To paraphrase Agent Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks: When two separate West Allis drinking establishments, both with names that play on regional inside jokes, get profiled by two separate Milwaukee publications on the exact same night, we must always pay strict attention.
And so it goes for Stalley Cats and Ope! Brewing Co., two West Allis drinking establishments that were treated to two articles—from OnMilwaukee and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, respectively—Wednesday night. Coincidence? Well, um, apparently.
First up: the delightfully named Stalley Cats. Located in the former Charlie O’s space at 6201 W. Mitchell St., the bar has been open since December 2020. “We don’t exactly have a theme, but I would describe us as a ‘service industry bar,'”owner Benjamin Buss tells OnMilwaukee. “A huge part of our clientele are fellow bartenders.”
Does Stalley Cats boast a signature drink called the “Funyun Bloody Mary,” a.k.a. a house-made mix garnished with pickles and Funyons? Yes it does. Does Stalley Cats boast a totally sweet neon “TYME Machine” sign? Yes it does. Will Stalley Cats begin third-shift hours on April 1, opening at 7:30 a.m. Monday through Friday? If it’s good enough for Cudahy, it’s good enough for West Allis. (Read more about Stalley Cats HERE.)
Next up: the delightfully named Ope! Brewing Co. Located in the former Perfect Screw Products Corporation building at 6751 W. National Ave., the brewery hopes to be open by the end of summer 2021. “All of us found craft beer through drinking it, and all eventually started homebrewing and playing around with that,” co-owner Kyle Ciske tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Ciske’s Ope! business partners are John Onopa and Adam Anders.
Will Ope! boast 16 draft lines, with a “combination of core beers that customers can always expect, seasonal options, and one-off offerings”? Yes it will. Will Ope! boast a “15 barrel brewhouse alongside a taproom with an over 250 person capacity”? Yes it will. Will Ope! top it all off with an outdoor space complete with “a bar, patio, two volleyball courts, two spots for food trucks, fire pits, cornhole, and bocce ball”? Tailgating is out for Opening Day at American Family Field, so save it for Ope! (Read more about Ope! HERE.)
So there you go. Both Stalley Cats and Ope! Brewing Co. sound great. Look for the Let Me Squeeze Right Past Ya Bar opening sometime in 2022.
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