MKE-area brewery making its way ‘Ope! North’ this summer

Sue Grossardt

Contributor

April 6, 2026

APPLETON – Buddies since about the fourth grade, Kyle Ciske and John Onopa, owners of Ope! Brewing Co., said they opened the doors to their West Allis brewery in 2022.

Now, the entrepreneur pair said they’re expanding, with plans to open a second location in Appleton this June.

Onopa said the brewery’s name – Ope!, (ōp) – comes from the well-known Midwest expression.

“It’s an expression of surprise, dismay or just about anything,” he said. “It became more popular about eight years ago and was brought to light in a skit by comedian Charlie Berens, but it’s been around a very long time.”

Onopa said the idea of co-owning a business with Ciske began to take shape during their college years, rooted in their shared appreciation of beer. 

“Kyle was into brewing,” he said. “He was working professionally for a smaller brewery in Cedarburg called Silver Creek Brewing Company. We started collaborating on some homebrew recipes, and he [also] worked at a homebrew store, and he got a nice discount.”

Onopa said they pooled their money together and began brewing extensively, testing out a range of recipes.

Along the way, he said they found they were producing some pretty good beer – receiving plenty of positive, supportive feedback from friends and family.

“They were making comments similar to the ones you hear about families and new breweries,  ‘you know, you guys should open up a brewery,’” he said. “And we were silly enough to follow through.”

Idea to reality

Onopa said Ope! Brewing Co.’s business model was many years in the making. 

“We probably spent more than seven years [putting the concept together] when we finally decided, ‘let’s open a brewery,’” he said. “Then we started putting together a business plan and pursued the building search for our business.” 

Onopa said they considered several locations before ultimately choosing the 6751 West National Ave. location, putting in plenty of legwork along the way to explore their options. 

“There were a handful of other locations that didn’t end up working out for one reason or another,” he said. “We put together a floor plan along with a preliminary business plan, and tried to make things work and bring together financing.”

However, Onopa said the timing wasn’t quite right yet.

Though during that period, he said they continued to explore the craft by visiting breweries across the country, making stops in Chicago, St. Louis, New Orleans and the Twin Cities, as well as closer to home in Appleton and Green Bay over the course of about a decade.

“Anytime we were traveling, we’d stop and visit well-known breweries, and even some not-so-popular ones, just to see what the whole brewing scene was about,” he said. 

Onopa said they also observed trends within the brewery industry, including a growing emphasis on the taproom experience rather than distribution.

“We took lots of notes and put together our thoughts on what we thought would make a good, inviting space,” he said.

Initially, Onopa said he and Ciske had a couple of business partners, but nearly two years ago, they bought them out and now operate the business as equal partners.

Onopa said the opening of Ope! was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as construction was still underway at the time. 

With fewer contractors available, he said, construction costs rose significantly.

Onopa said they were fortunate to find a large property in West Allis that allowed them to incorporate outdoor features such as a patio, sand volleyball courts and cornhole.

The scale of the space worked in their favor in the midst of the pandemic as it offered plenty of room for guests to spread out.

“One of the many differentiators is our large outdoor space…,” he said. “Similarly, on the inside, we have a large taproom that can hold up to 300 people along with an 18-foot-by-18-foot stage, which is suitable for bands with up to six members.”

Perfect blend

Onopa said their early success also stems from how well their interests align.

His background in civil engineering, he said, provided a solid base in science and math, as well as experience managing turnkey construction projects and sourcing materials.

Onopa said Ciske complements that with formal brewing education and a strong grasp of how small changes can influence a beer’s final profile.

“We piloted many different recipes and then played around with some different yeast strains and different dry hops,” he said. “We try to come up with our own portfolio of beers.”

Onopa said he and Ciske divide responsibilities across the business.

Ciske, he said, leads brewing and production and also books live music, drawing on his background as a drummer.

Onopa said he manages the day-to-day operations, including human resources, marketing, outside sales and accounting.

Paying close attention to evolving industry trends, Onopa said they continuously adjust their approach to keep pace.

Seeing a slight decline in regular alcohol consumption, Onopa said they are responding by expanding their non-alcoholic beer offerings.

“We are also trying to provide programming that goes beyond the beverage offerings…,” he said. “There’s something for everybody. The music we book really does appeal to a wide audience as different crowds come in on different nights of the week.”

Like any business, Onopa said they face daily challenges, with one of the biggest being the need to continually innovate and keep customers engaged.

“We are always trying to make sure our customers, and any potential new customers, feel welcome – whether it’s the first time or 20th time they’re walking through the door,” he said.

Onopa said their merchandise plays an important role in marketing the business.

“We work hard to diversify our product offering,” he said. “We do a lot of merchandise sales, so we’re regularly trying to come up with some new designs to keep things fresh.”

That same philosophy, Onopa said, extends to their beer offerings.

“We’ve been around now for almost four years, and we probably put out 50 different beers,” he said. “Yet, we only have 20 on tap at any given time, so it’s hard to continue to come up with new stuff when you only have so many draft lines.”

Onopa said the distribution side of the business has also grown, with roughly a 75/25 split between brewery operations and retail distribution.

“We are partnered with a couple of distributors, including Beechwood Sales and Service and Triangle Distributing out of Green Bay – which extends out to seven counties around Green Bay,” he said. 

Onopa said he estimates Ope! Brewing products are available in more than 300 locations, including bars, restaurants, liquor stores and grocery stores.

The Ope! team, he said, grows during the summer months to include seven full-time and 15 part-time employees, with those numbers expected to rise significantly in June with the opening of Ope! North.

Ope! North

Located in the former Car City dealership at 1932 W. College Ave. – roughly six minutes from downtown Appleton – Onopa said Ope! North will offer the same open feeling as its West Allis counterpart.

“At Ope! North, customers [will] find many of the same things they love about our first brewery in that we’ve got plenty of space to spread out,” he said. 

Ope! North will span four buildings, Onopa said, and include two taprooms, two volleyball courts, four outdoor pickleball courts, a pilot brewhouse for developing new beers and equipment for cider production.

The dog-friendly brewery, he said, will also have a canine club dog wash and merchandise shop.

Onopa said he will serve as the point person for the new location, where he and his dog, Brewski – a Greater Swiss Mountain and Beauceron mix – will spend more than 60% of their time.

“They are actually building an apartment into one of the buildings for us,” he said.

The Appleton location, Onopa said, will be larger than the West Allis brewery, measuring 23,000 square feet on 2.5 acres, compared to 13,000 square feet on 1.5 acres in West Allis.

“We plan to roll out the opening of the Appleton location similarly to what we did in West Allis,” he said. “We intend to have a staged opening, where on day one, we’ll start with our main tap room, the patio and the parking lot.”

Onopa said there were clear signs the business was ready to expand to a second location.

After developing a conservative business plan with projected sales, he said they determined the concept was financially viable.

Onopa said the confidence built from their early success in West Allis played a key role in their decision to expand.

“Obviously, there are other breweries around here, and we realized that no matter where we go, there were going to be other breweries that put out good product as well,” he said.

Onopa said the industry has proven to be collaborative and supportive, something they’ve experienced firsthand through the positive reception from breweries in the Appleton market.

“They’ve been very friendly to us and want us to do their beer events,” he said.

Onopa said being an integral part of the community is important to them, noting they are well-connected in West Allis and plan to build those same ties in Appleton.

“There’s no shortage of organizations reaching out to partner with us,” he said. “We have collaborated with local rotary clubs, many dog rescue groups, the Multiple Sclerosis Association, along with several organizations that come in and use our facility for meat raffles or silent auctions… We try to partner as much as possible in an effort to be a good community member and neighbor.”

Onopa said their focus is on building mutually beneficial relationships within the community.

“We’re providing an outlet for people to get out, get away and enjoy something a little bit different,” he said. “Customers enjoy our products, and we are also making positive connections in the community that will benefit us long term.”

Beyond the Beer

Onopa said the people who gather at Ope! are what make this business hum.

“We have a welcoming environment,” he said. “The community that gathers here is really second to none.”

Operating as a brewery taproom rather than a late-night club, Onopa said, allows them to avoid issues that can come with that environment.

“Our crowd naturally ends the night at around 10 p.m.,” he said. “People are more casual in their experience here.”

Onopa said Ope! is a reflection of their passions – beer making, live music from original artists and their shared background as dog owners, creating a space where customers are encouraged to bring their pets.

“We’re happy to be able to keep that as a draw,” he said.

Though the taproom does not serve its own food, Onopa said food trucks are on site every day. 

This approach, he said, offers practical advantages and has become a valuable part of the business, helping provide the variety customers expect.

“We partner with Chucoos Red Tacos offering burritos, quesadillas and of course, tacos,” he said. “We have other food trucks providing wings and fries.”

Onopa said they are always willing to try new things to provide the variety customers are looking for and plan to carry the same food truck model over to the Appleton location when it opens this summer.

That same sense of variety, he said, carries over into their music offerings – another element that will be prominent at the larger Appleton location, which will feature both indoor and outdoor stages.

“[Currently at the West Allis location] we feature different regional artists, many of them from Chicago, which has a really strong blues scene,” he said. “We vary the featured artists each month as each group has a solid following.”

Onopa said Ope! typically features two shows between Thursday and Saturday.

“A couple times a month, we do Sunday matinee shows, which are actually some of our more popular events,” he said. “We feature a blues collective on the first Sunday of the month and oftentimes more than fills the room.”

Onopa said Ciske leads live-music booking – a key part of the Ope! Brewing Co. atmosphere that will carry over to the Appleton location when it opens.

Find more info on Ope! Brewing Co., check out opebrewingco.com.