Knuth purchases former American House: Brewing company will move all of its operations to the new location

Something new is brewing in downtown Ripon.

Knuth Brewing Co. has entered into a development agreement with the city of Ripon to turn the former American House at 230 Watson St. into the Knuth Brewing Co. Brewpub & Event Center.

David and Marie Knuth, who own the brewery and restaurant, said Knuth Brewing Co. will move all of its operations to the new structure and lease out its current site at 221 Watson St. to other interested parties when the redevelopment is complete.

While the original plan was for Knuth Brewing Co. to turn the American House into its brewery and keep the restaurant at its current site, the Knuths noted that as the project came together it made more sense for everything to be in one place.

“We’re very excited to be finally making this announcement,” a release from Knuth Brewing Co. owners David and Marie Knuth read. “This has been a project we have been working on for some time and are very excited to be moving forward. There have been many people who have supported us along the way over the years and we do not take that support for granted. It is very humbling to be in a position where this type of expansion is even possible.”

The release went on to note that “the support of the Ripon residents and surrounding communities, our great customers and our tremendous team that works so hard each day has been nothing short of amazing” and that “when we opened almost eight years ago, our hope was that we just wouldn’t have to sell our house. We never dreamed that Knuth Brewing Co. would turn into what it has become today and we are forever grateful for all of the community’s support.”

Many in the community also never expected the former American House to house another business. In 2019, elected officials toured the former assisted-living center and discovered mold and deterioration inside. The building had sat vacant since 2008, when Boca Grande Capital LLC bought it as part of a multi-million dollar revitalization plan that never materialized.

A group of Ripon students pitched an idea to the Common Council in November 2019 that would turn the building into a parking garage with a rooftop park, but the council found it to be too expensive and began looking at other options. In February 2020, it appeared the city of Ripon might have been moving toward demolishing the building as a result of a significant leak in the roof which led to mold growth , but a month later authorized spending $4,500 for lead and asbestos testing

Then, in July 2021, Graystone Ventures, LLC — made up of Accurate Controls President T.J. Rogers, Tom Rogers and Pollesch Construction’s Cory Pollesch and Mike Albright— purchased the property for development. It had sights on restoring the “historic look of the original building” and converting the property into “multiple one-and two-bedroom, high-end condominiums.”

However, T.J. Rogers said it was simply the economy that got in the way of its completion.

“Unfortunately, as we all know, economic conditions — especially inflation, building material and labor costs — skyrocketed throughout the course of its design,” T.J. Rogers said. “When we got to the final budget, the anticipated interest rates that were forthcoming for our prospective buyers revealed that it wasn’t a feasible project. … We’ve done multiple studies with multiple realtors and the cost of the project was not going to fit the saleable amount in Ripon, so we looked for another option. We didn’t really know what the building was going to become. [David Knuth] had interest in making that part of his company.”

Rogers said the “first phase” of the structure’s rehabilitation was completed last September. It included mitigating mold and asbestos issues, which needed to be done regardless of what would end up on the site. The facade of the building also was redone.

The historic 18,000-square-foot facility across the street from Knuth Brewing Co.’s current location at 221 Watson St., according to the Knuths, will include “a larger brewpub serving their well-known hand-crafted beers, wood-fired pizzas, paninis, wood-fired wings and fresh salads, along with an outdoor biergarten for plenty of outside seating.”

In addition to the brewpub, Knuth Brewing Co. will add a state-of-the art brewing system from Quality Tank Solutions, which is headquartered in Oconomowoc, Wis., and specializes in producing U.S. stainless steel tanks manufactured in Wisconsin. The system is designed to help Knuth Brewing Co. keep up with the increased demand of its handcrafted artisan beers.

The facility also will house a completely restored second floor vintage banquet hall and event center capable of hosting 350 people or more, according to the release.

Knuth Brewing Co. opened in 2015 from a half-barrel system and a hand-built wood-fire oven. It has increased its beer distribution to more than 100 bars, restaurants and retail stores in the Fox Valley and surrounding areas.

The Ripon Common Council Monday reconvened from closed session to approve both the development agreement and a grant submission to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) Community Development Investment Grant for the former American House’s redevelopment. The city also pursued a similar grant before the condominium project fell through.

According to WEDC, its Community Development Investment grant program “helps transform communities by supporting local development that is as unique as the communities in Wisconsin.”

The American House also is under Tax Incremental District (TID) No. 15, which helps promote redevelopment initiatives within a defined geographic area by capturing the extra dollars created within an area when development occurs to fund aspects of the project.

The expansion is expected to begin early next month and be complete by mid-summer.

The Knuths thanked T.J. Rogers, Pollesch and Albright, noting that without their help and support in navigating this process that the project would never have gotten off the ground. They added that they look forward to continuing this project together.

“[Knuth] is going to launch a great program and we’re really excited to be a partner to him and get this building to be something that brings a ton of value to downtown Ripon and the entire community,” T.J. Rogers said.