The bands had finished their sets, the last bottles of Pabst were emptied and the buzz of after-bar parties had commenced. It was nearing 2:30 a.m., but this was not just any normal bar close procedure. It was March 18, and Onopa Brewing Company that Milwaukee had come to know and love, would be no more.
Onopa, 735 E. Center St., certainly has had a great run, but, like most things, there lies the inevitible room for improvement. And when Julia LaLoggia (owner of Redroom and co-owner of Barossa and Lee's Lounge) purchased the place from her friend Paul Onopa in 2004, she already had a plan brewing in her head.
"When I bought it, I knew that I wanted to change some things," she says. "It was supposed to happen with in the first eight months, but now it's been about twice that long."
Onopa has been temporarily closed for a month-long renovation and when the door swings back open on Friday, April 14, it will do so boasting a freshly painted interior -- a green slightly deeper than lime -- a different layout and a new name, Stonefly Brewing Company.
The new name, LaLoggia says, is one that she could make a personal connection to.
"A stonefly is an important bug in trout fishing," says LaLoggia, who has been an avid fisher and all around wilderness woman practically her whole life. "When I'm not working at one of my businesses, I'm out in the woods."
Her penchant for the great outdoors, in fact, is what started her on the path to owning Onopa in the first place.
"I met Paul Onopa about 15 years ago on a canoeing course. We've been great friends ever since and still go camping together every summer."
When Onopa decided he wanted to sell his business in 2004, LaLoggia was one of the first in line. Now, two years later, LaLoggia and crew have embarked on the brewpub's dramatic face-lift to transform it into the establishment she has envisioned for this city.
Phase I of the overhaul is a massive remodeling of the space, including relocating the stage from the front of the bar to the back east corner.
"We've raised the stage and moved it so no matter where you stand, you'll have a clear view of the performers," she says. "That's just part of our new and improved music and production package. We're really kicking it up a notch and making Stonefly a better place to see shows."
In the raised space near the front where the original stage had been will be booths that LaLoggia scored from a closing Chinese restaurant.
"It'll be great because the people sitting there will be high enough to see over those standing in front of the stage, and when there's not a show going on, they'll be level with the windows -- Center Street is good for people watching."
In addition to implementing amenities such as efficient ventilation, smoke eaters, more lighting and a better sound system, LaLoggia says she is re-thinking the way the bar books shows.
"There will be much more collaboration with people heavily involved in music. Instead of having one person booking shows of various genres, we'll have several -- each one tied into the scene they know and are passionate about."
Phase two of the remodel, she says, involves paying some serious attention to the kitchen, which existed briefly as The Bistro in 2004. Starting this June, The Bistro will again be serving up tasty sammies and pizzas -- some vegetarian, some not -- and has plans to revive the popular Friday night fish fry.
"The food focus will be a lot like Barossa in the sense that we'll use a lot of organic products from local farmers. It won't be completely organic because it's cost prohibitive and we don't want to charge $10 for a sandwich."
What she is going to do is keep the environment a priority. "It's going to be the greenest brew pub possible," she promises. "We give our spent grain to pig farmers or composts. There's going to be zero waste."
But in a place that has been known to attract "beer geeks" from far and wide, LaLoggia knew the kitchen couldn't steal all the glory. Stonefly's beer menu is also getting something of a mega makeover.
In addition to the brewery's current selection of suds, LaLoggia is hauling in a host of newbies, including many organic beers and "50 to 100 micro brew bottles." As a reference, Onopa's bottled micro beer tally was zero.
"I'm getting a few of what I call 'beginner beers.' They are still micro, but they're lighter and less intimidating for people who want to start getting into drinking micro beer." As before, LaLoggia plans to limit her domestic selections to the nostalgic likes of Schlitz, Blatz and Pabst.
"Overall, I think it's going to be very refreshing. We're cleaning up a lot, but we're not going overboard and making it like a place on Milwaukee Street or anything. This is still Riverwest!"
Stonefly Brewing Company is located at 735 E. Center St. The Modern Machines and IFIHadAHIFI host a dual CD release party on Friday, April 14 as Stonefly's first show. For now, a list of upcoming shows is at myspace.com/onopabrewery.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
