By OnMilwaukee Staff Writers   Published Jun 03, 2014 at 4:36 PM

For the first time since the 1800s, a traveling beer garden will soon be making the rounds – and undoubtedly serving up a few – throughout Milwaukee.

Sprecher and the Milwaukee County Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture have teamed up to bring the fire truck-turned-suds slinger to a total of six parks throughout the summer, starting June 4 with a stop in the Root River Parkway South Picnic Area 1. 

The beer garden, complete with a tap trailer and concessions stand, will feature a variety of signature Sprecher beers and sodas on tap, along with hard root beer, hard ginger beer, cocktails and root beer floats (of both regular and 21-and-over variations). A selection of draft beers will be available in multiple sizes, ranging from souvenir pint glasses to 64-ounce growlers.

The concessions trailer will also be serving up a menu of ice cream and finger foods, including pizza, popcorn, cheese flights, pretzels and chips. 

For its June 4 inauguration, the beer garden will be offering nine Sprecher beers: Abbey Triple, American Pale Ale, Black Bavarian, Firelight, Hefe Weiss, IPA2, Pub Brown Ale, Summer Pils and a "Mystery Firkin" beer that will be tapped that night. Those who arrive early Wednesday night will receive free samples of the mystery brew – or free samples of root beer for those under 21. 

The beer garden will stay in Root River Parkway until June 15, when it will refill and head back out on the road to its next extended stop.

The complete summer schedule goes as such:

  • Root River Parkway South Picnic Area 1: June 4-15
  • Coast Guard Station Area near McKinley Marina: June 18-29
  • Doctors Park: July 2-13
  • Red Arrow Park: July 16-27
  • Greene Park: July 30-Aug. 10
  • Falk Park: Aug. 13-24

During the week, the beer garden will be open from 4 to 10 p.m. On the weekends, it'll open up earlier, going from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. Last call for alcohol service, however, is the same no matter the day of the week: 9 p.m.