Lost Hollow Beer Co.
Small Business Spotlight
On East Franklin Street, a jackalope watches over the taps. That's the mascot of Lost Hollow Beer Co., the brewery, restaurant and music venue at 102 E. Franklin St. co-founded by Elliot Dunbar, Alex Eaker and Clay McKinley, Putnam County's only beer producer.
The restaurant opened in June 2023, with Lost Hollow's own beer following two months later. Dunbar and his co-founders had been chasing a brewery since 2019, but a financially viable location never turned up until 2022, when they learned their current space would be available for lease with brewing equipment already installed. They spent twelve weeks that spring refurbishing furniture, painting, developing beer recipes, building the menu, and hiring their opening staff.
The name almost wasn't Lost Hollow. The original concept, rooted in the folklore of Indiana's old Limberlost swamp, came together over months of branding, merchandise and menu design, right up until a cease-and-desist letter arrived two days before their soft opening. "Limberlost" was already taken. Working from what they had, including a custom font missing only the letters for a new name, the founders landed on Lost Hollow during a late-night call, inspired by the hidden mountain hollers of Appalachia. The jackalope, their original mascot, stayed on for the ride; a taxidermy jackalope turned up, fittingly, in the basement of one of the owners' grandfathers just as they were finishing the buildout.
The idea itself started years earlier and much smaller. Dunbar and Eaker had talked about homebrewing since college, eventually borrowing a five-gallon carboy and fermenting their first batch in a closet, tucked beside Dunbar's dress shirts. From there it grew: five-gallon batches at Clay McKinley's place, a twenty-gallon propane system in a garage by 2020, brewdays with friends and potential investors. Plans stalled for a few years while each of the three pursued other work. Then, about a week before Christmas, Dunbar called his co-founders: 102 E. Franklin St., Greencastle, was available. It was time to update the business plan.
Today, Lost Hollow serves what Dunbar describes as approachable, seasonal beer made with local grain and regional hops. The beer is paired with a full food menu in a space that also serves as an event venue, music venue and meeting place. "We aim to be a community hub and a good neighbor, one beer at a time," Dunbar said. "We remind ourselves that at the end of the day, we make beer and burgers, and we are supposed to have a good time."
The Business Development Grant, administered through the Growing Green and Gold Together (GGaGT) initiative, helped Lost Hollow take a step the founders had been building toward since that first closet-fermented batch: distribution. Grant funding covered a canning labeler and brewery management software, allowing the team to can and label roughly a case of beer a minute and track inventory as they scale up production. "This has allowed us to grow a new revenue stream, hire another full-time employee, and broaden our reach as a brand," Dunbar said. "Without the grant funding, it would have taken us years to get the capital to start the distribution process." Lost Hollow beer is now finding its way onto shelves and taps at other local restaurants, bars and liquor stores. The founders also took part in GGaGT's business cohorts, which Dunbar said helped sharpen their marketing and sales strategy and shaped their broader strategic plan.
Lost Hollow has become one of downtown Greencastle's steadiest community fixtures. The brewery hosts live music, open mic nights and trivia, and celebrates its share of made-up holidays. It also partners with First Friday as one of the event’s live-music hosts, booking a band and helping with setup and teardown for Franklin Street vendors each month. It regularly hosts private events for sports teams, Greek life and alumni groups. It also backs local causes through fundraisers like Putnam County Museum Trivia, the Kinetic Change Trivia and 5K After Party, Fuller Housing Trivia Night, and Dine & Donates with area fraternities and sororities. The team sponsors a local softball team, high school plays, youth sports, and has opened its kitchen to help other local entrepreneurs get their own ideas off the ground.
"We want to be a part of our community as an employer, a partner and a good neighbor," Dunbar said. "The service industry takes a village, and we try to be a part of making Greencastle a great place to live, work and visit." Asked about his connection to Greencastle, Dunbar kept it simple: "Keep dreaming big for this small town."
To find Lost Hollow Beer Co., visit losthollowbeerco.com or follow @losthollowbeerco.
This article is part of the "Small Business Spotlight" series, highlighting local businesses supported by the Growing Green and Gold Together initiative, a partnership between the City of Greencastle and DePauw University.
