The return of Bull Falls Brewing Company starts today
Kurt Mueller and Jason Peck are relaunching the brewery with a biergarten opening today (Saturday). It's like Bull Falls 2.0, and they expect long-time customers will be happily surprised.
Update: I added the time of the biergarten opening and a link to the event post for more info.
Though occasionally the people staring through the windows sparked a surprise, overall Kurt Mueller and Jason Peck were pleasantly overwhelmed with the support of the community’s support in their new venture: bringing back Bull Falls Brewing Company.
Mueller bought Bull Falls Brewery in a Sheriff’s sale in January, as The Wausonian first reported. That came, The Wausonian later learned, after Mueller offered the original owners much more than they ended up paying in the sale.
At first, Mueller told The Wausonian that they expected a reopening in March, making a few minor improvements and selling some of the remaining beer. But Mueller and Peck quickly realized they were looking at a much larger project, which involved tearing down and rebuilding much more than they originally expected.
Wausonians will get a look at the first part of that project at 3 pm Saturday, when Bull Falls Brewing Co. opens its doors to the public.
The company already unveiled a new logo and changed the name slightly, from “brewery” to “brewing co.” But the changes to the way the business is run and what it will look like inside are very different.
Transforming Bull Falls Brewery into Bull Falls Brewing Co.
Starting with the biergarten, the big white tent has been replaced with what is really a very decorative and extensive outdoor patio, including a stage that was in the middle of being built on a Wednesday afternoon when The Wausonian stopped by to see the progress and interview the new owners.
Two bar tops, including one in a garage that’s been opened up for semi-indoor seating, make the biergarten more of an outdoor bar. Think a bigger version of the Sconni’s patio.
And the finished stage is impressive, large enough for a band the size of Brass Differential to play comfortably under. The two plan to really lean into live music, and have been seeking advice from Marty Cheyka, who this reporter once profiled about his music studio. They want to create an experience out there that fans of live music and the bands themselves appreciate.
There’s even the possibility the biergarten could host corporate events, wedding receptions or other events, they say.
Fans of the old Bull Falls beer will be happy to learn the new owners retained the former brewmaster, Dustin Rotar, but said they’ve “taken the handcuffs off” of him to allow him full creative control. “There’s no real budget for him,” Peck says. “He gets what he wants,” especially in terms of ingredients. “We’re not the experts, he is.”
While the biergarten will open Saturday, and have regular Friday and Saturday hours (and might add additional days depending on feedback they get), the inside is a ways off from being finished. Peck says they are aiming for a tap room opening around Labor Day, but with the caveat that the date will depend on progress getting the inside ready.
What’s the plan for that inside? They took out the drop ceilings and drywall to open up the original walls of the historic building, and are turning the area where the gift shop was into a band area for the months where being outside is less than ideal (which, in Wisconsin, tends to be a lot of months).
There’s also a lot more glass, to make the brewery and its equipment much more visible to the public. And more windows to open up the natural lighting of the place, which customers will definitely notice.
They also plan to have lighter food fare - they don’t want to open a restaurant, Mueller says. Think items such as flatbreads and charcuterie boards and such. And they plan to have a limited menu of mixed drinks, and plenty of non-alcoholic options as is becoming much more common.
Mueller and Peck say the amount of community support they’ve received - from the numerous businesses that stepped up to help with things like signage, electric work and so on, to the community members, has been almost overwhelming. On Friday, a city council member was even on site helping with some last-minute odds and ends.
Mueller says they would hear from people every day, honking their horns in appreciation to yelling from bicycles to walkers, and even had people peering through the windows to see progress.
For those folks and everyone following along on social media, the wait is over today (Saturday). There will be four of their new beers on tap and one guest tap from Sawmill Brewing Company, and live music from Miss Meaghan Owens and The Chicory Moon String Band. And there will be food from JB Catering and Three Amigos.
Though seeing the new inside area will have to wait a little longer. But, the duo promises, it will be worth the wait.
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