
March 10, 2023
RIPON – After sitting vacant for 15 years, the former American House in Ripon is finally being resurrected.
The former assisted-living facility, located at 230 Watson St. in downtown Ripon, will soon be the new home of Knuth Brewing Company Brewpub & Event Center.
Knuth Brewing – which has been owned and operated by David and Marie Knuth since 2015 – will relocate its operations across the street to the former American House location when renovations are completed.
“Renovation is currently ongoing,” David Knuth said. “We don’t have a hard opening date, but we’re expecting this summer. We’ll lease out the current site (221 Watson St.) to interested parties when the redevelopment is finished. Initially, we thought we’d keep the restaurant at the current location and move the brewery across the street, but it makes more sense to keep everything in one place.”
Knuth said he knows the brewery is “only a piece of the puzzle” in the revitalization of downtown Ripon.
“The downtown has changed in the last several years,” he said. “There are no open storefronts, and it’s become a destination where people come for the day. There’s our brewery/restaurant but then there are a few other great restaurants and lots of boutique shopping. You can come here for a day or a weekend and not run out of things to do.”
Starting small
The 37-year-old Knuth said he started the brewery with the help of his father-in-law – like many other small breweries do – with a homebrew kit.
“My father-in-law bought me a kit for my bachelor party, and I fell in love with it,” he said. This April, it will be eight years in operation. It’s still a smaller brewery, but we’ve grown quite a bit and have been operating at max capacity for the last few years – (which has made it) hard to always fill orders for our bars, restaurants and grocery stores. (So, the expansion) is a good opportunity for our team.”
Renovating an eye-sore
Knuth said he and his wife began looking at the former American House building in 2018.
“At that time, it was a massive project, so we shied away from it,” he said. “The building was in terrible condition. We ended up buying another building right next to our current location and opened the wall – that worked out great for a long time.”
Echoing Knuth’s point, Ripon City Administrator Adam Sonntag said the historic building “was an eyesore and could have easily been torn down.”
After the renovation is completed, the brewery will have outdoor seating and an event center on the second floor for weddings and special events. Submitted Rendering
“That’s where we were at,” he said. “There were very big issues from a blight and condition standpoint – the building was dilapidated and had a lot of issues of vandalism and whatnot over time. It wasn’t in great shape at all, but it was still standing. As our downtown has rebounded, it has been revived and has become an important and proud piece of our community – with entrepreneurs, businesses and growth.”
With the exception, Sonntag said, for the “one giant ugly building.”
“It had a leaky roof, asbestos issues and mold growth,” he said.
Sonntag said several options had been brought forward to the city council in recent years for the building.
“Obviously, tearing it down was an option,” he said. “There had also been talk about putting a parking lot there, redeveloping it, etc. It’s a historic building and has character, so the goal was always to try and save it – but it was getting to that point.”
Enter Graystone Ventures LLC and Pollesch Construction.
“In July 2021, a group of developers were sold the property for $1,” Sonntag said. “They were going to turn it into one- and two-bedroom condos, but during the process, it became apparent it would be financially undoable – the cost of everything exploded, so the project was canceled.”
Sonntag said prices increased by about 50%.
“That’s not the market we have here in Ripon,” he said. “The condo option was a great idea, but it simply happened at the wrong time.”
It wasn’t, however, all a lost cause.
David Knuth
Sonntag said developers did a great job working on the building before pulling the plug on the condo project.
“They got the building structurally sound and got it to a point where we could do something with it and create a vision,” he said. “Before the condo plan, I’d say the most viable option was to simply tear down the building.”
After the condo option dissipated, Knuth said he heard from the developers again.
“I brushed it off again,” he said. “It’s like 18,000 square feet of space, and I thought it was more than we needed. We said, ‘Lord, if you want this to happen, let it happen. If you don’t want it to, don’t let it happen.’”
In this instance, Knuth said it wouldn’t go away.
“Every time there was an obstacle, we figured it out and kept going forward,” he said. “At that point, we took the leap, and here we are.”
As part of the renovations, Knuth said they plan to highlight some of the architectural features of the building.
“There are some great exposed rocks, the foundation breaks and the old-time rafters,” he said. “When you walk in there, you’re going to see that old-time architecture – it’s going to be neat.”
In addition to the brewery/restaurant, Knuth said the second floor of the building will be renovated to host special events.
“We can host weddings or corporate events,” he said. “We can probably seat close to 350 people up there.”
Good for Ripon
Knuth – a Ripon College graduate – said the move to the 230 Watson St. location cements the brewery’s continued presence in downtown Ripon.
“(We have) no plans to move operations anywhere else,” he said. “This is certainly going to keep us in downtown Ripon for a long time – for the foreseeable future. We never want to leave – this is our home, so I’d like to say this is our last step.”
Sonntag said the move by Knuth Brewing is a “fantastic plan for downtown Ripon.”
“The whole project elevates the downtown area,” he said. “Additionally, the community is missing an event space, so that’s great as well.”
From the standpoint of the brewery’s operation and growth, Sonntag said it provides ample room for Knuth to expand his production.
“Moving across the street and vacating his current space will also open prime downtown space for someone else,” he said.
Sonntag said the City of Ripon is also applying for a grant to help with the project.
“We have an agreement to offer him a financial incentive of $100,000 to help with the project cost over time,” he said.
Sonntag said Knuth Brewing Company has become a “tremendous anchor” in downtown Ripon.
“You can’t ask for a better entrepreneur or a better community-minded person to support,” he said. “That’s part of what I’m excited about – this is a local entrepreneur taking the next step, and we are here to support that. The community is also here to support that, and that’s why I think it will be a successful venture.”
Beer/food offerings
Besides operations in downtown Ripon, Knuth said the brewery has increased its beer distribution to more than 100 bars, restaurants and retail stores in the Fox Valley and surrounding areas – which the expansion will continue to support.
When it comes to beer, Knuth said he “likes to keep it simple.”
“Our portfolio has probably a dozen or so beers,” he said. “We don’t have all those year-round. I’m more of a traditionalist – I like the old German-style beers or the easy-drinking ones.”
Knuth Brewing Company owner David Knuth said the brewery specializes in wood-fired pizzas. Photo Courtesy of Knuth Brewing Company
Knuth said there is a funny story behind the brewery’s best-selling beer – the Blue Eyed Blonde.
“The Blue Eyed Blonde was the first recipe I ever came up with,” he said. “I always joke about it with my wife. I told her if she let me open a brewery, I’d name the first beer after her.”
In addition to beer, the brewery also has food options.
“We specialize in woodfired pizzas, wings, we bake our (own) bread and have nice big salads,” Knuth said. “We don’t deep fry anything – most everything is cooked in the woodfired oven.”
Knuth Brewing’s current hours of operation are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
The brewery is closed Sunday and Monday.
For more information, visit knuthbrewingcompany.com or follow them on Facebook/Instagram.