A beer garden is planned at a fourth Milwaukee County park, this time for Humboldt Park in the city of Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood.
The Humboldt Park beer garden would be operated by St. Francis Brewery and could open this summer. Details are still being negotiated said Brendan Conway, spokesman for Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele.
Humboldt Park is located northeast of Howell and Oklahoma avenues. Milwaukee County Supervisor Jason Haas, who represents the Bay View neighborhood, will host an open house at the Humboldt Park Pavilion from 5-7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 10, to discuss the plans for the beer garden there.
“This is a great opportunity for Humboldt Park and to show off what the neighborhood has to offer,” Haas said.
Last week Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele announced that ABC Estabrook Inc., the operator of the Estabrook Beer Garden at Milwaukee County’s Estabrook Park (located on the border of Milwaukee and Glendale), plans to operate a year-round beer garden at Milwaukee County’s Scout Lake Park in Greendale.
The Estabrook Beer Garden opened in 2012 and is inspired by classic beer gardens in Munich, Germany. It has become a popular destination in the Milwaukee area to enjoy German beer, snacks and the outdoor park setting along the Milwaukee River. It also revived a long-lost Milwaukee tradition dating back to the 1800s when German immigrants congregated in beer gardens along the banks of the Milwaukee River.
Last year the Friends of Hoyt Park and Pool added a beer garden at Hoyt Park in Wauwatosa.
The success of the Estabrook Park beer garden prompted county officials to issue an RFP in October seeking proposals for food and beverage operations at other county parks. ABC Estabrook and St. Francis Brewery responded to that RFP with the plans for Scout Lake Park and Humboldt Park.
Proposals for additional food and beverage operations at Milwaukee County Parks are being considered, Conway said. He declined to provide information about those proposals.
The food and beverage operations at the parks provide an opportunity to generate additional revenue for the county. The Parks Department estimates the county could potentially collect $80,000 in 2014 and $100,000 in 2015 in revenue from the Scout Lake Park beer garden.
