Where it all began: Homebrewing

We all have that friend, the one that has been brewing in her basement or his garage for years. After ten or so brews, the beer becomes quite good and they think “maybe someday I’ll quit my job and open my own brewery.” The dream normally stops there, but for Bobby Fleshman – the visionary behind McFleshman’s- he actually followed through! In his young days he was a member of the Yeastie Boys – a homebrew club out of Moore, Oklahoma where he met fellow homebrewers Shane and Layla (now McF brewer and Tap Room manager).

The Yeastie Boys in action at the Texas Bluebonnet Homebrew Competition in 2012. Bobby is far left and Shane is the blonde guy in front of the Y! (and I think Layla is hiding next to Shane!) Thanks Billy Jones for the photo!

They competed in many competitions even taking home some regional and national medals. Homebrewing is where it all started for us. Which is why, here at McF, we take good care of our local homebrewers:

We’ve partnered with RiteBrew.com, a local homebrew internet shop by becoming a second pick-up location for your orders. Anytime during the week you can click your order, then swing by on Friday and grab a pint while you pick up your weekend recipe. We’ve even got some of our own recipes scaled down into 5-gallon brewing kits so you too can brew a McF beer!

We have homebrew competitions with the winner getting to brew their recipe on our pilot brewing system with the help of now probrewer Shane, and share it with friends and family in our Tap Room. Our most recent competition was for American styles and the home brewers definitely brought their A-games! The winner, with his rye-IPA called Commander Rye-ker, is Dennis Haltinner! Congratulations Dennis!

May 4th is National Big Brew Day and we’ll be celebrating with many local homebrewers and homebrew clubs in our beer garden. (read more about the AHA’s Big Brew Dy here: American Homebrewers Association: https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/aha-events/national-homebrew-day/)

Come brew with the McFleshman’s brewer on Big Brew Day! Bring all your gear and your favorite recipe to McFleshman’s on Saturday to participate in Big Brew Day with us!

So if you’re a seasoned homebrewer, or new to the game we’re excited to pay it forward and help you brew a delicious pint. On occasion we even offer homebrew classes-so check back to see when the next one will be as spots fill up fast.

In the meantime, relax, don’t worry, and have a homebrew.

Cheers!

115 South State Street - Appleton, Wisconsin
Tap Room Hours:
Tuesday - Friday: 3pm to 10pm
Saturday: 12pm to 10pm
Sunday: 1pm to 6pm