The Lone Girl Brewing Company is a craft brewery and restaurant located in the small town of Waunakee, Wisconsin. The brewpub is part of the Hovde Properties’ Village Crossing multi-tenant complex, on the 100 block of Main Street. The site was the former Koltes Lumber Yard — a business that had operated since the 1880s, beside the railroad tracks.
Lone Girl was founded in 2016 by two friends, Kevin Abercrombie and Paul Kozlowski, who shared a passion for beer and a desire to create a unique community gathering place. Before starting the brewery, Abercrombie and Kozlowski had successful careers, however, they both felt unfulfilled and longed for a more creative and hands-on endeavor. They began experimenting with homebrewing and attending beer festivals, which sparked their interest in starting their own brewery.
The brewpub’s nearly 7,000 square foot interior decor is rustic and industrial with lots of wood paneling and high ceilings. On the main floor there’s seating for 185, with a main bar flanked by five stainless steel beer-serving tanks. The 10-barrel brew house can also be seen from inside the bar and through windows along Main Street. The spacious 4,000 square-foot rooftop patio has open air seating, a gas fire pit, a gaming area, and space for live music performances.
In 2018, The Lone Girl Brewing Company expanded their brewing capacity by adding a 20-barrel brewhouse, allowing them to produce more beer and experiment with new styles. They also began canning their beer, making it available in local stores and bars.
Today, The Lone Girl Brewing Company is a thriving business that has become a beloved fixture in the Waunakee community. Abercrombie and Kozlowski continue to innovate and create new and exciting beers and dishes, while staying true to their vision of providing a warm and welcoming space for their customers.
Where did the name come from? According to their website:
To us a name isn’t just something you grab out of thin air. It needs to mean something. It needs to come from a special place in order to resonate. So why “The Lone Girl Brewing Company” you ask? Great question! You likely know the reason behind the “Brewing Company” part of our name (hint: We brew our own beer on site). So, let’s focus on the “The Lone Girl” portion.
First some background. A long time ago just south of the Wisconsin border, we were college students at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. We met, became great friends, drank a few beers (and maybe some whiskey) and had a lot of fun. A country boy from Ohio and a city boy from Chicago – a somewhat unlikely pairing brought together by a mutual affection for family, friends, and beer. We cracked jokes, hung out, worked together in the bar and restaurant industry, and dreamed about what the future might hold. Little did we know, this dream would lead to Kevin and his wife Kerry adopting “the only Waunakee in the world” as their hometown and making our vision a reality. Seriously, beer as a business, who would have thought?
Fast Forward. If you would have told us back in 1990-something that we would end up with 7 kids between our two families we probably would have laughed. But in hindsight we aren’t surprised. Our families are what meant everything to us back then just as they do now. This is why we do what we do. To build something our family and friends can be proud of and enjoy. We consider you, our customer, to be part of our family..and our journey.
So what the #$%* does any of this have to do with the name? Why the Lone Girl? You see, out of those 7 kids we have, only 1 is a girl, Avery – The Lone Girl (awwwww) –Kevin’s Daughter. We came up with over 80 names but kept coming back to The Lone Girl because it came from somewhere. It meant something to us and we hope it does to you also.
While the name is inspired by one of our children it is not meant to represent her. Rather it is meant to represent something that means more to us than just being a name. It is meant to represent family and friends, the things we care about most, our community and the cherished memories we make together.
