Appleton Beer Factory
603 W. College AvenueMy favorite part of work trips is getting out for meals in a city I otherwise likely wouldn’t visit.
A colleague and I were in northern Wisconsin last week for a job assignment in Green Bay. By the time we started looking to book hotels, there wasn’t much in Green Bay proper. I’d rather drive a little further and stay in a Hilton or Marriott than be close in some dive. I switched my focus to Appleton which is about a half hour away. I found a great Hilton in downtown Appleton and the price was right so I booked two nights.
We got to Green Bay late afternoon on Saturday. We checked in to our hotel in Appleton then had to run in to Green Bay for a quick assignment before our big job on Sunday. We did what we needed to do then headed back to the hotel.
Co-Worker had some things to do when we got back but we wanted to go to dinner before calling it a night. He finished up his work then we met in the lobby of the hotel with plans to walk somewhere for dinner.
Downtown Appleton has quite a few options but there’s a brewery not far from the hotel. He’s not a big craft beer guy but the food looked good so he was on board.
Appleton Beer Factory is on College Avenue near South State Street in downtown Appleton. The restaurant/brewery takes up a pretty large building just to the east of WI-47 in a pretty active downtown restaurant/pub scene. We walked from our hotel so parking wasn’t an issue for us but it looks like most of the parking options downtown are street parking
We walked in around 8:00 on a Saturday night. There weren’t a ton of people in the restuarant but there were several sitting around the pub tables in the bar area enjoying a beer.
The restaurant has several different seating options starting with that bar area and pub tables. The bar is the focal point of the main room when you walk in the door. The big horseshoe shaped bar is accented with LED lights and a wall of glassware along the back.
There is also a more traditional dining room off to one side which was closed when we were there because there was no need for it to be open.
We took a seat at one of the pub tables when we walked in. The menus were a QR code on the table but the bartender leaned over the bar and asked if we needed paper menus. We said no and assumed we were supposed to order at the bar. There is an area near the back of the bar leading to another room with an “order here” sign. I walked up there and got in line but the bartender said the tables we were at were waitress service and she’d be over as soon as she was done with the guys in front of me in line.
We both started with a beer. My first pick was the Session IPA called Yelling Guy. This beer went down pretty easily. We had a long day of driving and I was ready for a beer when we sat down. It didn’t last long.
Before our food came, I was ready for a second. The next pick was Juicy McJuiceface. This one’s a New England IPA. Really juicy. Really hoppy. Just the way I like IPA’s. I nursed this one a little bit more so I’d have a drink with dinner but I could have drank this one in a couple of chugs too.
We’re in Wisconsin so we have to get cheese, right? Co-Worker ordered the cheese curds to share. These little fried bites of deliciousness are made with yellow cheddar from Two Rivers. The plate comes with choice of dipping sauce but cheese curds don’t need sauce. I only ate a couple of these since I didn’t order them but they were tasty. I could have eaten them all.
There were a lot of good sandwich options to choose from. My pick was the Hot & Smoky Burger. This sandwich is a 6 oz Angus beef patty topped with a hot cherry pepper relish, bacon, Wisconsin white cheddar, jalapenos and chipotle mayo on a Breadsmith bun. The sandwich was not as hot as I expected but still had that delicious peppery taste. There was a little bit of heat but nothing that will set your mouth on fire. The sandwich came with fries and they were the delicious greasy, golden brown, fresh cut fries that I love. This meal is a perfect example of what a burger and fries should be.
My bill for dinner was around $30 before tip.
Appleton Beer Factory was a great place for us to unwind after a long travel day. The beer was cold and tasty. The food was delicious. It was really nice to be able to just walk from our hotel too.
I don’t have many reasons to ever go to Appleton, WI but since we were there, I’m glad I found this place. Solid overall brewery.
SW Michigan Dining 