Fornear Photo Friday | Jess & John’s PBR Milwaukee Wedding

Our first Summer wedding of 2014 was Jess & John’s awesome PBR themed wedding in Milwaukee Wisconsin! Jess and John are one of our many awesome Offbeat Bride couples (SUCH a great site so please check it out, we are also one of their approved vendors for Wisconsin!) With the backdrop of the great city of Milwaukee and one of the beers it is best known for, it couldn’t have been a better way to celebrate a wedding!

With lots of thoughtful details like handmade bouquets/boutonnieres out of comic strips and comic themed shoes for the bride this wedding had so many great unique details to capture!

Jess & John’s sweet wedding ceremony took place along Lake Michigan in Bay View not far from their home at the gorgeous South Shore Park Pavilion. After exchanging vows the fun began right away complete with all of the bridal party serving guests PBR, other tasty adult beverages and Sprecher Root Beer for the kids during the receiving line!

After that everyone hopped a trolley to the historic Pabst Best Place for the reception activities. We were lucky enough to get to shoot in some really amazing areas within the mansion that are not typically open to the public… it was awesome! Lots of great brewing artifacts aside, the windows and space were remarkable to see alone.

After dinner followed by pie, dancing and merriment ensued… it was a fantastic way for us to kick off our 2014 summer season. Congrats again to Jess & John!

Credits | Author: Krista | Photography: Fornear Photo | Ceremony: South Shore Park Pavilion, Bay View Wisconsin| Reception: Pabst Best Place, Milwaukee Wisconsin

Thirsty Thursday | Sprecher Brewery, Hard Ginger Beer

I will be honest, until the new Hard Ginger Beer by Sprecher Brewery came out I have never had a ginger beer before. That said, Sprecher regular Ginger Ale is my FAVORITE gourmet soda they make! I almost always have a personal stash of this in the house though we don’t drink much pop in general (we often just joke it’s mostly coffee, water, beer around these parts!) Funny I say that because this post really doesn’t have to do with a “true” craft beer, it deals with something enterly different, which I think is fun! 

Since as you can clearly see my Sprecher Ginger Ale love runs deep when the Hard Ginger Beer came out I wasn’t sure how I would like it but…. I. LOVE. IT! I mean it’s seriously amazing!! Not too sweet, not too dry and just the right amount of spicy, gingery goodness to please any ginger ale lover like me. With a very mild abv of 4.7% it’s both light and refreshing and won’t do you in after just one.

Now to take this amazing brew to the next level we turned it into a craft cocktail by using Rouge’s Spruce Gin. Every summer we seem to have one go-to cocktail in lieu of beer (and for us they are almost always gin based). This summer the said cocktail has been the Moscow Mule (or as we have been calling it a Milwaukee Mule). If you haven’t had one of these yet you NEED to get your lips around it ASAP! 

Also, I am sure you wondering what is up with the copper mug, well let me explain! Not only does it keep the drink fantastically cold on those hot summer days but it is said that there is a natural chemical reaction that occurs when your mouth, liquid and copper all meet that make this cocktail taste the way it is "supposed" to taste. Whether or not that is true I am not one to say but I was SOLD by the look of this fancy cup alone so who cares, right!? In the mean time look for the Sprecher Hard Ginger Beer near you soon!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Turntable Tuesday | Genesis, Invisible Touch

I am not sure about you but I am HUGE 80’s music fan and though I know I have already proclaimed that before here on the blog I just can’t seem to say it enough! And if there has to be a great album of the 80’s (and there are many) Invisible Touch by Genesis is almost certainly ranking up near the tippy top of the best of it’s time! Released in 1986 Invisible Touch spending over 95+ weeks on the UK charts and by far was their best selling US album. As character Patrick Bateman in the movie American Psycho proclaims Invisible Touch as an "undisputed masterpiece"... Which it is!

I had the song Invisible Touch on a mix CD when I was in high school and I think I listened to it every day, it just gets you in an awesome mood… IF I did karaoke I think it just might be my go to song! Just look at the track listing… from Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, In Too Deep to Throwing it All Away and I mean who doesn’t remember the awesome puppet Land of Confusion music video!? It is said that essentially though this is a “Genesis” album it really was a Phil Collins breakthrough album which I suppose is debatable (and honestly I don't care) but what isn’t debatable is what a great album this is! Now just TRY and get the song Invisible Touch out of your head today… I know I probably won’t!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Fornear Photo Friday | 4th of July

Taking this Fornear Photo Friday off in honor of the 4^th of July and to celebrate our wedding anniversary this weekend. We are lucky enough to spend ours in the Northwoods filled with great friends, family, fireworks and lots of craft beer. Hope you and yours have an awesome holiday celebrating America’s Birthday!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Thirsty Thursday | Great Northern Beer Festival

So I thought a change of pace for the 4^th of July weekend with Thirsty Thursday could be fun featuring the Great Northern Beer Festival we attended! Also named one of the top 10 Beer Festivals in the country to attend via Flipkey by Trip Advisor... quite an honor too. Taking place the second Saturday of June in Eagle River Wisconsin at Hi-Pines Campground the festival celebrated it’s 10^th Anniversary.

We love this festival not only because it takes place in our home town or that because we are friends with the organizers or because I am normally pouring delicious Sprecher Brewery products… NO it’s just a damn good beer fest in the Northwoods! One of the reasons why it is such a great festival is because there is much care put into which breweries attend (mostly Wisconsin and Midwest based) and that they have a knowledgeable brewery representative present to help educate the fine drinkers of said beer fest brews.

Hey look I even make an appearance pouring my Sprecher!

If you happen to be in Eagle River next June please check out the Great Northern Beer Festival and be sure be responsible and book your campsite at Hi-Pines in advance since sites fill up fast. Maybe we will see you there next year… cheers!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo

Turntable Tuesday | The Brothers Johnson, Right on Time

I am not sure about you but sometimes I am in the mood for some funk and when I am looking for my funk fix it is almost always The Brothers Johnson we spin! I have to say I first fell in love with their sound from hearing their hit Strawberry Letter 23 on the soundtrack of the Quentin Tarantino movie Jackie Brown (I will save my love for this movie and soundtrack for another day!) Later I learned that this was from their 1977 album Right on Time so when we came across this at a thrift store we promptly swiped it up!

A fun fact about the song Strawberry Letter 23 is that that song never mentions the number 23 only the number 22 hence the name of the song is commonly called Strawberry Letter 22 not 23. But I am happy to say this isn’t the only song I love on this album Runnin' For Your Lovin & Love Is are among the awesome blend of funk & 70’s pop mixed by the famous Quincy Jones. If you are looking for something fun to brighten up your day all you have to do is look to The Brothers Johnson!

Credits | Author: Krista & Photography: Fornear Photo