Lazy Monk Owners Travel For Authentic German Sausage Ahead of Oktoberfest
... to Madison, Wisconsin, that is
Scrolling through Facebook one afternoon, I came across a post from Lazy Monk Brewing with pictures of pretzels, an Oktoberfest mug wet with condensation, and a cute Fiat – talk about a scroll-stopping combo. This was it: The German-style brewery was giving a formal heads-up about its Oktoberfest season kicking off in mid-September, and with it, their annual trip to pick up authentic sausages for their Oktoberfest dinners.
Admittedly, the owners are not likely to recognize me – I am largely a non-drinker these days – but even I have a soft spot for Lazy Monk. Thus, I know the owners’ Czech and German roots are no gimmick.
The old bier hall-style brewery’s walls are adorned with photographs and traditional German garb, beer steins lined up atop the indoor fireplace’s mantle, and a seasonal biergarten that is draped with gorgeous greenery – including hop vines! – thanks to Momma Monk (a.k.a. owner Theresa Frank).
Lazy Monk Brewing’s Oktoberfest beer is incredibly popular with locals: About half of their first batch of the year was already sold upon its release in early August, thanks to pre-orders. But I was intrigued by that Facebook post, its mention of the owners’ yearly visit to acquire authentic sausages ahead of Oktoberfest from a place called Bavaria Sausage.
Bavaria? As in, Bavaria, Germany?! An incredible hike just for some sausage, I thought. Alas, they’re actually talking about Bavaria Sausage, home of Master Sausage Maker Fred Voll’s authentic homemade German meats. No recipes have been changed in over 60 years.
Bavaria Sausage’s website recounts founders Fred and Käthe Voll’s 1956 immigration from Germany to America with $53 to their name, a crate of their belongings, and two-year-old son in tow. Arriving in New York, they headed to North Dakota where an Army Colonel had sponsored them and Fred got a job in a packing plant, later becoming a butcher with Red Owl grocery store.
Landing in Madison and working through an apprentice program and German sausage school to become a Master Sausage Maker, Fred then purchased old equipment and secured a small storefront. Once he started churning out brats, the people wanted more and more. He worked until the year he passed at the age of 83.
Today, Bavaria Sausage’s Old World family recipes create a variety of sausage and meat products, still mixed by hand with zero artificial coloring, flavoring, liquid smoke, fillers, or MSG. Locals get a taste of it annually thanks to Oktoberfest season at Lazy Monk Brewing.
Lazy Monk Brewing (97 W. Madison St., Eau Claire) is hosting two Oktoberfest dinners this year: the Knockwurst and Kraut Flecken Dinner on Sept. 19 ($14), and Weisswurst and Nurenberg Sausage with Viennese Potato Salad Dinner on Sept. 26 ($16) • Learn more about Bavaria Sausage Inc., which has two locations, online
