About Milwaukee's beer garden tradition

For more than 150 years, few objects have represented the city of Milwaukee better than a mug of beer – the key component of gemütlichkeit, which Milwaukeeans have pursued since long before prohibition.

Beer steins clutched in the hands of dozens of strangers crowded together at long wooden tables under tree canopies represents the city’s long devotion to the craft of beer brewing and community, and pays tribute to the city’s sturdy Germanic roots.

German immigrants inspired the creation of the city’s breweries and made beer gardens the quintessential gathering spot of Milwaukee. According to the Milwaukee County Parks Department, more than two dozen breweries were in operation by 1856, making way for beer gardens along the Milwaukee River.

Prohibition in the 1920s curtailed such gatherings, but the idea has experienced a revival in recent years.

The city has several permanent beer gardens, including the popular Estabrook Beer Garden along the river greenway in the city’s northeast side, between Shorewood and Whitefish Bay. And the county’s Traveling Beer Garden tours bring the beer garden experience to neighborhood parks around the city throughout the summer.

Here, you can fill your beer stein with Hofbrau, wash down bratwurst or a soft pretzel, and watch your neighbors polka – just like Milwaukeeans did generations before.

See the rest of Milwaukee's 100 objects

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: About Milwaukee's beer garden tradition