Guide to Milwaukee beer gardens — 2018 edition

Beer might be among the most botanical of beverages. It's basically water, grains, yeast and hops. So drinking it outside, surrounded by nature, seems like the thing to do. For sure it's a thing we do around these parts.

Quench your thirst for a brew and a view at these seasonal beer gardens.

RELATED: A summer (and fall) guide to beer and cider festivals

Beer gardens in Milwaukee County Parks

Estabrook Park Beer Garden

4600 N. Estabrook Drive

Hours: Noon to 10 p.m. daily. Last call at 9 p.m.

Estabrook was Milwaukee's first beer garden to open in more than a century when it opened in 2012 and true to its Milwaukee roots, it serves a fish fry each Friday. True to its German heritage, Estabrook serves beers imported from the Munich Hofbräuhaus.

Other menu items include bratwurst, hot dogs and giant pretzels. The beer garden is set in the middle of the park, which boasts trails, playgrounds, disc golf course, a dog park, soccer fields and a river walk.

Humboldt Park Beer Garden

3000 S. Howell Ave. Hours: Noon to 9 p.m. daily

St. Francis Brewing is the host brewery for this beer garden, but beers from several breweries are available. Fridays are dedicated to tap takeovers by Wisconsin breweries and Saturdays are for limited-release beers.

Humboldt Park also serves sandwiches, snacks and kids' meals along with St. Francis' root beer and bottled sodas.

The Landing at Hoyt Park

1800 N. Swan Blvd., Wauwatosa

Opens: May 16

Hours: 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and holidays through Oct. 28.

The Landing at Hoyt Park is nestled at the edge of the park and a swimming pool. Beers on tap include City Lights, Hacker Pschorr, Lakefront, New Belgium, New Glarus, Spaten Optimator and Third Space.

Food includes Cranky Al's pizza, hot dogs, brats and giant pretzels. Or bring your own. The beer garden has live music on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

South Shore Terrace Kitchen + Beer Garden

2900 South Shore Drive

Hours: 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The open-air beer garden serves up Miller brews and a side of lake views. Look for Miller Lite, Pilsner Urquell, Terrapin, Blue Moon and Leinenkugel's. There are also sodas, hard sodas and wine for sale. There's a menu of farm-to-table food items and live music every Wednesday night.

Whitnall Park Beer Garden

8831 N. Root River Parkway, Greendale

Hours: 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Whitnall has a rotating selection of brews from Sprecher Brewing Co., Lakefront Brewery, New Glarus, Wisconsin Brewing Co., Milwaukee Brewing Co., Brenner Brewing Co., Bell's Brewery, Founders Brewing Co. and Leinenkugel's. Hard sodas, cider, wine and non-alcoholic beverages also will be available.

The beer garden has live music at 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Pig roasts are scheduled for May 20, June 17, July 15, Aug. 19 and Sept. 16 with live music.

Gift of Wings sells food and snacks. Patrons can also bring in their own food and non-alcoholic beverages.

Traveling Beer Gardens

Opens: May 16

Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and holidays.

The familiar repurposed emergency vehicles will pump out Sprecher beer and soda in Milwaukee County parks but offer new features for 2018. On opening nights, special events and weekends, the Iron Grate BBQ food truck will roll up to the beer gardens. Other days, there will continue to be pretzels, bratwurst and Polish sausages for sale.

There are two Traveling Beer Gardens. One is the Pass Me a Pint tour, which is in place at Juneau Park through May 28.

Other dates: Kletzsch Park, Glendale, May 30-June 10; Froemming Park, Franklin, June 13-24; McCarty Park, West Allis, June 27-July 8; Jackson Park, July 11-22; Lake Park, July 25-Aug. 5; Hales Corners Park, Hales Corners, Aug. 7-19; Currie Park, Wauwatosa, Aug. 22-Sept. 3; and a pop-up beer garden at Trimborn Farms in Franklin Sept. 7-9.

The Roll Out the Barrel tour is parked at Greenfield Park in West Allis through June 3.

Other dates: Bender Park, Oak Creek, June 6-24; Grant Park, South Milwaukee, June 27-July 15; Doctors Park, Fox Point, July 18-Aug. 5; and Juneau Park, Aug. 8-Sept. 3. Roll Out the Barrel stops are now three weeks.

Beyond Milwaukee County Parks

Hubbard Park Beer Garden

3565 N. Morris Blvd., Shorewood

Hours: 3 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, weather dependent.

The beer menu at Hubbard Park Beer Garden includes brews from Spaten, Hacker-Pschorr, Central Waters, New Glarus, Milwaukee Brewing, Third Space, Karben4, Point Brewery and Miller, along with wines, sodas and select mixed drinks. There's also a food menu of bratwurst, hot dogs, sausage, giant pretzels and a cheese platter.

Just off the Oak Leaf Trail, the beer garden caters to walkers and bicyclists but also hosts special events such as Thursday Game Day with bowling leagues, ping-pong leagues and board games. The beer garden serves fish fries on Friday and Bloody Mary specials from noon to 2 p.m. on Sunday.

New Berlin Beer Garden

Eagle Park Brewing will host five beer garden events in two New Berlin parks

Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. on Friday and noon to 9 p.m. Saturday.

May 25-26; July 27-28; Aug. 24-25; and Sept. 28-29 at Malone Park, 16400 W. Al Stigler Parkway

June 22-23 at 5051 S. Sunny Slope Road

Eagle Park brings the beer and the food. Live music is also planned.

Brookfield Beer Garden

18725 Hoffman Ave., Brookfield

Hours: 5 to 9 p.m. June 21, July 26, Aug. 16 and Sept. 27.

The beer garden is new to the Village of Brookfield this year and will feature Biloba Brewing beers, live music, a family game area and grilled foods.

Croatian Park Beer Garden

9100 S. 76th St., Franklin

Opens: May 28

Hours: 5 to 10 p.m. Thursdays through Sept. 8

The Croatian Park Beer Garden features Croatian Park Ale, Karlovacko Pivo (an imported Croatian Beer), a rotating selection of Wisconsin craft beers such as Steel Tank and MillerCoors products along with Croatian Cordials, mixed drinks, wine and soda.

Mugs are available for $10 and come with a tap beer of choice. Food vendors have grilled meats and vegetables. All purchases are cash only.

Live entertainment is planned each Thursday night.

Von Rothenburg Bier Stube

N116-W15863 Main St., Germantown

Hours through May 20: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday

Hours May 25-June 3: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday

Hours beginning June 5: 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Von Rothenburg Bier Stube and the Old Town Beer Hall share a beer garden. The beer garden officially opens for the season on June 5. Sixteen beers rotate on the tap in the beer garden, but others are available in Von Rothenburg or Old Town. The beer garden has its own summer menu and live music on Friday and Saturday.

Depot Beer Garden at Old Falls Village Historical Park

County Line and Pilgrim roads, Menomonee Falls

Opens: May 19

Hours: 2 to 9 p.m. Saturday

Each week will feature a different brewery, beginning with Milwaukee-based Mobcraft, according to a story from the Now News Group.

Most breweries that will sell at the beer garden will be Milwaukee area breweries, including Third Space Brewing, Raised Grain Brewing Co. and Good City Brewing, Greifenhagen said. Iowa-based Toppling Goliath Brewery will be there one weekend in September.

The beer garden will feature live music and family-friendly games through Oct. 13.

Menomonee Falls Beer Garden

Mill Pond Plaza on Main St., Menomonee Falls

Opens: June 15

Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. through Sept. 28

The Menomonee Falls Beer Garden has a new temporary location. The new location avoids construction but like last year, serves Miller Lite and four craft beers on tap along with wine coolers, hard cider and soda. Sandwiches and appetizers are available.

Raised Grain Pop-up Beer Garden

Eble Park, 19400 W. Blue Mound Road, Brookfield

Opens: May 24

Hours: 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday.

Raised Grain Brewery opens its pop-up beer garden season with a ceremonial beer tapping to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Eble Park. Look for five rotating beers from Raised Grain and a food truck.

The next park stops include Fox River, Waukesha, May 31-June 2 and July 5-7; Nashotah, June 7-9: Minooka, Waukesha, June 14-16, July 20-22 and Aug. 9-11; Naga-Waukee, Hartland, June 21-23 and Aug. 2-4; Menomonee, Menomonee Falls, June 28-30 and Sept. 6-8; Muskego, July 12-14 and Aug. 30-Sept. 1; Fox Brook, Brookfield July 26-28 and Aug. 23-25; and Mukwonago Aug. 16-18.

Permit sticker holders for Waukesha County parks have access to the parks. One-time visitors will receive a beer token with a daily entry pass that costs $6.

Lake Country Beer Garden

Nixon Park, 175 E. Park Ave., Hartland

Opens: May 28

Hours: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday and noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through Sept. 30

Patrick Endters, who owns Endters Sports Grill, could see Nixon Park from the back door of his restaurant when he decided it was the best place for a summer beer garden last year. Lake Country Beer Garden is back this year with an extended run.

Look for Oconomowoc's Brewfinity beers on tap alongside a few others, plus wine and sodas. The park, a stop on the Ice Age Trail, will also sells brats and pretzels and other limited food items. There's a playground and splash pad for kids and also bags games and Jenga for adults. Endters plans to host bands again this year.

See the Lake Country Beer Garden page on Facebook.

WinneBeerGo

Pewaukee

WinneBeerGo upped the beer-garden game for nostalgic delivery when it put wheels down in Pewaukee last fall.

This year WinneBeerGo, a 1984 Winnebago RV, and MinneBeerGo, a three-wheeled Harley-Davidson with four taps, will serve beer at Lakefront Park in Pewaukee during the Pewaukee Lake Water Ski show at Lakefront Park, 222 W. Wisconsin Ave., each Thursday beginning May 31. Beer will flow until an hour after the show through August 30.

More pop-up locations: Nettesheim Park, N26-W27495 Prospect Ave., from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, noon to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 13-15 and Aug. 10-12.

Kiwanis Village Park, 325 Capitol Drive, from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and 2 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7-Oct. 6.

WinneBeerGo heads to Pewaukee Village Park for weekends In September and October. Beers on tap will include those from Brewfinity, Tyranena, Lakefront, Sprecher and more. Plans include food trucks, activities and live music.

Washington County Pop-Up Beer Gardens

Open: June 15

Hours: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and last call is at 8:30 p.m.

Pop-up beer gardens are held on the parks' Free Entrance Days and are done in collaboration with Raised Grain Brewing. Stops include June 15 and 16 at Homestead Hollow County Park, N120 W19809 Freistadt Road in the Village of Germantown; July 13 and 14 at Ackerman’s Grove County Park, 4875 County Highway Z in the Town of Polk; Aug. 2 and 3: Homestead Hollow County Park; and Aug. 24 and 25: Ackerman’s Grove County Park.

Pop-Up Hofbrau Biergarten

438 S Stuart Rd, Racine

Hours: 3 to 9 p.m.

A Pop-up Hofbrau Biergarten with German beers, craft ciders and a few American IPAs opens July 12-15 at Smolenski Park. The beer garden, a fundraiser for neighboring projects, will serve sausage and pretzels and host live bands. The beer garden is free but there are reserved VIP tables available for $250.