Courtesy Tyranena
Tyranena's outdoor seating area at sunset.
A Lake Mills classic: Tyranena at sunset.
Biergarten season has arrived. Since 2020’s COVID restrictions forced creative solutions, outside seating at breweries and brewpubs has become a staple. But what separates run-of-the-mill outdoor seating from something approaching the spirit of a real German biergarten?
A biergarten is not a few tables on the sidewalk with a view of traffic. A biergarten is an atmospheric achievement. It is an outdoor space with a communal vibe. Its sense of place is as distinctive as a public park. They are family- and pet-friendly. Live music is a plus. Sometimes, if there’s no onsite kitchen, patrons can bring in food, and these days, food trucks often line up nearby.
Capital Brewery and Bier Garten at 7734 Terrace Ave. in Middleton is true to its name. This is a classic brewery biergarten with rows of picnic tables, served by an outdoor bar. A covered performance stage is the perfect setting for a summer’s worth of live music on Fridays and Saturdays (and sometimes other days). About 15 beers are on tap.
Pick: Capital Special, a crisp German pilsner, is one of Capital’s original Garten Brau beers from the 1980s.
Tyranena Brewing Company at 1025 Owen St. in Lake Mills has a sprawling lawn where folks spread blankets and settle in with a beer to listen to live music on Fridays and Saturdays in the summer. There’s also a covered porch and patio seating — a safe harbor when poor weather sets in. The backyard feel. coupled with the quality music and beer, makes the trip to charming Lake Mills worth taking. About 15 beers are on tap.
Pick: Lake Millionaire, a hazy IPA, has crisp tropical citrus flavor.
You might know this place as the Wisconsin Brewing Company, but since WBC acquired Lake Louie in 2019, that branding has come to the fore. Lake Louie Brewing, at 1079 American Way in Verona, has a large patio overlooking a seven-acre man-made lake they call Lake Louie (though it’s not the body of water in Arena that originally gave the brewery its name). The patio is home to special events, parties and music on Fridays and Saturdays (and some other days) during the summer. There are 13 taps.
Pick: Pier Pressure, a new beer for Lake Louie. This is a light crisp pilsner dry-hopped with German Spalt hops that lend spicy herbal bitterness.
There’s no brewery attached to The Biergarten at Olbrich Park, 3527 Atwood Ave. — but there’s plenty of great brews on the almost-exclusively-Wisconsin craft beer tap list. The view of Lake Monona and the skyline is unsurpassed; the tables are so close to the shoreline that on windy days you can feel the spray from waves. (A subtle touch of German biergarten authenticity lies under the picnic tables — it’s gravel similar to what’s underfoot in biergartens in Bavaria.)
Pick: Third Space’s Happy Place, if for no greater reason than the name. This is a citrusy pale ale that’s a real people-pleaser.
The Great Dane Pub and Brewery at 123 E. Doty St. in downtown Madison has a secluded garden courtyard that’s popular for drinking and dining, so it lacks the more social biergarten vibe. Even so, the cream brick and ivy-covered walls lend plenty of atmosphere.
Pick: Crop Circle Wheat is among the best local hefeweizens, light and crisp and full of fruity, yeasty notes of lemon and banana.
The rooftop patio of The Lone Girl Brewing Company at 114 E. Main St. in Waunakee makes this a destination. A covered bar and fire pits are joined by a small stage for occasional live music.
Pick: Off the Rail IPA, an American IPA with sharp, resiny bitterness.
Vintage Brewing Company’s Sauk Prairie location at 600 Water St. has a balcony-like patio that overlooks the Wisconsin River. Plus, there are about 40 beers on tap.
Pick: Sister Golden, a light, easy drinking German kölsch. Any self-respecting biergarten needs to serve this traditional style, and it’s a signature brew for Vintage.
Hop Haus Brewing Company at 2975 Sub-Zero Parkway in Fitchburg features both a patio and a rooftop deck with a full bar. About 16 taps are available.
Pick: Hammock Naps, a fruited sour that stays refreshing in the sun. Its tartness is balanced with a touch of mango and peach for some fruity sweetness.
Honorable mentions: Here are a few more biergartens to put on your bucket (or barrel) list: New Glarus Brewing Company, 218 Hosely Drive, has a large outdoor courtyard perfect for a beer before or after a self-guided tour. Paoli’s Hop Garden taproom, 6889 Canal St., in the century-old mill (listed on the National Registry of Historic Places) is adjacent to a family-friendly park-like setting on the Sugar River, where live music is performed Wednesday-Sunday. Out-of-the-way Hubbleton Brewing Company is really out in the country at W10445 Hubbleton Road, Waterloo. Its small covered patio overlooks the brewery hopyard and rolling Wisconsin farmland. And of course the Terrace at the Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St., is in a class of its own, with sunsets that rival the beer list..
