Milwaukee Bucks raise a cold one at grand opening of beer garden outside Fiserv Forum
The Milwaukee Bucks poured a tall one Friday and toasted the new beer garden that connects Old World Third Street with the plaza outside Fiserv Forum.
"This is just the beginning of what's going to be happening here," Bucks President Peter Feigin said as he raised a glass high at the grand opening of the space.
"The city is only beginning to sample what we are going to have here."
An enclosed tap room and the open air beer garden are operated by the Bucks and Levy, the arena food concessionaire.
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The area opens onto the street just north of Ugly's bar, 1125 N. Old World Third St. It's been operating for a couple of weeks and already become a novel spot to watch Packers, Brewers and, yes, Bucks games on a 28-foot television screen.
On a chilly night this week, many fans heading to the Foo Fighters concert paused to have a beer and watch the final innings of the Brewers effort against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Tables in the beer garden were ringed by about 10 tall gas-powered heaters that barely did the trick with temperatures in the low 40s.
"We're going to add new heaters that pump out a little bit more oomph," said Justin Green, Bucks vice president for hospitality.
"We're also going to add heaters under the tables."
The beer garden will operate year-round and will feature some novel "programming" in the winter months, Green promised.
"We're going to lean into it during the winter time," he said.
The Bucks hosted Milwaukee Oktoberfest on the plaza earlier this month and next month there will be a month-long Christmas market in the space.
The beer garden and tap room are the first parts of entertainment complex that the Bucks have created along the plaza on the east side of the arena.
Punch Bowl Social will bring bowling, shuffleboard, Skee-Ball, karaoke, and food and drinks to a 24,000-square-foot building just south of the beer garden. Good City Brewing Co. will occupy about 11,000 square feet in a building just north of the beer garden.
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Both Punch Bowl and Good City are expected to open in spring.
Spaces for several other bars and restaurants are yet to be filled.
Built with $250 million in taxpayer support, the arena opened in late summer.