Brewing Up a Good Time

By Kristine Hansen | Photo ©Door County Brewing Company

For a no-frills, fun outing that doesn’t require a strict dress code, overnight accommodations or — in some cases — even a fussy, catered meal, look no further than Wisconsin’s many taprooms.

With attached outdoor spaces, dozens of Wisconsin’s craft breweries were positioned to host small-group events even before the pandemic. If a corporate group is looking for a location to celebrate a company milestone or simply create a fun team-building outing away from the office, these sudsy spots are perfect. And what better excuse to try out a brewery’s newest or seasonal ales?

Wisconsin is, of course, in the middle of a craft-beer explosion. Milwaukee alone is now home to at least 20 small-scale craft breweries, while more breweries are popping up in Madison, Eau Claire, Oshkosh and Green Bay. Many also house a restaurant, taproom, outdoor patio or private rooms for events.

Here are four breweries — from Milwaukee to northern Door County to Waunakee and Madison — ready to welcome your small group with their outdoor areas. When booking an event, don’t forget to consider activities open to the public — such as tours, tastings, on-site yoga classes or food pairings — as these can often pivot to serve a private group, too.

The Lone Girl Brewing Company, Waunakee

Dubbed The Landing, this four-year-old brewery’s two private-event spaces are The Barrel Room and The Tasting Room. Access to an outdoor patio through The Tasting Room’s double doors provides a group with an additional 400 square feet to spread out, with seating at high-top bar tables and stools. Two large televisions and a sound system inside are great if you need to show a presentation. The space is bookable with either a flat fee or a food-and-beverage minimum and, like The Barrel Room, includes a mobile bar with six beers on tap (your choice), as well as dedicated staff.

You can also tack on extras for a group, like a half-hour brewery tour for up to 14 guests that folds in a 6-ounce glass of SpeaKEEasy Light, its flagship beer. For the ultimate team-building experience, book the Brew Your Own Beer package, which includes 2.5 kegs of a group’s beer (crafted up with the tutelage of the brewery’s beermaster) to tap at the event. Want to serve food? The brewery’s restaurant makes it a breeze, with preportioned items like sliders, deviled eggs and chicken wings on its catering menu.

Door County Brewing Company, Baileys Harbor

In the sleepy town of Baileys Harbor, on the “quiet side” of Door County and hugging Lake Michigan, the craft brewery’s new taproom debuted in 2017. Five years earlier, the brewery was formed by the McMahon family, but in a different location (still in Door County).

Almost as large as the 3,000-square-foot indoor taproom, Door County Brewing Company’s outside area not only frequently hosts food trucks, but also live music on occasion. Three fire pits help extend the season into the cooler months, along with two enclosed structures — the Hacienda cabin and what was once Bearded Heart Coffee’s tiny-house café — that are perfect for a small group and shelter from the wind chill. Groups can reserve the beer garden for their exclusive use, and also take advantage of a stage (for live music or other presentations) and dedicated bar area.

Beers span a wide range, but the brewery tends to specialize in Belgian-, French- and American-influenced styles, with odes to Door County whenever possible, such as the Polka King, a dark brown porter brewed in honor of late local Freddie Kodanko, and Little Sister and Big Sister, both witbiers with nods to their island namesakes in nearby Sister Bay. Speaking of sisters, in 2019, Door County Brewing Company additionally opened a sister brewery and taproom called Hacienda Beer Company on Milwaukee’s East Side.

Capital Brewery, Middleton

Anybody who’s spent time in Madison and is a beer aficionado knows about the Capital Brewery Bier Garten in downtown Middleton. What not everyone knows is that it can be reserved for a private group. Although it can accommodate up to 1,200 people for an event, smaller groups can also feel at home as it’s easy to follow social- distancing guidelines. Access to a stage, tent, bar and communal- style picnic tables is included, and reservations are available between April and October.

Capital Brewery also rents out two indoor rooms: Bier Stube, which holds up to 80 people, with views of copper kettles imported from Germany, and the newly remodeled Grain Room, which holds up to 50 people. These can be rented separately or together as modifications allow for combining the two into one.

As one of the state’s first craft breweries, opening in 1984, Capital Brewery brews a variety of beers — from India pale ales (IPAs) to barrel- aged beers — that can easily please a group with differing palates.

Milwaukee Brewing Company, Milwaukee

The new location for this brewery’s tasting room — just a stone’s throw from Fiserv Forum, home of the Milwaukee Bucks — opened its doors in 2018. But Milwaukee Brewing Company’s roots stretch back to 1997 when the beer was crafted at the Milwaukee Ale House in the city’s Historic Third Ward neighborhood, then a nearby facility beginning in 2009. Also of note: The new taproom is on the former Pabst Brewing Company campus and was once a bottling plant.

With this newest location, there are multiple spaces for a group to gather, including the rooftop of Bottle House Forty-Two, the modern restaurant that shares space with the brewery. The venue overlooks Fiserv Forum and includes the ability to program content through a large video screen. At night, the city’s skyline glitters, providing another focal point. Retractable garage doors coax in fresh air and, to further spread a group out, or make it a destination for a separate before or after event, the street-facing beer garden is available to groups as well. F Street Hospitality coordinates booking for these spaces.