5DND: Thursday Nights

We’ve been talking about it for years, its finally here!

Alternating just about every other Thursday night, 7p-11p

Join us for our bi-weekly dungeons and dragons games.  Come watch our friends, The Nerdy Playbook play a one-shot game for everyone.

Do you play dungeons and dragons or have you ever wanted to try?  Join us on these days for tutorials, one-shot games, and more.  Bring a fun, nerdy attitude and make some friends as you play games created by Joe.

April 11th: first round by private invite to play, open viewing for guests

May 9th: 101 round

May 23rd: TBA

June 6th: TBA

June 20th: TBA

The game will take place on the back stage, will be live streamed by The Nerdy Playbook. Each time you order a drink of any kind, you will get a raffle ticket for a grand price drawing. Grand prize: playing a DND game in the Castle this November, either the Golden Hour or the Bell Tower overlooking downtown Beloit.

How to Write A Song Workshop

5BAR is happy to host an interactive workshop, bringing actual composers and performers together to talk on stage about the art process, specifically how to write a complete song.

Audience: this is for musicians, but also welcoming fans of live music. Sit and listen to local musicians and hear about the process. Who knows, maybe ‘the muse’ will walk through the room and grace us with their inspiration.

What to expect: 5-7p, each Sunday in January, sit down and interact with the presenters, open forum for questions. Adam Gasser will show their process with different methods such as visual aids. This won’t be a session to sit down and write 1:1 with the presenters, so bring your instrument if you want but you won’t need it necessarily. Open mic to start after at 7:15-9p.

Tickets are limited to 40, $25, coming with a zero-proof drink and self-serve buffet.

Weekly outline:

Week 1: themes and styles of songs

• Where does inspiration come from?

• Picking out the theme(s) and topics

• What instruments work best with your theme?

Week 2: the players of the songs, collaborating (with very special guest, Myq Kaplan)

• Gaps you have:

• Invite someone who is experienced in that new style

• Invite a musician who plays an instrument that you don’t

• How to show and describe pieces of the song

• What concrete pieces do you have, such as the key of the song

• Describe it from afar, then show each piece and element

• Singing or strumming drum parts

• Zooming out:

• Taking honest feedback

• Do you still like your song?

• Do you want to incorporate the feedback?

• Finding musicians or talented people

• Places to be:

• Other shows within that genre

• Open mic events

• Ask other musicians if they know specific people/players

• Post on social media with your instrument

Week 3: the bones of the song

• Music structures (“we’re gonna play these 3 very different songs and start after they’re done”)

• What words show context

• What kind of playing fits that theme, example all down strokes

Week 4: what it's like playing live, or recording, finding bandmates

• How do you introduce your song on stage?

• Prepping for the studio: practice, tempo-map the RPMs, know what pieces you want and lead the producer but leave them room to polish

• How to book a show at a venue

• How to release your music: YouTube/Spotify/other

About the hosts:

• Adam Gasser: Father. Husband. Artist. Musician. Skateboarder. Earth to Clark. Anti-Gravity. Vibe High Productions

• Levi Andersen: creator and owner of 5BAR used to be a traveling musician. He has stepped on stage to play synth, drums, guitar, sing, but his favorite instrument was being a bassist in an alternative band in Seattle from 2008-2010. Here is a love song he wrote and performed with his band, Sirens Sister.

Catering Options at 5BAR

There are so many ways to setup a dinner or snacks here. For starters, here’s a baseline that you may use to start the process. From here we can refine and change it up if y’all prefer, cheers!

Look through each option. This tool is here to serve you as a way to capture which options you’d like to add to your order.

After filling out the survey we will reach out about the details and secure your time(s) with a deposit of 20% (credit cards accepted).

More info about renting the space can be found here.

Other helpful links:

• Want to DJ or play a show at 5BAR?

• A photoshoot of the space

I Want to be a DJ at 5BAR

Here are some details if it’s your first time with us

First of all, thank you for wanting to perform, share music, make our guests want to dance or just feel accepted and entertained. You add value, and we all thank you for this.

What it means to be a DJ:

• You entertain people, its more than just music selection or mixing

• You aren’t a DJ without an audience

• You’re polite to guests, they’re guests after all

• You’re on stage even after the gig. Some people will tag you, some people will be mean online and say you’re a bad DJ or person. There’s a lot to it, so just be ready and always on your best behavior

What 5BAR provides:

• WiFi, usually, but it’s Charter and breaks once a month. We have no control over that, be ready to bounce to another WiFi source of your own or pre-download some great tunes

• 4 power outlets at the DJ table

• An audience, usually we have our own patrons that like to dance and will be here for any DJ

What you need to bring:

• The sound board with all the musics

• Any decor or interesting costume

• A great attitude

Marketing Your Show:

1. Please promote your art. We like when you create flyers, use these media files to tag onto the posts. Getting this out early is always best.

2. Tag us when you create content for the show tag us with these: #5BAR, @5BAR.co on Instagram, www.Facebook.com/5BARbeloit

3. Check in online when you get here. Leave us a public review with a picture of you performing. Share the love all around

Age Restrictions:

1. Yes, we are a 21+ only venue at this time. Yes you may perform if under 21, contact us ahed of time to make arrangements

2. Legally we can allow guests under 21 if they are with their legal guardian

Capacity: 120

1. We hold 120 inside, about 30 on the smoking patio (plastic cups only). The back stage area holds 80 max standing, and its cozy at that time. With couches and easy flow it holds 50

2. Check In / Load In / Out:

1. Pull your vehicle to the back parking lot. As you look at the front of the building, it will be the left (east) side of the building

2. Check in with the bartender and let them know your band name and all that good stuff. WE host a lot of events each month, so be kind to us and let us know what we need to know, don’t assume too much, or we may get out of sync

3. Load in through the back gate, and back door. We are building a small storage off the stage, behind a glass door, you may store dead cases or stuff there. Keep all your clutter off the glitter dance floor, don’t be messy or cluttered, invite people into the show

4. Doors - we cannot stress this enough - do not prop open the doors, either to outside or the inside door to the hallway. Especially if the temperature outside is much different than inside, our very old building gets hot/cold fast. We had 1 band that repeatedly propped open the doors and unfortunately we had to ask them to stop playing that night. Do not alter our building in any way, even by propping doors open. This is a safe space, and we like to keep the front and back 2 different vibes for our guests. Without our guests there is no show, keep that in mind, you’re here to perform TO people, so make it good

• Drinking or Eating on Stage:

  1. Totally fine, just don’t spill

  2. Seriously, don’t put a drink on your amp, right? Vibrations and libations aren’t great for your gear

  Payment:

  1. As of right now, performers receive 2 drink coins per person. This is a $10 drink per player, so if you have a 5-piece band that is a $100 value we want to offer. It’s our little tip to the band and shows our mutual appreciation.

  2. We are creating a space and a scene for our guests and artists to come perform. All 3 of us (band/bar/guests) are helping each other

  3. As a former touring musician (here is a song I wrote, recorded, and was on the album cover for) I totally want to make this the best possible show I can for you, for our guests, and even for myself. We can only do so much and need each other to all pitch in and help in all the ways we can. I want to pay artists loads, buckets, piles of cash moneys, but we simply aren’t there yet. We’re just a baby bar still. I toured through the Great Recession 2008-2010 when I was a barista still, we’d start tours already in the hole from filling a band-van gas tank. I’ve played a show that started in Texas, when I lived in Seattle and had to drive more than an entire day, through my 23rd birthday, just to start a tour. Then we didn’t get paid by the club. I got some stories, but what I’m trying to say here is that I’m not hoarding the money from these shows. To keep the back room heated, repair cords and speakers, pay rent and cleaning, security at the door, and all the other expenses is quite a tab. We aren’t keeping this profit from you, we are reinvesting it into the next band and the next show.

  Music Selection Restrictions (Boring Lawyer Stuff):

  1. Our music license is through Pandora for business “Mood”

  2. Our live music is through ASCAP and BMI

  3. As an artist it is your responsibility to adhere to these license rules. Which means only playing music under their contracts. We don’t like these rules either and believe these agencies are thwarting art and expression, but they have loads of lawyers and the USA being in love with big business and ‘corporate America’ instead of innovation and art, it isssssss what it issssss

5BAR Syrups

Hello friends and fellow sweet-toothers

The name 5BAR comes from a few concepts, one of them is to balance flavors together. Not too sweet, not too sour, and still tasting the baseline spirit.

Levi the owner here, hi, I like craft cocktails. Our team started making our own batch syrups and I was thinking it would be pretty neat to sell them for y’all to use at home/parties. 

• Lime Oleo Saccharum Syrup

• Lemon Oleo Saccharum Syrup

• Orange Oleo Saccharum Syrup

• Ginger Basil Rich Syrup

• Mo-Cheat-O Syrup

What is the Oleo Saccharum process, and why should I care?

Hey, you don’t have to, but it is *more* than just a fancy word, though. Each of these flavored syrups are made from the real ingredient.

We take our spent food products, which most bars would throw away, and turn them into syrups. For the citrus, we fresh squeeze and juice them. Then we take those spent/juiced fruit skins, and let them rest in sugar (and a little salt) for 2 days, on the 3rd day we add 20% by volume water, let that all soak up. Then on the 4th day we take that batch, drop it all into a thin metal pan (yes, the thinness matters), gently leaving it on the stove top to naturally heat up and melt down all the sugars and water content in the citrus, into a syrup. After 4 hours, we stir vigorously to mix

From here we have a real live. Now why this is so great is that if we are making a drink that has sugar and wine in it, we can use this easy syrup. By using the lime syrup, we can reduce the fresh lime juice we are using in the drink. This seems a little bit of money, a little bit of labor, which is nice, it also enhances the total lime flavor, because now you are getting a more complete expression of lying both in the fresh juice, and the rested syrup that has taken days to extract. the drink itself will be slightly more concentrated. So in a Mojito, if the lime syrup is used, the drink has more concentrated flavor and concentrated liquid, so topping it with soda has more carbonation her fluid ounce. The end result is a Mojito with a more complete I’m flavor for effervescence from the soda water. 

Flavors, a deep dive

• Lime Oleo Saccharum

• Margarita

• Green Tea Shots

• Gin or Vodka Gimlets

• Long Island Iced Teas

• Last Word

• Lemon Oleo Saccharum

• Lemon Drop Martini or shots

• Long Island Iced Tea

• Whiskey Sour

• Whiskey Smash

• Lemonade Fizz

• Jasmine Citrus Oleo Saccharum

• Jasmine martini

• Jasmine lemonade

• Ginger Basil Syrup

• Ginger Basil Lemon Drop

• Ginger Arnold Palmer

• Mo-Cheat-O

• Mojito Base

• No-jito Mocktail

Wanna Play A Show at 5BAR?

Our audience probably wants to catch your music.

So how does it work?

Booking a Show:

1. If you want to play here, please contact us wit the following info:

   1. Name of band, artist

   2. How many performing groups you’d like to have on the night. It’s always best to combine 2-3 bands together, so there is more of a draw and audience for all artists

   3. Timeline, start end, exact times and date. Of course this can change, but start with an idea in mind. 3 possible backup dates as well, unless you’re touring through

   4. Links to your music or art, not just a pic of the band

   5. Short description or bio

Marketing Your Show:

1. Please promote your art. We like when you create flyers, use these media files to tag onto the posts

2. Tag us when you create content for the show tag us with these: #5BAR, @5BAR.co on Instagram, www.Facebook.com/5BARbeloit

3. Check in online when you get here. Leave us a public review with your band playing. Share the love all around

Age Restrictions:

1. Yes, we are a 21+ only venue at this time. Yes you may perform if under 21, contact us ahed of time to make arrangements

Capacity: 120

1. We hold 120 inside, about 30 on the smoking patio (plastic cups only). The back stage area holds 80 max standing, and its cozy at that time. With couches and easy flow it holds 50

   Check In / Load In / Out:

1. Pull your vehicle to the back parking lot. As you look at the front of the building, it will be the left (east) side of the building

2. Check in with the bartender and let them know your band name and all that good stuff. WE host a lot of events each month, so be kind to us and let us know what we need to know, don’t assume too much, or we may get out of sync

3. Load in through the back gate, and back door. We are building a small storage off the stage, behind a glass door, you may store dead cases or stuff there. Keep all your clutter off the glitter dance floor, don’t be messy or cluttered, invite people into the show

4. Doors - we cannot stress this enough - do not prop open the doors, either to outside or the inside door to the hallway. Especially if the temperature outside is much different than inside, our very old building gets hot/cold fast. We had 1 band that repeatedly propped open the doors and unfortunately we had to ask them to stop playing that night. Do not alter our building in any way, even by propping doors open. This is a safe space, and we like to keep the front and back 2 different vibes for our guests. Without our guests there is no show, keep that in mind, you’re here to perform TO people, so make it good

PA / Sound System / Setup:

1. We are happy to provide you the use of our expensive equipment, so treat it with respect. If you break something, its broken for the next band, the audience and it ruins a good vibe. Please, just use your common sense and zoom out

2. We have 4 mics, 6 inputs. Bring cords and guitar stands you need

3. At this time, with our limited staff, soundcheck is only 5 minutes total. So setup, be ready, then ask us to come and soundcheck ya. If you want to bring your own person to run the sound, more power to ya

Merchandise:

1. Setup the merch, sell all the shirts, we want that for you and the audience. Best place is behind the second bartop, the black one

2. If you need to run a merch sale through our point of sale we will collect a 10% fee, because our credit card machine charges us rates and we need to cover that cost

3. Unless specified, you must load up your merch within 30 minutes of your finished show to make space and time for the next event that night

Drinking or Eating on Stage:

1. Totally fine, just don’t spill

2. Seriously, don’t put a drink on your amp, right? Vibrations and libations aren’t great for your gear

Payment:

1. Performers receive 2 drink coins per person. This is a $10 drink per player, so if you have a 5-piece band that is a $100 value we want to offer. It’s our little tip to the band and shows our mutual appreciation, we have tea and mocktails as well. We do cater to many first time or seldom performers, many jazz artists who want a stage to play on and love to just jam. We love that and are here for it. Let us know.

2. We are creating a space and a scene for our guests and artists to come perform. All 3 of us (band/bar/guests) are helping each other.

3. Little story: as a former touring musician (here is a song I wrote, recorded, and was on the album cover for) I totally want to make this the best possible show I can for you, for our guests, and even for myself. We can only do so much and need each other to all pitch in and help in all the ways we can. I want to pay artists loads, buckets, piles of cash moneys, but we simply aren’t there yet. We’re just a baby bar still. I toured through the Great Recession 2008-2010 when I was a barista still, we’d start tours already in the hole from filling a band-van gas tank. I’ve played a show that started in Texas, when I lived in Seattle and had to drive more than an entire day, through my 23rd birthday, just to start a tour. Then we didn’t get paid by the club, loads of touring stories if you wanna catch them

4. Guaranty / fee: to pay music rights, keep the back room heated, repair cords and speakers, pay rent and cleaning, security at the door, and all the other expenses is quite a tab. We are reinvesting it into the next band and the next show. In your message include what your guaranty or fee is. We are happy to to make anything possible, art is complicated and that makes it beautiful.

Music Selection Restrictions (Boring Lawyer Stuff):

1. Our music license is through Pandora for business “Mood.”

2. Our live music is through ASCAP and BMI, oh it’s costly but we make it happen.

3. As an artist it is your responsibility to adhere to these license rules. Which means only playing music under their contracts. We don’t like these rules either and believe these agencies are thwarting art and expression, but they have loads of lawyers and the USA being in love with big business and ‘corporate America’ instead of innovation and art, it isssssss what it issssss.

4/20 Up In Smoke Event

4/20/2023

7pm - 2am

Special invitation to join us for an evening of being swell, living elevated, enjoying more than just drinks at a loud bar.

This event is hosted by The Swell Society, what tarted as a request for a private event between friends has grown into something they feel everyone is would enjoy as well. Come see the back room transformed into a positive space to showcase a variety of stage talents, from a 3-piece playing funk, to 5 separate hip hop and r&b performances.

This is a special send off event for Duk3 & Dae1 as they prepare to hit a 13 days on the road playing from June 16-July, opening for other national acts such as Lizzo. This is your little sneak peak.

They are using the back room for a very special night together, and want the best people in town to enjoy their chill evening and smaller performance before the national stage. Together we will funk it with a live 3-piece band and 5 other singers, dance and enjoy our safe haven.

$20 entrance, 7-7:30pm free drink & BBQ samples from Levi the owner and Chef Lupe, $1 raffle tickets for 1 of 3 themed baskets

7pm: we open our doors

7:30-9pm: funk music by a live 3-piece

9pm-12am: mixture of spoken word poetry and 5 solo performers, hip hop and r&b

12am raffle door prizes related to ‘elevated relaxation’

12am-2am chill the night down

The night will also include: shot girls, smoking patio debut, VIP side stage section (6 people). Chef Lupe will be serving up 'our smoked 5BBQ. 5BAR is dropping our “Herbaceous 4/20" Cocktail Menu”

This is what we mean when we say it will be a night of living swell.

Drunk Trump Cocktail Menu

Hello lovelies

When we opened this little bar in the wonderful small town of Beloit Wisconsin, this was our debut menu. Our inaugural menu if you will.

5 drinks recapping the 4 year presidency of Donald Trump

The idea wasn’t to be an aggressive progressive, but to play around with something relevant to the time of our opening, that wasn’t food.

Why on Earth did we pick Trump? We never know, don’t waste your time on that question. What you should be asking is “When can I get these?”

April 1 2023 till April 20 2023, when we drop our 420 Menu.

Original Drunk Trump Instagram post here

Original Drunk Trump blog post of the menu here

The MAGA-Rita itself

The goal here is to poke some fun and see these drinks as satire, a culinary-commentary of the former US President Donald Trump. We took some of the news stories involving him and turned them into tasty drinks. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did and do.

We built our own small walls (yes, we paid for it) and place the tequila on the other side. You gotta hop the fence *wink

MAGA-Rita $14

    0.5oz Del Maguey Mezcal on the side, 1.5oz Corazon Blanco, 0.5oz agave, 0.5oz lime juice, 1oz Topo Chico (Mexico), 4 saline drops

    This cocktail is served with the promise of a shot of mezcal coming, but when it arrives it’s still on the other side of a fence. Why do we need a fence? Beats us, hop that fence and tango with us, pour some mezcal into that margarita. You can drink the mezcal as-is and enjoy it on the side, or take a nice sip and drop the shot into the drink, its all up to you, no rules.

If Donald Trump described the drink:

The taste balances a lot of things, it’s a very good balance, the best balanced flavor ever. No one can balance so much flavor in one drink. And look, there’s the wall I promised, didn’t I tell you we’d make it?

We broke the cotton candy machine, so this one won’t be on the menu right now, sorry.

Im-Peach-Mint (Not available at this time, cotton candy machine MIA)

    2oz Appleton Rum, 0.75oz lime juice, 0.75oz lime skin syrup, 5oz soda, 5 muddled mint leaves, peach cotton candy comb over, a single (term) straw

    The aromatic-contradiction, looking down from the top it’s a pile of sweet peach aroma. When you take a sip you’ll instantly feel the carbonic acids tip-toe across your tongue carrying small pieces of mint. The flavor is nothing of peach, though that’s what you read, see, smell, even expect. You’re welcome. Ready to order four more (years)?

    The cotton candy is perched on a dried orange disc so it doesn’t dissolve. Pull the dried up old orange and the peach will drop in and flavor the drink itself.

If Trump described it:

You’ll never find a cocktail with better hair. Wow. Just look at it. I want to grab it right now.

A blend of both rum and Jack Daniels, it actually works pretty well.

Dark & Stormy Daniels $130,000 / 10,000 ($13)

    1oz Jack Daniel’s, 1oz Gosling Black Strap Rum, 0.5oz lemon juice, 0.5oz blonde sparkling turmeric blend, roughly 4oz house-made ginger beer

    We personally consider the Dark & Stormy as original Moscow Mule, here is our own riff on the Dark & Stormy. Inspired by the 2018 Stormy Daniels porn star and Trump sex scandal.

    When we made this one, we didn’t know it would be the pinpoint that got Donald Trump indicted, wild.

If Trump described it:

The $130,000 non-disclosure agreement prevents me from an official comment at this time.

We love coffee cocktails here

The White House Russian $9

    1.5oz non-Russian Vodka, 0.5oz Kapali Rum, 2oz Diet Coke, served with a straw

    Time Magazine (link) posted this little insight about Trump’s love of Diet Coke, 12 per day? Incredible. There’s also some rumors about Russians having a video, or something about auto-bots on Facebook? Anyways, the Kapali covers up the Diet Coke aspartame aftertaste, a little bubbles are nice, aren’t they? We did it with cold brew and liked it, but our Diet Coke fans (3 present) actually didn’t, so, we took it out. Also the cream wasn’t really needed, so, here we are.

If Trump described it:

Once you taste this drink you’ll always call White Russians by the new name, the better name, we’ll all call them White House Russians. Look, we all do now, there’s no question or need for an investigation, I’d know. Everyone does it. People can’t help but be Putin in orders for more. It’s Facebook official. This is the best drink on the menu. I drink 12 per day, hold the vodka.

Remember at this time we were still in lockdown and voting via mail, served in a coupe now

Absinth-Tea Ballot $11

1.5oz jasmine green tea infused with Aviation Gin, 1oz Chinese pear puree, 0.25oz lime juice, 4oz soda, absinthe mist, served in a collins glass

This is the favorite cocktail on the menu this month. The jasmine really has a chance to shine and take center stage along side the Aviation Gin.

These are Levi’s tasting notes from the gin and why it was selected this year, over the lovely Botanist Gin. Tasting notes: crisp, juniper alongside delicate (it is gin) floral sweetness, violets, a touch of citrus peel and some green vegetal notes in there too, with a pinch of spice (finishing alcohol flavor). You can tell why this pears (pun) so well with the pear and jasmine infusion.

Did you know Aviation Gin is made in Portland, OR?

#MakeAmericanGin lol

Did we try to source Goya Pear? You bet your bridges we did…

If Trump described it:

The best thing to come out of China. We actually grow the pears here in the USA. They grow better here, so much more flavor. People love them, they say “Wow, what else can we grow in the USA?” because they're so good. And I don’t really know, can we grow more things? *looks over shoulder for help* I think the economy can grow here. Yeah, let’s grow more food though, I think. Everyone eats food, so that’s great, very good. We can even grow our own gin, I think. Let’s get someone really amazing on growing our own gin, maybe a celebrity or someone important? What is that Ryan Reynolds fella up to these days?

Thursday Night Live Jazz

We’ve been hosting live jazz on Thursday nights in the back room. It started from one of our Open Mic Nights, then turned into them asking “Can we play longer sets?” And now BOOM, weekly jazz.

They’re open to guest musicians coming in as well. Drop by with your instrument, or have a chat with them the week before.

Looking to start a band? This night and the open mics are a great place to start and network.

We appreciate if you enjoy the music, to also enjoy a purchase of a tea or cocktail. The band also accepts drinks as tips =]

Cocktail: Sleepy In Seattle Again

Hello, Levi here… On Saturday March 25th, I wanted to make a cocktail with Mount Gay Rum. They’re hosting a little competition, so that was the inspiration. I didn’t realize it would lead me down a long and nostalgic road. Pealing banana skins and learning more about gums. I’m so happy I let the rum be my muse yesterday. Here is a little ‘night cap recap.’

I’d be thrilled to continue to share this drink to y’all. I’ll be playing around more with our ‘food waste’ and leveraging my past 7 years at Kerry Ingredients, where I learned so many culinary techniques. Sometime soon I hope to write a full blog post about our systems to prevent food/energy/labor waste. We’ll see when I get the time.

Lady the corgi feeling a little sleepy herself, modeling behind a Mount Gay Rum cocktail

Sleepy In Seattle Again

• 2oz Mount Gay Rum Eclipse

• 1oz (2tbsp) Greek yogurt

• 0.5oz banana phloem bundle syrup

• 0.25oz lemon juice

• 0.5oz orange juice

• Shake and strain into a small rocks glass with ice

• Garnish with 3 skewered banana medallions (coins) fanned out and a very light dusting of mixed granola, light cinnamon dusting

This cocktail was designed around the flavor profiles of Mount Gay

Story of the drink:

I’ve served Mount Gay Rum for 3 years now as a bartender. When I taste it I go to the honey and nutty granola like flavors. That taste and sip takes me back to the flavor of granola, with nice dried fruits mixed in. This impression of flavor is where the inspiration started for the recipe below.

I’m originally from the Seattle area and live in Wisconsin now. I spent far too much time in cafes. Working as a barista for 10 years straight, studying for school in them, meeting up with friends. What kept me in cafes was the people, the smells of coffee and fresh fruity pastries, and being able to grab a simple free lunch well after shift.

End of shift I was always looking for the expiring products that we couldn't sell; I ate far too many muffins for a decade. There were some days where I would drink glasses of milk or expiring nut milk simply to feed myself. One of my favorite snacks was granola with the most mature banana that the cafe had. Pouring some milk over the top, or my favorite was a touch of orange juice and 50/50 granola to Greek yogurt. Wow, that sweetness and texture, the gooey with the crunch, the variety in each bite, sometimes each chew itself. The occasional bite of intense salt or burnt granola clusters. Do you see why it was my favorite snack? It was a sound and an activity as much as it was a meal.

This drink captures those moments. It’s not just the ingredients, though they are on point. It’s also a snack with the yogurt and garnish, one of the more playful and unique garnishes I’ve made. At this little bar we make our own granola, with local dried cranberries. It looks fun, but also the smell is so intense as I go to take a sip. Some of my customers eat the garnish first, some dip it right into the drink because they see how it just simply belongs together.

Visually it's playful and subtly elegant. The aroma is intense, but not like a traditional rum cocktail that I’ve ever had. The flavors all harmonize to the rum. And the textures are opposites, in the best way possible.

As I drink it for myself and share the idea with some customers, it makes my heart feel as optimistic and happy as I was when I was “Sleepy in Seattle Again,” dreaming of a time I’d get to travel and have new adventures abroad.

Taking banana phloem bundles and making a syrup. Great food waste reduction.

Banana phloem bundle syrup:

• Take discarded banana peels, lightly scrape off the inside of the skin, where the "Phloem bundles" or stringy banana bits are. Weighing the total, we found about 40g per single banana.

• Add 2x that weight (80g) of white sugar, 1x (40g) that weight of raw sugar, 2g (per banana) agar agar powder, and 3x (120g) that weight of boiling water, making a simple syrup of all ingredients.

• Mix, strain banana out, your banana peel puree is ready to use.

• Optional: add in spices such as cinnamon, clove, nutmeg for a “Spiced Banana Peel Puree”

• Note: you can use just white sugar and not mix the raw. My observation is if it's a greener banana it really needs the raw sugar to add depth, but if it’s a freckled or browning and soft banana then just white sugar still has nice depth. You don’t have to use the agar agar, it is there to help smooth the texture of the Greek yogurt. I like to add salt to my signature syrups, but with the granola garnish there is a random dosage of salt, so I left this part out of the recipe, knowing as you bite the garnish or if you dip it you will get extra salt.

5BLOCK: Let’s Clean Up Our City

Hi friends. If you consider yourself a friend of Beloit like we do, then let’s do a small act of kindness together?

April 23rd, 11 AM - 2 PM, let’s clean up our city

Come by 5BAR, we will have vests, trash bags, gloves, smiles, great people, and a free cafe drink for each volunteer. Visit Beloit and the Downtown Beloit Association will be here with us to help direct. Our plan is to let volunteers pick a spot, street, field, parking lot, or 5 block (hey, what a name) they want to clean up. We’ll highlight or mark it on a map, so each group hits a new spot.

Imagine what we can do together.

Bring back the trash, enjoy a free cafe style drink as our thanks. We will also be giving a prize for “Weirdest item found” and “Fullest bag.”

Want to help in another way? Send us an email, we’re all ears.

Thank you to those who help out each day, in ways we don’t even notice. The smallest kindness does reverberate and live on for a long time. Keep being lovely.

Calming Yoga Mondays

8p - 9p | 1 Drink Minimum to Participate

Destress and stretch with us for an hour. This is a very low-key vibe with mostly beginners. Enjoy a drink before, during, or after. We also have mocktails and tea available to enjoy. It’s free to join, and we have extra mats, we do ask you buy a drink to help cover our costs for the space, candles, mats and teachers.

If you’d like to lead a night, please email us at levi@5bar.co

Trivia Tuesdays!

Every Tuesday | 7p - 9p

Sign up by 7:15p, trivia starts at 7:30p and usually lasts 1-2 hours. Winners receive prizes like local gift cards or random things we see as Facebook ads and really REALLY want to buy, but know we shouldn’t.

Candle Light Queer Night

Every 1st & 3rd Tuesday of the Month | All Night

Isn’t it time to have a queer (LGBT+++ good folks) night in Rock County? We thought so *insert big ol’ heart**

All November 2022-February 2023 we will be keeping the vibes chill and romancy with some cute candles and more laidback, LGBT+ friendly artists music

Thank you for your patience as we start these nights. Drink specials, potential themed dance parties and art are all potential for these nights, can’t wait to see how it unfolds into something wonderful. 

(Please reach out if you would like to participate in an entertaining way such as creating live art or showcasing past pieces and movements)

Corgi-Karaoki

Every Wednesday | 9p - 2a

Come howl with us and our corgi! The front of the building is still the chill and fun vibe, the back room get’s pretty lit. Shout out to our incredible host and new father, Patrick.

Fridays & Saturdays: DJ Emu & Friends

9p - Close | $5 Cover at Door

Enjoy dance and house music from DJ Emu in the backroom. We practice ‘one out, one in’ to keep the head count and general safety / drink wait to a minimum.

We charge $5 at the door starting at 9PM, which goes toward the security on site and DJs. Feel free to come in earlier if you’d prefer. After 9PM we also give out a complimentary Jell-O Shot or other fun gift as you pay the door. It’s our little ‘welcome to the party’ gift for you

Punk Show: Bible Cats

James: "I wanna get a black eye in the mosh pit.... that's what I want for my bday this year"

We'd hate to let him down, right? 

5BAR is gonna host a punk showcase for James bday, or you could call it a little punk fist in the air on tax day, or whatever you want to. Let's make this the most fun and safe (okay, a little moshing) punk show y'all have ever been to, deal?

5BIFF

It’s time to welcome in some great people. So happy that BIFF (Beloit International Film Festival) asked us to host their “BIFF after dark” social hours. The goal each night is to have a safe, cozy, vibrant and creative location for people to come and talk about art together.

We’re saying its going to be February 24th - March 5th, but if you like art, we’re always up to talk about that with ya. Something like 10P till very late.

If you want to chat with people we’d encourage you to wear your BIFF swag so people can tell. We will have some name tags available, to help people network or feel more approachable.

Official announcement post:
https://beloitfilmfest.org/evenings-with-biff-5bar/

Facebook event link:

https://fb.me/e/3i8t1nbrT

Fancy Fridays

All Night: First Friday Each Month

February 3rd, March 3rd, April 7th, May 5th, June 2nd, July 7th, August 4th, September 1st, October 6th, November 3rd, December 1st

We’re hoping this turns into a regular date night, or night of celebration all around. Y’all, we deserve a nice night out with lovely people and it just seems like maybe there aren’t enough excuses to enjoy each other and ourselves, so here’s one for us all.

This is your excuse to dress up for yourself and all of us. Try that new outfit you love, invite out a close friend, old flame, a wingman or wingwoman. Make it a fun and memorable night.

$6 Gin Martinis if you're dressed 'fancy'

Neon Rave Birthday Bash

Come celebrate 4 of our staff's bdays with a black light dance party. Wear fun stuff that reacts to black lights. Bring a smile. No cover just good vibes.

We will have some neon makeup that reacts to the black light available.

As always - practice consent. We have a zero tolerance for misbehavior at 5BAR, absolutely no signs of unwanted physical contact, racism/sexism/phobias. If you don’t like what someone is doing you may move to another side of the building and continue to enjoy your time.

If you see something, say something. One night we received a very negative google review, stating that we did nothing to help a situation. It was so hurtful because that person decided to leave the premises and leave a bad review rather than letting us know the situation, please, don’t do that. It wasn’t even closing time yet, and they left knowing there was someone inside being unkind to others, that’s really sad. If you do nothing, know that you’re leaving innocent people in harms way, please, as a community let’s all support and be there for each other. If you see something, tell the bartender and security right in that instant.

Facebook event link to event.