Robin Shepard
Waunakee’s brewery: now on East Wash, too.
The Lone Girl Brewing Company is the latest addition to Madison’s beer-centric east side.
In July, the Waunakee brewpub opened a taproom at 1817 E. Washington Ave., where O’so Madhouse, a taproom for the O’so Brewing Company of Plover, operated from 2019 until July 2023. The space was nearly turn-key, with fixtures and tap lines still in place. All The Lone Girl did was to add its own branding and a small kitchen.
The Madison taproom has two dozen taps for brewmaster John Russell to fill with year-round regulars, seasonals, and occasional one-offs. The taproom will also offer a handful of beers from other Madison breweries, along with wines and cocktails on tap. There’s seating for around 50 persons, with additional sidewalk tables along East Washington Avenue.
The Lone Girl Madison will serve Roman-style pizza, square flatbreads a little thicker than American pizzas cooked in a specialty oven that creates a light, flaky crust.
The Lone Girl was established in 2016 in Waunakee as a major tenant in the downtown’s revitalization efforts. “Expansion has always been on our minds,” says co-owner Kevin Abercrombie. “When we first built in Waunakee, we oversized our brewing equipment so that when we saw the right opportunity for a taproom, we could supply the beer.”
Despite Waunakee being a close bedroom community to Madison, “there are a lot of people in Madison who haven’t been exposed to us,” says brewmaster Russell. The new location “will bring a lot of attention.”
New residents in the area — the taproom is part of The Marling apartments, and across the street from the new Standard Madison development — will keep arriving as the East Washington corridor continues to be redeveloped.
The Lone Girl joins a thriving beer neighborhood that includes Working Draft, Giant Jones, Starkweather Brewing, Vintage Brewing and Herbiery Brewing, as well as craft beer hangouts like Dexter’s and The Malt House.
As a welcome to the neighborhood, Starkweather brewmaster Peter Schroder recently invited Russell to collaborate on a beer they will both serve. The upcoming release will be called “Peaches & Pancetta.” The beer is a kettle sour made with beechwood smoked malt that lends a touch of bacon aroma; peaches in the form of peach puree (44 lbs. in a three-barrel batch) offer fruity tartness. The beer goes on tap Aug. 9 at both of The Lone Girl locations and at Starkweather Brewing.
The Lone Girl Taproom in Madison is open Tuesday through Saturday, 2 p.m. to midnight, and Sundays from 2-9 p.m. Hours may be expanded for Badgers and Packers games.
