Appleton Beer Factory Now Pouring

We have new brewpub within easy reach. After three years of preparation and a name change, Appleton Beer Factory began pouring beer last Tuesday (Nov 26) at 603 W. College Ave. The brewery - first called Das Brewery - was announced in the fall of 2010 by Jeff Fogle, its founder and president. It took $900,000 to get the place up and brewing and they wound up with a good looking, well-appointed space. There’s a handsome bar and dining area in front with a view onto College Ave. Off to the side is a second dining/party room and in back is the large brewery. Judging by the size of that brewery, it would seem they have ambitions beyond simply supplying beer for their own bar. In addition to serving their house beers, they also plan on having other Wisconsin craft brews on tap, but when I was there Saturday that wasn’t the case.

So what about their beer? This weekend they were serving four brews; a Blonde Ale, an American Pale Ale, a Hefeweizen, and an Oatmeal Stout. They were all solid, well-made beers; certainly a good sign for a new brewery. But the beers are so conservative in both style choice and design that it’s hard to get excited about any of them. It would have been nice to see them throw in at least one beer that isn’t from the brewpub playbook of 1995. If you take a look at their Beer List it appears they intend to continue playing it close to the vest; at least in the near term. But it’s early, let’s give them a chance. Appleton Beer Factory is certainly worth checking out and keeping an eye on.