Lombardi Brewing to Begin Soft Opening
New microbrewery and taproom plans to welcome guests by late next week.
City Lights Brewing Co., 2200 W. Mt Vernon Ave. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
Milwaukee’s newest microbrewery is on track to welcome its first customers late next week. The owners of Lombardi Brewing Company shared Thursday that “everything is in place” for a soft opening as soon as Sept. 18.
But leadership is still deciding exactly what that will entail.
“We have identified the leaders of our service team and will make a determination [Friday] on exactly what our soft opening will look like,” the brewery shared in an online post.
Lombardi, led by Chris and Amanda Gethers, Tim Kunze and John Lombardi—grandson to NFL titan, Vince—announced plans to take over the former City Lights Brewing Co. space at 2200 W. Mt. Vernon Ave. in late May.
Since then, the team has completed a number of updates to the historic building—some of which are still in-progress. “We are working diligently to transform our space to meet our vision, but that will take some time,” the owners wrote, noting that progress has been slower than expected. While the taproom’s interior is mostly complete, work on the brewery’s patio is on hold until early 2026.
An opening tap list features beers from both the Lombardi brand and District 1 Brewing in Stevens Point. The operations share the same lead brewer, and for now, all beers are produced at District 1, though the Milwaukee brewery plans to have its own equipment up and running by winter.
Guests can also expect a “wider breadth of beer styles” to be available in the coming months, as Lombardi adds IPAs into the mix.
“It’s been a busy summer as we race to the open, but the work is just starting and we can’t wait to provide you a fantastic experience, very soon!” the post concluded.
The brewery plans to share updates, including an official opening date, on social media. Lombardi has applied for a food dealer’s license but has not yet announced specific plans for its menu.
City Lights previously occupied approximately 7,576 square feet across two buildings in the complex, which is owned by ZHV LLC.
The former brewery closed Jan. 4.
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