*This is the one-hundred and forty-ninth post in an on-going chronicle dubbed the Great Wisconsin Brewery Tour. Follow the journey here.*
McFleshman’s Brewing Co.
115 S State St
Appleton, WI 54911
(920) 903-8002
Visit date: 05/24/2019
Quick Hits:
1) How many different beers?
4 in cask, 8 on tap.
2) How long operational?
Established in 2017, opened in 2018.
3) Why? (here, this, etc)
Owners are instructors at Lawrence University with brewing degrees.
4) Distribution?
Bars around Wisconsin.
5) What sets you apart?
The motto: “respect the beer.” Also, patrons are not allowed to tip the staff.
6) How did you get your name?
Combination of owners’ last names (Bobby Fleshman & Allison McCoy).
McFleshman’s Brewing Co. in Appleton, WI. All photos by Joe Powell for The Squeaky Curd.
The newest addition to Appleton’s brewery scene feels like the oldest, perhaps on purpose. McFleshman’s Brewing Company took their century’s-old brick building, added a century’s-old back bar, lined the inside with old-growth Wisconsin oak, and then started serving classic English pub brews to an eager public.
It’s a family-affair running the show, though oddly they’re all from Oklahoma. The founding couple, a Ph.D.-holding astrophysicist and a chemistry professor by trades, brought their homebrewing past (and a Master’s in Brewing) up to Appleton thanks to a job at nearby Lawrence University. The rest of the family followed them north to open McF’s, and thank-the-beer-gods they did.
Ultime Thule Brut IPA
Fruit-forward, with hints of hops & tartness but with neither overwhelming the palate. Even-keeled.
Stone’s Throw Irish Red
Malty, rusty (in a good way), and a light nuttiness that invites you to drink it all day long.
(Untitled) “Abomination” Dunkleweizen w/ Cocoa & Caramel
Holy cookie beer. Straight up dessert in a glass.
MSB English Special Bitter (cask)
All in perfect balance. Light but flavorful. What a beer probably tasted like for centuries.
Tall Mast English IPA (cask)
Hops on the after-feel, but starts with subtle bread-y and toasty-ness.
White Horse English Porter (cask)
Porter as Porter can be. Period.
The Hildy Pilsner
Clean and crisp. “Nothing to hide, and nowhere to hide it.” True.
Mykk El-ahrairah pouring the perfect pint.
Our guide for the day was the endlessly-entertaining Mykk El-ahrairah, manning the 8 taps and 4(!) casks. Once simply a patron, Mykk’s insistence on getting a job at McFleshman’s is testament to just how good their beer is: converting drinkers to workers (and still drinkers).
The reason was simple, as Mykk told us, “It’s right in our logo: ‘Respect the Beer’.” And respect it they do, as McF’s has no classic “Shaker” pints; every beer is served in its correct glassware style.
Perhaps the only thing McFleshman’s respects more than the beer is their staff. They have signs posted explicitly stating “All McFleshman’s employees are paid a full, living wage – we don’t work for tips.” No bartender has to push for their pay: the beer does that on its own.
But more than anything, as Mykk said, “It’s a taphouse. Drink the beer here. Bring your kids; we have non-alcoholic options. Play games. Meet friends.” Their FAQ even encourages patrons to grab an instrument off the wall, just as the guy in the stained glass of their backbar did, and play for the crowd. This is a pub, after all.
