Ope! Brewing Pours First Beers at Appleton's Old Car Dealership Site

A former car dealership on Appleton's College Avenue has a new life as a sprawling beer garden. Ope! Brewing Co. gave its first pours at the 2.35-acre site this month, opening the Milwaukee-area brewery's second location in a spot between the mall and downtown that local officials hope will jump-start further development along the corridor.

The taproom broke ground in January and now spans five buildings, according to WTAQ, which reported that the site will eventually include sand volleyball courts, cornhole, pickleball, golf simulators, live music and even a separate dog-washing building. The Business News has described the same property, at 1932 W. College Ave., as a 23,000-square-foot complex across four buildings that once housed the Car City auto dealership, illustrating just how dramatically the space has been reimagined for its new purpose in The Business News' account. The taproom includes both indoor and outdoor drinking areas and will be open seven days a week, though hours remain limited for now — it's open all day both Saturday and Sunday this coming weekend, August 29 and 30, per the station's reporting.

From West Allis to the Fox Valley

Ope! Brewing Co. isn't new to the taproom-as-destination concept. The company operates its flagship location in West Allis, west of Milwaukee, where co-founders Adam Anders, Kyle Ciske and John Onopa opened a 10,000-plus-square-foot taproom and 15-barrel brewhouse in May 2022, according to OnMilwaukee. Getting there wasn't easy — FOX6 News Milwaukee reported that the co-owners were turned down by 35 commercial banks before a 36th institution agreed to finance the original project.

Kyle Ciske, the company's co-owner and head of brewing operations, said the Appleton taproom is meant to be more than a place to grab a pint. He described it as a community center beyond serving beer, according to WTAQ's report, with programming that already includes live music, league nights and trivia. The Badger Beer Report notes that the Appleton buildout, nicknamed Ope! North, is unfolding in phases through 2027 and will eventually add 24 tap lines, a pilot brewhouse for cider and experimental beers, and four pickleball courts, alongside a permanent food stall, as detailed by the Badger Beer Report.

Local Officials Bet on a Redevelopment Catalyst

Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson is among the local officials who see the taproom as a catalyst for attracting more business to the corridor, per WTAQ. Nelson said he's grateful Ope! is building ahead of a road project the county plans to undertake on the avenue in a few years, and he called mixed-use space key to the area's broader redevelopment.

That optimism ties into a larger, formal planning effort. Appleton, Outagamie County, Grand Chute and the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission partnered in 2024 and 2025 on the “A NEW Avenue” initiative, which aims to guide redevelopment along the 2.5-mile West College Avenue corridor, according to the Town of Grand Chute. Appleton's Common Council separately adopted a new comprehensive plan, Plan Appleton, in November 2025 that prioritizes walkable mixed-use centers and housing density along key commercial corridors, according to the City of Appleton. The site's future plans also call for hosting business events and weddings, adding another layer to the property's role as a gathering space.

Regulatory Hurdles Cleared, More to Come

Before pouring its first beer, Ope! had to clear a municipal checkpoint. The Appleton Common Council approved a Fixed Full Service Retail Outlet permit for the brewery at its August 5 meeting, contingent on fire and health department clearances, according to city records reviewed via Appleton's Legistar system. With that approval secured, the multi-phase buildout — including the pickleball courts, dog-washing building and permanent food stall — will continue rolling out through 2027, meaning ongoing construction and additional regulatory sign-offs are likely in the years ahead.

A Bigger Bet in a Shifting Industry

Ope!'s expansion arrives as the craft beer industry nationally leans harder into hospitality rather than pure production. National craft beer volume sales fell 3.9% in 2024, even as total craft industry employment grew 3.0% to 197,112 workers, a shift the Brewers Association attributes to breweries investing in taproom and brewpub experiences rather than wholesale distribution, according to the Brewers Association. Wisconsin has seen its own version of that trend: the state was home to 262 active beer-producing companies in 2025, more than double the 121 operating a decade earlier, even as some urban breweries closed amid market saturation, per the Badger Institute.

The brewery's quirky name fits into that broader branding strategy. Co-founder John Onopa has said “Ope!” was chosen as a tribute to the ubiquitous Midwestern expression of politeness and surprise, a phrase that gained pop-culture recognition through regional comedy skits, according to The Business News. It's the kind of homegrown touch Ope! has leaned on as it bets that beer, pickleball and a dog wash can turn a stretch of College Avenue — and a former car lot — into the Fox Valley's next gathering spot.