When Mark Zych and Scott Ward, co-owners of the Tap House Grill franchise, decided to open a brewpub in Lincolnshire (the better to supply Tap House with their own craft beer), they figured coming up with a name would be the easy part. That misguided notion makes them laugh now. “Try finding a name that’s not been taken,” Zych challenges. The moniker they eventually came up with — Half Day Brewing Company — was right under their nose and rooted in local history.
It is not, they explain, a reference to Half Day Road, located a few blocks south, but instead to Potawatomi Chief Aptakisic, whose name, according to the Lake County history website, was translated as “sun at meridian” or “Half Day,” which is how the settlers in the 1830s referred to him. It also provided the name for the former unincorporated village before it was annexed in the 1990s by Vernon Hills.
Ward, a local resident, further figured the name might also resonate for baby boomers who harbored nostalgic memories of the former Half Day Inn, which was located across the street on Milwaukee Avenue.
Half Day Brewing Company occupies the impressive 14,500-square-foot building formerly occupied by Flatlander’s, which had been vacant for three years. Zych and Ward gutted the structure and completely remodeled but retained one signature artifact, the stone fireplace in the main dining room. They brought in new brewing equipment and installed a back corner glassed brick oven cooking area that has become a popular diversion for children to watch the chefs make pizza.
The open concept 41-44-seat bar is “the fun spot where you want to hang out, have drinks with friends, meet after work, or kick off a casual date,” Zych said. There are 40 beers on tap, including five Half Day Brewing Company creations: the Half Day Full Day IPA, Half Day Chieftan Session IPA, Half Day Iron Horse Porter, Half Day Meridian Wit, and Half Day Blackhawk Stout. Zych and Ward plan to compete in the Great American Beer Festival in October.
“When people brew their own beer, they won’t bring in guest beers because they want to move their own stuff,” Ward said. “We sell plenty of our beer, but we know people want to have the beers they know and are comfortable with.”
The Native-American theme is further reflected in the brewpub’s Indian chief logo and in framed photographs that depict Native-American heritage and culture. These alternate with photos of brewery history and process.
The menu is more upscale than the comfort foods served at the seven Tap House suburban locations. The 12-inch wood-fired pizzas ($13 and up) come in several meat and veggie varieties. Starters include Pepper & Salt Fried Shrimp ($14.99), house-made seasoned potato chips with dips ($3.99 for a single serving, $6.99 to share) and the award-winning Smoked Brew House Wings, brined in buttermilk and smoked for four hours before they are flash fried ($11.29 for 10). Burgers start at $10.99 and include bison, turkey and lamb alternatives. Entrees include a Grilled Salmon ($18.99).
Desserts range from cupcakes ($2.49) to a chocolate chip cookie sundae ($8.99). There is also a Sunday Jazz Brunch.
The Half Day Brewing Company space was designed with “something for everybody” in mind, Ward said. Spaces include a separate martini bar, a private dining room for parties and corporate events, the family-friendly dining room, and a raised dining area adjacent to the main dining room.
Zych and Ward refer to the restaurant as “a gathering place,” its friendly and welcoming spirit an homage to the Potawatomi chief who gave the enterprise its name. “Chief Aptakisic was known as a friendly chief who helped negotiate treaties and brought people together,” Zych said. “And that’s what we are doing; bringing people together.”
Hours: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday brunch; 2 p.m.-10 p.m. Sunday dinner; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mon.-Thu.; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat.
Half Day Brewing Company is at 200 Village Green, Lincolnshire. Call 847-821-6933 or go to www.halfdaybrewing.com.
Donald Liebenson is a freelance writer.
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