Latest reviews from Appleton

“Sitting here right now. Typical Wisconsin bar. Full bar. Beer is tasty. Clean lines. My Scottish Ale is fine. Friends captain and diet is watery. Fail. No need to stop here again. Staff okay.“

Drake 258 days ago

“Been here a few times. As you can see from my recent ratings, just catching up on all the area Festival locations. The same model as the other stores.... separate liquor section. Big. Lots of good beer. Local well represented. BYO section is 2x 4 foot sections. Tiered pricing (5.99 - 1.99 and everything in between) as with all the locations. 12% off if you get 6. Worth a stop for any ticker.“

Drake 784 days ago

“Been here twice. Big place, but comfortable. Gonna be badass when its warm enough to open up the garage doors, which, since they opened in November, they haven't been able to yet. I went once on 11/11, their opening date. Back today and got a chance to try their house beers. Two available. Both drinkable, pleasant, but not great. 20 taps, and their business model is to not have 20 of their own on tap, but to always have mostly guest taps. They've clearly moved some mass quantities of beer through here, because I'm seeing some rarer stuff come on. Tried the pizza and it was very very nice. Overall, nice stop as of now. They have a ton of potential in a few different directions. Will be nice to see how they do. Service was good both times. I saw both owners busting their ass to serve customers, which is always a good sign. I'll be back a lot. As of now, not worth going out of your way, but, they have the potential to be a world class stop. We shall see.“

Drake 852 days ago

“Finally stopped by after driving by it for years. (I can say I've lived here for years, cool....). Fancy, bougey restaurant, but not stuffy or pretentious. Nice looking menu. Inventive, but sadly the execution wasn't great. Tuna tartare looked amazing but was so heavily smoked I couldn't eat it. Charcuterie was OK, not great. 20ish beers on tap. Lots of local and regional. Nothing rare, but the beer I had was plenty fresh and served at an appropriate temp. Service was friendly but otherwise meh. It's a shopping center so parking is fine. Prices decent. Not worth going out of your way, but I'll probably be back.“

Drake 1105 days ago

“Near my office. Stopped by a couple weeks ago but left before trying anything because of a loud and insufferable asshole at the bar. In the defense of the place the bar staff was trying to get him to shut up. Went back today... absolutely mobbed for Valentine's Day. Good service but a little lacking because they did not have the staff for the crowd. Nice tap list with rarities (uncommon Epic Baptist variants at my visit). Lots of bottles and cans. Nice looking menu and my potstickers were okay, not great. Flight was amply sized for $15 for 5 and they did not balk at giving me the most expensive beers. Food is a bit pricy but not bad. Large parking lot but it fills up. Overall recommended and quite near Stone Cellar so it's a good 1-2. I'll be back.“

Drake 1540 days ago

“Was eager to visit this place as I understand nice people own this place and they recently had a bit of a disaster when the roof caved in after a bad summer storm. They re-opened a few days ago. About 80% dive bar and 20% sports bar. Wood, tired (in a good way), lots of TVs. Looks like crap outside but inside it is very comfortable. I was almost the youngest person in the place. Big bar, lots of tables, big place. Decked out with Halloween decorations and all the staff were wearing costumes. Halloween party tonight apparently. Good tap list. Nothing rare but plenty of good micros. A couple new beers for me. Good selection of locals.24 taps had about 4 macros and the rest was solid. Good bar food. Garlic curds were tasty enough. Good prices. Good customer service at the bar (bartender was named Corinne, I think). Plenty of parking. Nice place. I'll be back.“

Drake 1652 days ago

“I stopped by their old location. Didn't add it then because I learned they were about to move. Visited the new place today and sadly they are just as weird. New. Nice place, old industrial warehouse building. Dark but feels open. Still kinda under construction so I'll forgive the mess. They have a weird thing where they don't price the beers. They have prices but you have to ask. They price the wine and liquor because they are required to, but apparently that is not a requirement for beer so they don't price the beer. That's fucking stupid. I'd have bought more than a $1.00 clearance beer one time in three trips but I can't reasonably be bothered to ask the price of literally every single thing. Beer selection is good and a little unusual for the area. Focus is on higher end stuff. Lots of 16 ounce cans, Mikkeller singles. stuff like that. Unlike my first visit where I could have basically cleaned out the place because NO ONE was in the clearly open store, customer service was good this time. Easy parking. Came in feeling skeptical and they did little to change that. Looks like they'll be installing some beer taps soon. Worth a stop as you're near Stone Cellar and Houdini's Escape, but otherwise wouldn't be worth a stop.“

Drake 1652 days ago

“Cool place. I'll be back. Smaller than I expected. Imagine a butcher shop and liquor store mashed together. Disorganized place but good selection. Some stuff not seen elsewhere. A decent amount of singles, but nothing too unusual. A place for less common stuff, but not very many rarities, if any. Smallish parking spot and customer service was meh. Prices are high for the area.“

Drake 1714 days ago

“Randomly came upon this place while exploring. Seems like an older location. Similar tiered price BYO section as the other stores, but maybe a touch smaller than other locations. I did not end up being able to build a sixer of new ticks. No service in the aisles but cashier was friendly. Prices decent. Overall meh.“

Drake 1785 days ago

“New rating 10/26/22. The only downside to this place is its across the street from the police department. But they were here first. Oldest bar in Appleton. Dates back to 1870, when Wisconsin was barely old enough to drink at 22, and what would become Appleton was just a year older. It does have a tired ambiance, but it is classic Wisconsin. Wood paneling, long bar with a few tables, comfy back room, large outdoor area out back. Bartender Micah is awesome, but, I guess I'm biased as I'm friends with his parents. All the staff has been good, and the owners are awesome beer geeks. Ten taps usually have a couple of more approachable beers (right now Spotted Cow and 'Gansett). The rest is craft. There's also a large cooler full of craft beer. Free popcorn and they have pizzas (I haven't tried yet). An absolute must if you're touring downtown Appleton. A block from McFleshman's and Appleton Beer Factory and basically across the street from the soon to come distillery. True gem in Appleton.

Original rating 6/7/2019. 3/8/12/14. Had to stop by as it's about half a block from the courthouse where I work most of my time. 10 beers on tap. Spotted Cow and Konig Pils were the most "macro" of the beers available. Small but well curated selection. Also a large cooler of singles with some interesting things. Tried two beers (both Wisconsin beers (Fifth Ward, 3 Sheeps) and both new to me). Both were served a good temp and it seems tap lines were clean. Bartender was also the beer buyer. Friendly, laid back, good service. Prices were reasonable overall and I hit a happy hour (~430 PM on a Friday). A 16 ounce and a 10 ounce beer cost me $10 including tax and tip. Not bad. Ambiance is wood paneling, long bar, tap handles lining the wall. Low key and a bit divey. Comfortable. Full of regulars and at 36 I may have been the youngest person in the place. I didn't wander around in the back but I think there's a lot more to this place. Patio in the back. Looks like some light snacks (chips and jerky). Overall not really a place for tickers but a nice laid back place to spend some time. Enjoyed my visit and I'll be back for sure.“

Drake 1792 days ago

“Almost across the street from MKE Burger so I stopped in. Typical World Market selection which means slightly stale local and international beers. Smallish BYO section with a couple new ticks but nothing that inspired me. A few interesting looking and affordable sakes will probably bring me back when I'm more settled in town. No interaction with staff. 950th place rating!“

Drake 1800 days ago

“Near the mall. Tiny strip mall but parking was sufficient. Service was sparse but the one bartender was working extremely hard and was providing friendly service. Kudos to her. Kitchen was extremely slow as well. Seemed like they were seriously understaffed. Place was pretty busy at 3:30 on a Monday. Sports bar vibe... lots of TVs. Lots of people off for Memorial Day. Large tap list with less common beers and rarities. The flight is the game here. $10 gets four 5 ounce pours and they don't bat an eye of you include high priced fours. And that $10 is $7 on Mondays. Nice list of apps for $5 during happy hour (I think that's weekdays 3-7pm). Menu seems reasonably priced otherwise. Decent beer prices. Boneless wings were served very hot, cooked well, and tasty. Overall nice stop, and I will be a regular.“

Drake 1804 days ago

“I LOVE the ambience here. Two parts to this place but its one place so I'll be merging the brewery and the place entries. Taproom was closed when I arrived but the brewpub was busy. Downstairs, dark, stone walls. Nice cozy bar, kinda like Cheers but cozier. This is basically my dream basement bar. Bartender was efficient but a bit surly. Core beers on tap with five specialty beers. Pre-set flights but you can choose your own a la carte. One of the beers I tried was simply bizarre (smelled like green olives) but the other four were solid. Bottles to go. Prices very good... a cheap appetizer, five samples, a six-pack of singles, tax and tip for less than $25. Food was tasty. Menu looks good if a touch pricy. Very nice stop and I plan to return frequently.“

Drake 1804 days ago

“I suspect this will become my favorite Appleton brewery. Smallish place. Kinda like an old saloon. Tables, standing-only bar, a couple couches, a little gallery. Bartender Mike was very friendly, provided great conversation, not to mention some samples he thought I might like. Saw no sign of food. Beer is focused on German and English styles, but they do play around with other stuff. Three casks when I was there and a fourth hand pull was visible. I tried all three cask beers (ESB, IPA, Porter) and all three were very good. Two small tastes of a helles and a sour were also very good. Prices are good ($3 per 4 ounce snifter and that includes tip). Uber here as this place is close to two other breweries and several bars. Overall recommended stop. I will be a regular. Helps that its walking distance to my apartment! Update... super dog friendly. Always a plus in my book. Dogs are in here all the time. I never much liked chihuahuas until this place showed me their true potential. A regular brings his chihuahua who always hangs out the bar. It's awesome. Old score 84. Going up. Update 8/22/22: So yeah, this did in fact become my favorite brewery, and I'm here roughly four days a week (and they're only open 6). Member of the pub club. Part of the gang of regulars, including Grace, Reggie, Gracie, Bo, Buddy. And those are all the canine regulars! Great humans too. Living wage. Owners have the right ethos. Staff are great. Beer quality remains good always. No weird or cutting edge beers here, which is the point. Everything here is well made and are classic styles. The three cask beers I mentioned earlier in the review are still on cask today, three years later. Snacks available (chips, popcorn) and food trucks a couple days a week. Worth going out of your way for (but, to be fair, I am biased).“

Drake 1822 days ago

“Excited to try this place as it's right outside what will be my office starting later this month and I've been told it's the regular after work hangout. One check of Untapppd and I see our regular hangout has an excellent tap list. Woot! Downtown feel. Narrow, long, entrances at both ends. Long bar and some small tables. Bartender was the only one working in the front and was both friendly and helpful. A positive note is that some wings--a new item--went to another customer cold in the center. They did not just warm them up, they cheerfully made him a new full sized batch which were heated properly. Speaking of food, I had a burger which was OK, and will be sufficient for after-work meals. Could have used more seasoning. 16 beers on tap and lots of of bottles / cans. A macro beer here and there but mostly craft and it seems like they get less common stuff. I had a couple Deschutes beers I had never seen before. One minor quibble is that while the beer list appears on screens and is highly visible, there are no prices posted. Prices on food is decent. Flight, burger, tax, and tip was about $18. Overall a recommended stop if you're downtown.“

Drake 1822 days ago

“No longer called Fratellos, it remains a mall brewpub. Feels tight but actually pretty large. Large and ample number of windows makes the place feel bright, but it would be even better if some of those windows were able to be opened in nice weather. Service was friendly but kinda poor and inattentive. Food was underseasoned but otherwise solid. Food a tad price, beer well priced. It's good the beer is cheap cause it sucks. No major off flavors but poorly executed across the board. Shocking even for a bad brewery when one of the worst beers is a stout. Much better beer in Appleton, avoid this place.“

Drake 1834 days ago

“Visited late February, 2019 with some friends after a tour of sorts. Neat place. Not exactly a brewpub - I don't think they brew on location or anything. Don't go into this thinking it's a brewpub or a bar. It's definitely a restaurant. A fairly nice one at that. We went for lunch and the bar side didn't seem open - I think there was a bar side? Anyway, sort of a nice place, great view of the locks and dams outside. Multi-level place, loads of seating, bright, clean, nice. Our server was super prompt and friendly and able to speak basically about the Fox River beers on tap. Food was great, if a little pricey. Overall, I really enjoyed the place, but don't think of it as a brewpub/brewery. It's definitely a restaurant and I found it to be a pretty good one at that.“

drowland 1856 days ago

“Best selection of taps in the Fox Valley. Friendly service and amazing food!“

alvin_maker 1985 days ago

“I stopped in around 2:30 on a Wednesday. No one was there, no one came in the whole time I was there ether. The beers were all bad, not going to finish it bad. Really, what a waste.“

nuplastikk 2402 days ago

“Another cool spot on the drive to GB. Large building which houses the production brewery, taproom and the brewpub in the basement. Tap room and brewpub have separate listings here, so rate’em both! Unfortunately only the brewpub was open on my visit. Quite a large lot in back means plenty of parking options

All indications are that the food was good, but I did not try it. Service, on the other hand was prompt and friendly. We are in the midwest, after all. They had a dozen or so beers on tap, including for "specialty" beers. Pretty good ranges of styles represented. Flights available, I asked for the "small" fight which was six pre-selected beverages (one is the house root beer), although the bartender said it was ok to swap one or two out if I wanted. There was also a large flight which I am guessing is everything. Unfortunately once again everything was great other than the reason for the visit - the beer. In this case all but one were pretty bad. The nugget hopped IPL was at least tolerable, but not enough to redeem the experience. Too bad.“

bytemesis 2475 days ago

“Nice little brewpub in an Austrian style with a fairly decent tap list from the brewery. Nothing exceptional and not worth a detour but nice enough.“

Ktwse 2586 days ago

“Feels like your average small town liquor store, but actually has a quite decent selection. Lots of local beer (WI, IL, MI), plenty of singles and 20% discount for a full 6-pack. Good place to pick up New Glarus’ better stuff.“

Ktwse 2586 days ago

“Like the other Woodmans, just a gargantuan grocery store. Separate room for liquor, beer surrounding the outer walls. Plenty of singles, including locals. Nothing rare, but a solid selection. Decent prices. Decent place to stock up on ticks. Gotta downgrade this place a tad bit. Old score 4/5/11/12/64. Still my regular go-to, but they've remodeled and in doing so the BYO single section has gotten smaller. And also, I think that ambiance score is a little unreasonably high.“

Drake 2603 days ago

“Large place. Kinda empty at 8pm on a Saturday night. Large bar, a bunch of tables. Did not try the food. Bartenders were friendly, but too passive. 6 house beers on offer. All of them OK, you’ll certainly find a few options if you’re meeting friends here, but they were kind of flat and unimaginative. And nothing but the nitro beers could hold a head, oddly. Flight of six ended up being $10. Very close to Old Bavarian, so stop by, but otherwise not worth going out of your way for. I guess I just expected more from a place open for 5+ years. EDIT: I'm a local now and I've been back several times. Beers have much improved since my first visit in 2017. Plenty of experimental and limited options now. I'm not sure I've ever eaten here but I've heard good things about the food. Service is still kinda mediocre. With Mcfleshman's nearly next door, recommended stop.Old score was 68. It will probably go up but not definite.“

Drake 2604 days ago

“Large bottle shop. The beer selection seems haphazard and poorly organized, but there is actually a decent selection with some less common things. I easily filled a six pack. Good selection of Green Bay beers which I was looking for as I will not be able to get there this trip. Prices are a bit high, but the 20% discount for getting six helps. My mixed six pack was just over $14. Not horrible. No assistance available in the beer section, but friendly cashier. Across the street from OB’s Brau Haus, so worth a stop.

Stopped here a few times now that I'm an Appleton resident. Original rating 3/18/17. The old review still mostly applies. But I'm downgrading the score for a couple reasons. First, the BYO six pack sections gives you a 20% discount if you get six, but they quite obviously jack up the prices on the singles by about the same amount. Fuck your shady business practices. Also, the staff is normally friendly, sometimes surly, and usually incompetent. It's an old school place with a good selection, but otherwise pretty meh. If this weren't near my office and my regular hangout (McFleshmans) I'd probably never come here. Old score was 64.“

Drake 2604 days ago

“Now located downtown, the old hotel location near 41 is closed. Modern decor, a couple separate rooms. I understand this place becomes a club after 10. I got there around 7 on a Saturday. Steady business but not busy. Staff was exceptionally friendly. I tried my favorite German dish... jagerschnitzel... and it lacked a bit in seasoning but was otherwise quite good. 8 beers on offer with one seasonal. Beers generally of good quality with the helles and pilsner being very nice. Prices a bit high but not unreasonably Recommended, especially with a decent bottle shop and another brewery steps away.“

Drake 2604 days ago

“A cool brewpub in the cellar of a large building. A bit dark but overall a cool feel. Service was good and the bartender was happy to talk beer. 10 beers on tap for my visit with samplers available. Food was pretty solid and prices were good too. A nice brewpub overall.“

deyholla 3127 days ago

“Above average tap list with good number of taps. Food can be great depending on the burger.“

arkurzynski 3204 days ago

“Meat and liquor. Harder to find stuff for the area, but a completely disorganized mess. Friendly staff. A bit pricey.“

arkurzynski 3204 days ago

“My favorite bar in the Valley. Taps change very often, as do cooler selections. You won’t find the typical "domestics" on tap here. Staff is knowlegable, they try to keep up with the selection changes. Food choices include beef jerky, free popcorn and, oh yeah, Skee-Ball for a quarter. You can probably see I keep going back.“

mancub920 3272 days ago

“Very bar feel. Very good taps, with harder to find beers. Very big bottle selection. Excellent bar food.“

arkurzynski 3419 days ago

“Normal taps from them plus some bottles. Never really cared for the mall atmosphere, but food is good and on par with Oshkosh location.“

arkurzynski 3429 days ago

“Selection is not the greatest but better than other grocery stores. Some good sales.“

arkurzynski 3429 days ago

“The wife & I went on a Friday evening around 7 pm. It was quite busy but we were seated immediately. Staff was friendly. The place was very noisy with not sound absorption. Probably part of ambience they want to create. Food was very good - we had calamari ’tizer and crab cakes and steak sandwich entrees. Beer was good (had a blonde and amber) but not outstanding. Overall, a very good experience and we were pleasantly surprised at the food quality. Service was a bit slow, but the quality allowed us to overlook that.“

dekester1 3686 days ago

“Nice little brewpub/restaurant feel. Well decorated, nice finishes. Came for a couple of growler fills on the way out of town. Weekday lunch time, place was dead. Bartender(s) very friendly, but took forever to fill growlers. Left a decent portion of headspace to boot....Beers were so-so. Would give another try, but not expecting much. Based on the previous review, would like to try food.“

arkurzynski 3724 days ago

“relatively crowded on a wednesday evening. very well decorated room, super clean space. tried a variety of foods: pickled egg (EXCELLENT to see this old standby brought back into the fold though the hop addition did not make itself known), pretzel bites (silly, the sauces made it even more frivolous), cheese curds (lightly fried, very nice), mac and cheese sandwich (outstanding, not as simple as it seems). attentive servers, variety of beers available and reasonable prices. i hope they continue to do so well!“

satan165 3740 days ago

“It was much bigger than I expected and there was a nice selection. The singles section was a decent size, but the prices were a tad high, so best to go with 6 to get the 20% off. Worth a stop if you are in the area.“

HarvesterOfSorrow 3797 days ago

“Ate here the night before and after a job interview. Of course the second night I drank each beer they brewed. Abbey Normal Ale was delicious. Food was decent, staff were outgoing Wisconsonites with the funny accent.“

tympanic 3975 days ago

“The ambiance is non existent as its a ghetto grocery store. The service is horrible as the people at the counter are not helpful and down right nasty at times. But the Selection rocks, the values are amazing, and you can find some rare beers that you may not find elsewhere. Good state selection, good domestic selection, and recently expanded.“

HopScripts 4042 days ago

“Good bar, food is average. But the beer selection is amazing in bottles. Their tap selection rotates somewhat often and the bartendars are solid as well.“

HopScripts 4050 days ago

“Stopped in today while in town for work. I will be repeating what most earlier ratings have said, but great ambiance here and service was very friendly. The visit started off great with seeing a t-shirt for sale that said "Beer the reason I get up every afternoon". The beer was okay and the food was very good, much better than expected from a brewpub. They had SN Celebration as a guest tap which was cool. Finally, $10 for 10 beer samples and a root beer is a steal.“

HarvesterOfSorrow 4065 days ago

“Neat atmosphere.“

garygranger 4092 days ago

“Really cool building, pretty solid food, but pretty sub par beer. Still the spot to stop at in Appleton, and has a few seasonals to tick. You can buy their bottled beer to go here, which is nice to cool for a quick stop through. The food is good and claims to be all local, yet they have some plaque courtesy of Sysco on the wall. My elk steak was actually an elk burger, but the food was still overall good and interesting.“

nuplastikk 4119 days ago

“Stopped here on a Sunday afternoon passing through town. As a former brewery over a hundred years old this is the perfect setting for a modern brewpub. Sampled a perfect kolsch, malty and delicious octoberfest and pumpkin spice. They offer growlers and pick a six of their beers pre bottled as well. They also sell a dazzling array of glassware and produce two beer mustards of their own for sale! The food is chef quality and far above the bar for brewpub grub. Cheese curds were unique and delicious above any I've tried in at least ten other places! All food is locally sourced and the menu options are staggering. I also met the marketing director who deserves kudos for the success of this brewpub and expansion of tap sales. He was knowledgeable of marketing and what makes beer good. I wholeheartedly support this establishment and wish them all the best in future endeavors!“

RIXBREW 4206 days ago

“Been in business throgh 2 generations that I have patronized. Excellant selection of beers, wines and liquors at a reasonable price.“

glheinz 4206 days ago

“A nice place located in downtown Appleton that carries a lot of craft beer in bottles and tap. The food is a bit on the expensive side for the "bar style".“

whitebear 4402 days ago

“Not one of the better Woodman’s I’ve been to. A bit disorganized and some fairly bad turnover. Smaller and older than other locations.“

arkurzynski 4537 days ago