Horny Goat’s Year-Round Outdoor Fun

Horny Goat Hideaway. Photo by Joey Grihalva.

Back when I was co-host of The Feel Good Hit of the Summer on CJLO 1690AM in Montréal my co-host Chris MacGregor and I had a feature we called “The Twitter Bit.” It worked like this: if a band followed either Chris or I on Twitter and their music didn’t suck, we would play them on our show. We actually found some pretty good new music from all over the world that way. I took the same approach in choosing the establishment to feature this week on my happy hour column. Horny Goat Brew Pub recently started following me (@joeygrihalva) on Twitter. (Not that this will be my method from here on out, but I encourage any and all individuals and businesses to follow me.)

I was not unfamiliar with Horny Goat’s Bay View complex (2011 S. 1st St.) upon visiting their outdoor bar this week. It was one of the stops along my brother’s bachelor party a few summers ago. We made use of their volleyball tent and ping-pong table between pitchers of their craft beer. Originally brewed in Steven’s Point, Horny Goat opened their Milwaukee Brew Pub in 2009 in a building that formerly housed Milwaukee Pump House Bar and Grill, originally a high pressure pumping station for the Milwaukee Fire Department built in 1931.

Horny Goat has a wide selection of unique craft beers like their refreshing Watermelon Wheat and Zinfandel infused IPA. My personal favorites are the cocoa-focused Fall/Winter seasonals Brownie Porter and Cherry Chocolate Stout. They’ve abandoned their signature Belgian Wheat and now feature the Hopped Up and Horny IPA, Horny Blonde, and Tango Delta Tangerine IPA as their year-round brews. I sampled the Tango Delta “citrus bomb,” which does a nice job blending fresh tangerine juice with bold hops. If you don’t like a splash of sweet with your pale ale, the Tango Delta is not for you.

Outdoor bar. Photo by Joey Grihalva.

The happy hour at Horny Goat is straightforward and affordable, $3 taps and $5 select apps from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday. On the weekends they double down with a popular late night happy hour from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., Friday through Sunday, featuring $3 taps, $2 select shots and $5 tall Skyy mixers. Other deals include the $6 “Dew and a Brew” (a shot of Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey and a can of Horny Blonde) and the five cans for $15 mix and match bucket. Horny Goat is a strict brew pub, they don’t have any beer besides their own in bottles and cans, but you can get bottles of Mike’s Hard Lemonade and Angry Orchard Cider. However, they always have a few guest taps. This week includes Alaskan Summer, Ballast Point Pale Ale, MKE O-Gii and Milwaukee’s most dependable craft tap, Lakefront’s Riverwest Stein.

If you can’t wait for Taco Tuesday, Horny Goat jumps the gun and features $2 tacos, $5 Margaritas, and $3 Milagro shots on Monday. Their other daily specials include Tuesday pint ($5 for a beer and logo’d pint to take home) and industry night (50% off tap beer for service industry), Wednesday $2 sliders and 50% off wine, Thursday $10 pitchers (regularly $15) and Ladies Night (50% off beer and rail mixers after 9 p.m. for the fairer sex), Friday $9.99 Atlantic Cod Fish Fry and $5 tall Skyy mixers. The weekend brunch menu can be paired with $20 All-You-Can-Drink bloodies and mimosas. They carry a selection of liquor and have a cocktail menu featuring eight different concoctions ($6-$9) including “Purpdrank,” a mix of vodka and grape Kool-Aid.

Other beers on tap this week are the Slim Billy (their take on a light beer), Nutty Wishes (toasted caramel brown ale), Hornacopia (an easy-drinking and somewhat bitter pumpkin ale), and the delicious Cereal Killer Stout (dark chocolate with prune, raisin and minty notes). The $5 select happy hour apps include hummus plate, nachos, chicken tenders, “Miltown Roll” (deep fried wanton wrap with chicken, sweet and Serrano peppers, and cheddar cheese with a jalapeño dipping sauce), and generous serving of beer-battered deep fried pickle coins (with a Cajun dipping sauce), my recommended item.

What makes Horny Goat Brew Pub special is their Hideaway, an outdoor riverside bar area that includes an enclosed and heated area that remains open through the winter, Thursday to Sunday. In the warmer months they often have bands play outside during brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Open play volleyball is held Sunday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. for $5 a person. Occasionally the tent is occupied for volleyball tournaments and special events, such as this Sunday’s TasteMKE 2015 featuring a selection of Milwaukee food trucks and Wisconsin Craft Beer. For tickets visit their website.

Horny Goat Brew Pub

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