and local. We brew and serve on-site with limited distribution and are self distributed.
Expect a quiet atmosphere where you can meet friends and make new ones. We do occasionally have live, local performances but the music is never too loud. Need a relaxing, low-key place to do some ‘work after work’? You’ll fit right in.
While we do not serve more than some basic snacks, we highly encourage you to order in food from our local friends.
Our main priority is to support our city and the people in it. Everything from our brewing equipment to our ingredients are local. We’re heavily involved in our community and revitalizing the downtown area.
MEET THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE BEER.
JEFF SCANLAN head brewer, hose wrangler, beervangelist
I think I always had a love of great beer. It started as a child. I recall seeing paintings and murals of 18th century taverns where people caroused and gathered, hoisting frothy mugs of beers. They seemed so happy, and the beers they were drinking, often dark beers, looked rich and delicious. In 1992, I asked my parents for a homebrew kit from a local hobby store. This was before the age of the internet, where learning to brew meant actually learning from a book, “The Complete Joy of Homebrewing”, by Charlie Papazian. I still recall my first beer, an amber ale. The smell of boiled wort, hops, and fermentation was magical. I was hooked.
Many (many) brews later, I found great friends in brew clubs like the ALE Club (Appleton Libation Enthusiasts) or the SOBs (Society of Oshkosh Brewers). I joined the ALEs nd honed my craft under grizzled vets of brewing.
I have been lucky enough to travel abroad to drink in the bier-halls of Germany, the oldest pubs of England, and the cozy, music-filled pubs of Scotland and Ireland.
In 2007, I started the Sun Prairie Wort Hogs, with the goal of fostering the craft of quality homebrewing. I am pleased to say the club thrives today. If you are in the area, and you want to learn how to brew better beer, this is the club to join.
Like many, I felt the itch to attempt my hand at professional brewing. I attempted to open a brewery in Sun Prairie. I learned a lot of good lessons with the process, and it was a difficult journey, but alas, that was not in the cards for me. That experience, and connections I had made, led me to Ruth and Jim Metz. They had a vision of a craft brewery for the people of Beaver Dam. They gave me the opportunity to transition from a passionate homebrewer to a full time professional brewer. It is a wild ride for sure.
- Jeff
SARAH FERREE assistant brewer, taproom manager, activities director, camp counselor
I was born and raised here in Beaver Dam, WI and I just love our little city. I moved away for a brief time after high school like many of us did but I am so glad that I decided to make Beaver Dam my forever home. I married my husband Frank in 2005 and we are the proud parents of two great kids, Owen and Addie.
I was bitten by the homebrewing bug when Dad asked me if I would like to have the brewing equipment my brother left behind after he moved to England. I definitely didn’t want it to be thrown away. After all, I was a stay-at-home mom in need of a hobby and perhaps a beer or two. My first batches were brewed on the kitchen stove with extract kits. I was immediately hooked and quickly decided to invest in a kegerator and all grain brewing gear… after all it didn’t cost that much more than my husband’s newest golf clubs. Soon after the smell of boiling wort was drifting from the garage on the weekends.
Frank was once asked at a Chamber of Commerce committee meeting if I would consider brewing a special beer for the Taste of Wisconsin (our local beer and cheese tasting) and I nervously accepted. My family and friends had always enjoyed the fruits of my hobby but I had no idea what the public would think of a homebrewer at a beerfest right alongside the professionals. As it turned out my Best Dam Pilsner was well received and I was asked again to brew for the next Taste of Wisconsin. The following year I wanted to brew an approachable IPA and so Rocket Slide IPA was born. I named it after the big old rocket slide that used to be in Beaver Dam’s Swan Park, it was one of my favorite places to play as a kid.
I am now a proud member of The Pink Boots Society an organization that seeks to ASSIST, INSPIRE and ENCOURAGE women beer professionals through EDUCATION. I do many of the day to day business and management tasks for the taproom but my favorite place to be is in the brewhouse, where I look forward to learning more about the craft alongside our head brewer Jeff Scanlan. Cheers!
- Sarah