B5QB Brewery Profile: Copper State Brewing Co.

I know that many of you fine readers are Packers fans in addition to your Badgers fandom and I think it’s time we catered to your Sunday/Monday beer-drinking needs!

Copper State Brewing Co. in Green Bay opened in 2017 and makes a pretty mean beer. If you are headed to the Packers’ Monday Night Football tilt with the 49ers, you can literally stay at Copper State all day! They serve coffee and breakfast too!

They also serve really good pizza and have a fun outdoor area if things get too crowded inside, like they were the last time I was there. But, I like going to busy breweries, because then you know the beer is good.

Let’s check out one of the newest breweries in Green Bay and see what they have to offer.

Brewery Vitals

Name: Copper State Brewing Co.

Location: 313 Dousman St, Green Bay, WI 54303

Website: https://www.copperstate.beer/

Twitter: @CopperStateBrew

Instagram: @copperstatebrewing

Key Beers: Rugged North Lager; Bare Brick IPA; One Cent Wheat; whatever special beer they have on tap (when I was there, they had a peanut butter porter that was outstanding)

Awards Won: They won the People’s Choice Award at the Craft Beer Festival this year for their Pomegranate Pucker Berliner Weisse.

Here is my interview, conducted via email and lightly edited, with brewmaster Jon Martens.

What got you started in the brewing industry?

A love for creating and crafting something delicious that brings so many people together. I have also wanted to own my own business for a long time.

What did you go to school for?

I first studied to be a pastor. Then got my Mechanical Engineer degree at UW-Madison. Then brew school at Chicago’s Siebel Institute.

When did you change your career path to brewing?

2015.

What is your favorite beer that your brewery makes?

My go to after a hot day in the brewhouse is my Pomegranate Pucker Berliner Weisse. Clean, crisp, tart, and refreshing.

What is your favorite beer that another brewery in Wisconsin makes?

That’s like asking which of my children is my favorite. Currently, I am drinking Stillmank Brewing Co. Perky Porter.

Do you follow college football?

On and off when running a brewery allows.

How do you think the Wisconsin vs. Michigan game will turn out?

Even though Michigan’s defense is stout, Jonathan Taylor will rush for 175 yards and two touchdowns and the Badgers will edge the Wolverines 24–21.

Is your beer distributed in Madison?

Not yet, but soon!

Do you offer tours of the brewery?

Absolutely! We have three types of tours: The Spectacularly Standard Tour, The Clue-ery Brewery Scavenger Hunt Tour, and The Beer Geekery Tour.

Which of your beers should Badgers fans drink before/after the game while tailgating?

Yes … all of them. But if you must choose, Rugged North Lager, Stilt Stepper NEIPA, Pomegranate Pucker Sour, or Kupfer Kolsch.

What do you listen to while brewing?

All sorts of stuff depending on the day from Latin Jazz to 80s/90s hip hop, salsa, ska, and everything in between.

Why is beer important to you?

It’s a beverage that is great wherever life happens. And it’s a way for me to be creative and bring people lots of joy in the process.