Permit granted for Fulton Street site

By Angie Landsverk

Another brewery is set to open in Waupaca this summer.

John and Ashlyn Parent plan to open 22 Lakes Brewing Co. at 107 W. Fulton St. around the end of July.

When the Waupaca Common Council met on June 19, it approved their request for a special use permit.

City ordinances require a special use permit for the brewing and distilling of alcohol.

The couple’s request first went before the city’s Plan Commission on June 13, and was also the subject of a public hearing that evening.

During the public hearing, Mark Polebitski spoke in favor of granting the permit.

“I’m going to be the brewmaster,” he said.

He described it as a small operation, and one that will not include serving food.

“It’s a one-barrel system,” Polebitski said. “We will probably brew three times a week to start with. Once we grow, we will increase the size of production.”

The bulk of production will be on the weekend.

The retail side of the business will be from 4-10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

When the request went before the common council, John Parent said he thinks the last time he was in the council chambers was when he was in third grade.

That appearance was related to a coloring contest, he said.

Parent’s father-in-law, John Harris, also attended both meetings.

Harris said he became interested in craft beer after going to a brewery in Rosholt and then spent about three years looking for a location to open one in the Waupaca area.

He and his wife Karen are providing financial support for 22 Lakes Brewing Co., and the brewery and taproom will be in the space that was most recently Z’Wolf Eatery.

Harris said he contacted the owner of that former business before it opened to see if there was an interest in working together.

The brewery could have been open in the evening, he said.

While there was not an interest in doing so, their patience paid off.

The owner of the building contacted him after Z’Wolf Eatery closed to see if he was still interested in the space.

The front facade of the building has since been painted blue, and there have been minimal improvements to the interior.

Applications for state and federal licensing have been submitted, which are necessary to brew beer in the facility.

Harris said the building was constructed in the 1880s, and they are resurrecting the old bar and bar stools from the Waupaca Cafe.

They also plan to donate the by-products of their fermenting operation for composting or cattle feed.

This is the second special use permit the common council has approved in the last month for a brewery and taproom.

On May 15, it approved a special use permit for 3H Brew, on the east side of the city.

H.H. Hinder Brewing Company expects to open at 804 Churchill St. by the middle of July.

Located in the former Waupaca Family Center, the business will have a limited food menu initially. Merchandise will be sold as well.