Feeding customers in a relaxed setting for 90 years
The Craftsman: A culinary tribute to trades workers
February 9, 2026
ASHWAUBENON – A new kind of gathering place recently opened in the heart of Green Bay’s Sports & Entertainment District.
Majority Owner April Smith said District Pour Haus brings together the best of technology in its delivery system, kitchen and guest experience.
Officially opening Jan. 26, Smith said District Pour Haus is a 3,400-square-foot, high-end self-pour taproom inside The Common Place – a five-story mixed-use development on Mike McCarthy Way in Ashwaubenon, just blocks from Lambeau Field and Titletown.
With 48 self-serve taps featuring beer, wine and cider, Smith said District Pour Haus is the first venue in the Greater Green Bay Area to offer a fully self-pour experience across all beverages, a concept designed as much for connection as it is for convenience.
“We didn’t just want to open another bar,” she said. “We built a place that feels like home, somewhere people can connect, linger and talk. We wanted to offer a place where you can access any beverage and manage how much you pour. That’s the experience we’re driving toward.”
Five years in the making
Smith said the self-pour entertainment venue concept behind the business has been in development for nearly five years, originating with her and her husband and co-owner, Tyler.
His background in technology and infrastructure, she said, drew him to the operational and experiential possibilities of self-pour systems.
“He was fascinated by the technology – no lines, no waiting,” she said.
Smith said they vetted locations throughout the region before landing in Ashwaubenon, drawn by the momentum around the Stadium District and the opportunity to design the space from the ground up in partnership with Merge Urban Development Group.
“Everything aligned once we found this space,” she said.
Designed for discovery
At the heart of District Pour Haus, Smith said, is a wall of 48 taps powered by PourMyBeer’s technology.
Guests, she said, open a tab, receive a pour card and pay by the ounce, encouraging them to try new options.
Smith said the tap lineup emphasizes regional partnerships and variety, with 32 of the 48 taps featuring beer from Wisconsin breweries, such as Stubborn Brothers in Shawano to Stone Arch in Appleton, and spanning styles from IPAs and ambers to sours, stouts, lagers, wheats and non-alcoholic and gluten-free options.
The remaining taps, she said, are dedicated to wine, cider and a nitro offering, all of which are sourced through local distributors.
One standout, Smith said, is a domestic beer that’s a family favorite – one she jokes she’ll only serve in red Solo cups.
“We wanted the wall itself to be a conversation starter,” she said. “The pour area is intentionally designed so people linger, talk about flavors, ask questions and meet each other.”
Twenty-four screens above the taps, Smith said, allow guests to dive into details about each offering before they choose.
Elevated but approachable
Though located near some of Green Bay’s most established game-day destinations, Smith said District Pour Haus is positioning itself as a more refined, experience-driven venue that complements, rather than competes with, its neighbors.
“We’re aiming for a higher-end feel,” she said.
That philosophy, Smith said, extends to the menu.
The full-service kitchen, she said, features a focused, intentionally small menu built around its Alto-Shaam ovens, eliminating the need for deep fryers and flat grills in favor of a safer, more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly operation.
Smith said signature offerings include Pinsa-style flatbread pizzas (one featuring Pelkin’s brats), Pelkin’s brats themselves, wings, soups, salmon and walleye.
Gluten-free choices, she said, are also available throughout the menu.
“We want to be dialed in,” she said. “Every item has been tested in our kitchen so it’s done right, every time.”
Smith said she emphasizes that though the menu is streamlined, it will fluctuate and be finessed as guests share feedback.
However, she said, no matter what, it won’t be a multi-page menu.
“It’s a short menu because [huge ones] are not very efficient,” she said. “We will keep it relatively small but with enough options to satisfy most everybody.”
Smith said District Pour Haus is a family operation with her and Tyler owning it alongside investor and partner Les Kohl, her brother-in-law.
Their son, Connor, she said, serves as assistant manager, bringing additional hospitality experience to the operation.
Smith said though she, Tyler, Kohl and Connor currently share day-to-day operation responsibilities, she is transitioning into the business full-time following her retirement as a risk advisor.
She said for her, it’s about giving the entrepreneurial endeavor 100% of her time and energy.
“When I commit to something, I’m all in,” she said. “I’m not built to do things halfway.”
Though business ownership is new to them, Smith said the hospitality industry is not.
All four of them, she said, have done stints (or more) in the field.
Smith said she worked at a supper club for about five years during her teens and early 20s, while Tyler worked in a bar for several years when he first arrived in the Green Bay area in 2001.
Smith said their son left a role with a bar and restaurant near the family’s home to join the family business.
She said the taproom also employs a head chef and seven front-of-house staff members who act as guides – called “wall ambassadors” – and servers, as there are no traditional bartenders with the way the taproom is set up.
Smith said they are available to help customers choose from the various drinks available.
“This [setup] allows us to really focus on providing an additional level of customer service,” she said.
In addition to food and drink, Smith said District Pour Haus features live music and flexible lounge seating, transforming the venue into an entertainment space as needed.
Music, she said, holds personal significance for her family, with both Tyler and Connor playing guitar.
“Having live music here feels full circle,” she said. “It’s another way we bring people together.”
As the business stretches its operational legs, the owners said they are committed to listening, adapting and growing with feedback from guests.
“We’re building this alongside the community,” Smith said. “We want it to evolve with the people who walk through our doors.”
Head to District Pour Haus’ Facebook page for more details.
