Stone Arch Brewpub

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

3/5  rDev -21.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 3 | $$

Yet another brewery/brewpub in the vast sea of places in Wisconsin. Sadly this place does nothing to stand out from the rest.

Nestled in the basement/cellar of an old mill. Really dark lighting and dark walls make for a rather dark dining experience. We sat at a table and ordered beers and food. First the beers. Everything we tried was rather bland and similar tasting. This is an alarming theme with many of the breweries I visit. The food was in the same vein. About as average as food can get. Nothing terrible but nothing remotely memorable.

The service was decent if a bit lethargic.

Overall yet another lackluster place that I probably won't be back to.

05-06-2012 21:29:17 | More by beerwolf77

PastorBrewMaster

Wisconsin

3.4/5  rDev -10.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 2.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | food: 5 | $$

I have a love/hate relationship with the Stone Cellar. I love it because all the beer is made upstairs, the food is generally great, and the pizza is the best in Appleton! Nothing is better than sitting on the deck on a warm summer afternoon with friends. There's the love, so why the hate? The beers range from mediocre to okay. Each batch is inconsistent and I make sure to try a sip before ordering a full pint. My favorite is the Vanilla Stout, which at its best is a solid B+, but I've also had some nasty batches. My wife likes the Scottish - usually. But again, she had one recently that we sent back because it was skunky.

I suppose it all works out for the best. If the beer was consistently great I don't think we'd ever leave.

06-26-2011 03:35:23 | More by PastorBrewMaster

MilwaukeeCrusher

Wisconsin

3.73/5  rDev -1.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$

Enjoyed a summer late afternoon in the outdoor beer garden at Stone Cellar. Perhaps the best of the lower Fox Valley, I liked their Vanilla Stout but considering its sweetness one or two might be enough. This brewery while not taking major chances, does take a few and I appreciate that. Service was ok but server seemed to not know much about beer. If I want to drink local (as in within 50 miles) craft beer in Appleton, this is the place I would visit. I didn't try any food but if I can recall it looked good.

01-13-2011 02:11:12 | More by MilwaukeeCrusher

JustinCider

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev -3.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

I recently took a trip to Appleton and figured I had to stop in for a visit. The brewpub is located near the Fox River in what appeared to be an old factory. It was quite a busy place. There was a lot of restaurant seating inside, as well as outside, where there was live music (and this was at around 6 p.m. on a Tuesday night). Of course, I heading downstairs to the brewpub, whose ambiance is dominated by dark wood and dim lighting, which is a good thing. The bartender was friendly and knowledgeable. I tried their sampler of 11 beers plus their homebrewed root beer. There was good variety of styles, although most seem pretty much run of the mill and boring to me. My favorites were the Tilted Kilt Scottish Ale, English Six Grain Ale and their Smoked Porter, which was one of two seasonal beers, the other was a Summer Kolsch. I was forewarned about the Porter by the bartender, due to it's extreme flavor, but found it to be far superior to any of the others. They also had Stone Arrogant Bastard on the guest tap. I had eaten just before going, but from what I saw, the food looked pretty good. All in all, I loved the dark and dank atmosphere, wasn't all that crazy about the bulk of their beers, but I would certainly return if I was in the area again.

07-19-2009 15:48:42 | More by JustinCider

kbaker91

Minnesota

4.08/5  rDev +7.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

The Stone Cellar, as the name implies, is in the Cellar of an old brewery (I believe). A comedy club is located in the upper level, as well as an outdoor patio in the middle level. The atmosphere is pretty dank, and I mean that in a good way. The bar area is small and womb-like, with a couple smaller dining rooms to the left.

The service is excellent, suggesting brews and food pairings. The food is generally basic pub fare, but done well. We shared a delicious thin-crust homemade pizza.

The brews themselves are decent, nothing mind-blowing but all well-made and representative of the style. I enjoyed the IPA & English 6-grain ale, my wife some sort of American wheat that I cannot recall. My only gripe with the beer selection was with the guest beer offering, which was a Leinenkugels. Wisconsin produces some great beers; Central Waters, New Glarus, Tyranena, just to name a few excellent breweries. Why offer something that people can get at any bar in the midwest?

Overall your impression of Stone Cellar will be based on your criteria. If you compare it to brewpubs in other larger cities, it is average. If you take into account its setting in a town with not a lot of decent beer options, it becomes a can't miss. In other words, if you find yourself in the Fox Valley area, this is a place you will want to try.

05-12-2009 16:27:40 | More by kbaker91

shangwang

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev +10%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I visited this place while in town on a business trip and enjoyed my overall experience. The ambiance was ok- it's dark and cavernous, but that didn't really bother me. I went with the sampler and tried the ten beers they had on tap. My favorites were the English 6 Grain, the Pie-eyed IPA, and the Stone Cellar Stout. The rest of the beers were all ok, but none really stood out. The food was outstanding- I had the cheese curds and the Works pizza, which was basically a supreme pie but I loved the thin crust and the green olives. Overall, definitely a preferable spot to a chain like Friday's or Applebee's with some good food and a couple of good beers- I plan on going back next time I'm in town.

03-05-2009 01:07:00 | More by shangwang

gixxerman

Pennsylvania

3.59/5  rDev -5.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3 | $$

Yeah, it's underground, don't plan on window seat here. And if you are tall, watch you don't bump your coconut off something.

I tried to order a Stone Cellar stout, but they were out - damn! So I settled for a Porter, no complaints.

They had the Brewers game on all of the televisions in the area we were in. There are a bunch of rooms off the main hallway which all make up this space. Is it a little confusing at first, until you realize they are all part of the same place.

It was a bit dark, which I don't have a problem with, but some people might. Overall, a decent place to catch a few beers in this neck of the woods. Oh, and it is an official nuclear shelter, not a bad place to be if the bombs start to drop....

06-27-2008 19:08:41 | More by gixxerman

nflmvp

Wisconsin

3.88/5  rDev +2.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Walk into the Stone Cellar and you instantly know where it's name came from. It's in the basement of an old historic warehouse with a MASSIVE stone wall foundation. The place is rather dark, as you might imagine. The beer is all relatively nice. Nothing really stands out but it's all pretty solid. I've had mixed results with the service. At the bar one day, the bartender was outstanding but in the restaurant on another visit, the waitress was less than stellar. Overall, the place is worth a visit if you find yourself in Appleton.

01-23-2007 16:58:36 | More by nflmvp

DaPeculierDane

Wisconsin

3.93/5  rDev +3.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$

Being located in the dank cellar of an old stone warehouse/brewery is one easy way for a brew pub to get high atmosphere remarks from me. The walls are beautifully cut limestone and look to be several feet thick. The ceilings are low, dark wood. Stone Cellar is spacious in a misleading way. The individual rooms are small and intimate but it’s catacomb like. Finding the restroom is like an adventure out of an Indian Jones movie.

If one can get past the dankness to order some food they won’t be let down. Prices are very reasonable on a number of burgers, pizzas, pastas, and snacks. I had a fantastic strip steak for lunch the other day. It was smothered with about a half a stick of butter and a head of garlic – just the way I like it, and served for just 12 bucks.

The staff are friendly and attentive and really enjoy the brews they serve. All my questions were well answered.

Selection consists of about 10-12 beers on tap. Variety is decent. At the moment they’re offering a couple of pale ales, honey wheat, scotch ale, vanilla stout, oatmeal stout, a pilsener, Oktoberfest, a pumpkin spice, and one or two others. Three homebrewed sodas are available if that’s your thing too.

Quality is quite high on most of these beers. I’ve really enjoyed the pumpkin spice and the ice cream like vanilla stout. The Oktoberfest is really the only let down.

Growlers sell for $3 and cost $7 to fill. You can bring your own growler to fill. Better yet, Stone Cellar bottles their own beers. These can be mix and matched into six packs for $6.99.

Side Note: Those of you familiar with III Dachshund beers at the Landmark in Milwaukee will have good idea as to the quality of Stone Cellar brews. III Dachshund beers are contract brewed at Stone Cellar.

10-22-2006 18:26:58 | More by DaPeculierDane

strattor

Idaho

4/5  rDev +5.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

Built into the basement floor of an old mill or warehouse, the atmosphere is pretty unique. The walls are made of old, craggy stone, with the dim lighting--you can't help but think this is a place you have to hunker down in. The bar is the real deal--mugs hang from the ceiling, old wooden tables and chairs surround the area.

They've got 11-12 beers on tap, all made on the premises. Most are German British styles, from Dopplebocks to Pilsners to IPAs to Scottish Ales. They also had a Barley Wine while I was there.

Beers are generally hit or miss: the Vanilla Stout and Honey Wheat should be avoided, while the Marquette Pilsner, the Caffeinator Dopplebock, and the Pie Eyed India Pale Ale were quite enjoyable. I seem to recall their Porters and Stouts being pretty good, too. You can buy 3-4 four ounce sample servings of a beer for $.75, which means you could try all their beers for about $9.

Moderate range of foods, incluidng pub fare, seafood, steaks, and Italian. The food isn't spectacular, but the pizza is a sure bet.

Some special features include the nearly-monthly Beer School, where for $25 bucks you try 10 different beers of a certain theme (West Coast Beers, Bocks, etc.) and get a dinner to go with those beers. There is also a mug club that gets you a stone mug and certain deals. They also offer growlers and mix-and-match six-packs for $10 and $6.50, respectively.

04-19-2006 16:59:54 | More by strattor