Lakefront Beer Garden Will Return

Milwaukee’s lakefront beer garden will return for the summer on Friday, May 27.

The Milwaukee County War Memorial Center and Kegel’s Inn are partnering on the beer garden for the second straight year, but changing the location on the War Memorial grounds, extending the hours and expanding the offerings.

The 2022 beer garden will be open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the recently-reconfigured surface parking area just north of the center, 750 N. Lincoln Memorial Dr. The location offers easy access to users of the adjacent lakefront pedestrian and cycling trail.

“We are thrilled to be welcomed back and recreate the ‘The Beer Garden at The War Memorial Center.’ With it being in the heart of Milwaukee and a phenomenal outdoor space, it’s the perfect location to bring this experience to life,” said Kegel’s owner Julian Kegel in a press release. “This will be a great way to serve the downtown community as people return to work this summer, and we can’t wait to serve all the pedestrians and cyclists that use the Oak Leaf Trail along the lake. It’s truly one of the best places for a beer garden in Milwaukee.”

New this year is a weekly Tuesday evening bike ride. Starting June 7, a slowly-paced, less-than-10-mile “Joy Ride” will leave from the beer garden at 6 p.m. A local “celebrity” will lead the ride each week. The Kegel family also owns and operates the Wheel & Sprocket bicycle store chain.

Live music will be available at the beer garden Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Beers available will include German imports as well as a handful of locally-made offerings. Nitro cold brew coffee will be available from Vennture Brew Co. as well as nitro-tap-poured brandy old fashioned drinks from Central Standard Craft Distillery.

The food menu includes an array of loaded bratwurst, pretzels and appetizer options from the West Allis restaurant.

The press release announcing the event says a portion of the proceeds will benefit the nonprofit War Memorial Center.

Can’t wait for the beer garden? The Milwaukee County Parks traveling beer garden is at Juneau Park, just west of the War Memorial, through May 30. It returns June 15 through July 4 and Aug. 17 through Sep. 5. The traveling beer garden program is a partnership between the county and Sprecher Brewing.

Milwaukee County Parks, in partnership with Molson Coors, also operate a beer garden at South Shore Park.

The 2021 War Memorial beer garden operated from July through October. An Oktoberfest celebration took place in September.

More information on the War Memorial Beer Garden is available on its website. Milwaukee County Parks maintains a website for the traveling beer garden series.