With the arrival of the nice, actual-spring weather, I took the opportunity to grab a pint (or four) at the South Shore Terrace beer garden in Bay View, the first of the many area beer gardens to open for the season. In fact, the setting was suggested by two of my friends who offered to pick me up on the way.
Ready for a fun afternoon full of Leinie’s Northwoods Lager and Qwixx Deluxe overlooking the Lake and Milwaukee skyline, I crawled into the backseat of their car and buckled up next to their 6-week-old daughter’s carseat. It struck me at that moment how odd it all was: not that we were taking a baby to a drinking venue for an afternoon of casual beers, but instead how nonplussed we all were about it.
All photos by Joe Powell for The Squeaky Curd.
And, indeed, as we arrived at South Shore and walked past the bustling playground to the beer garden entrance, it became clear that the vast majority of tables had at least one child in attendance. We would’ve stood out much more as three young adults alone rather than as three young adults and a baby.
Should this phenomenon be weirder for us than it is? Go to states like Utah where there used to be laws directing walls to be placed between a dining room and a bar in a restaurant so that a child could not unwittingly rest their eyes on the devil’s drink. There are nationwide-laws about reducing the visibility of cigarette marketing to help dissuade children from picking up the habit.
My niece, one of many babies whom I’ve introduced to beer gardens.
But here I was, introducing a literal newborn baby to the joys of sipping suds in the sunshine (she opted for milk instead). The gaggle of giggling kids behind me were inventing a new way to play giant Connect Four that involved throwing the pieces at each other while their parents saluted them with a stein. South Shore Terrace even has a Kid’s Menu and draft root beer.
Though Wisconsin’s legal age for purchasing alcoholic beverages is 21 like the rest of the US, we do feature a unique wrinkle: it’s legal for anyone of any age to drink in a bar if they’re with their parents, guardian, or spouse of legal drinking age. That being said, I’ve seen children and teenagers in family and corner bars over the years, but I’ve never seen someone under 21 (knowingly) served, save at weddings. In fact, even in Wisconsin, it’s still a bit odd to have kids in a traditional bar.
My nephew and brother-in-law, another satisfied baby customer.
Which is probably a big reason beer gardens have become so popular recently. It’s a good example of Milwaukee leaders being a bit ahead of the curve for once: Millennials love drinking as much (or more) than other generations, and were the ones to really popularize brewery taprooms and craft beer bars. But as we’re aging and having children, we still want to have a couple great local beers while not locking our kids in their cages at home (can you tell I’m not a parent yet?).
For half the year, beer gardens are a fantastic way to spend quality time outside, with friends and neighbors, enjoying a beer while the kids enjoy the great outdoors. Drinking in Wisconsin has always been a family affair, and Milwaukee’s beer gardens are the perfect setting for quality together time, brew in hand.