Capital Brewery's biergarten in Middleton, Wisconsin
By now, many readers are aware that I’ve succeeded in legislating the Bank Street Brewhouse parking lot out of existence, and initiating a conversion into a rectangular space intended for human, not automotive, habitation.
We‘re calling it Lloyd’s Landing, in memory of Lloyd “Highwayman” Wimp, and it strikes me as important to concede from the outset our clear-eyed recognition that resources are lacking to transform overnight an expanse of fenced asphalt into the sort of patio/beer garden all of us would like to see. I had to start somewhere, and the first hurdle is cleared. Now we embark on a long, meandering pathway to completion, which after all is a longstanding NABC tradition.
The asphalt needs removing and a new surface (or surfaces) put down. Landscaping and abundant greenery must be planned, and already we’ve had a generous offer of assistance in that area. In the sense of daily operations, there is a ripple effect of having Lloyd’s Landing open and usable. It is an extension of the WCTU Reading Room, and so the Reading Room must be completed, as well as beer taps installed in the new, second bar area. There must be employees, procedures, scheduling, sweeping, signage – and can someone buy another case of cups?
However, in order to do so much as bluff our way through this at the barest of minimums, perhaps the second most important factor after the licensing itself is to have somewhere in Lloyd’s Landing for customers to sit.
Two things that all patios have in common are tables and chairs, and when it comes to areas designed for outdoor beer drinking, tables and chairs often merge into the unit we’ve come to know as the picnic table. In a Bavarian beer garden, these usually come detached, with benches not physically connected to the table. They’re certainly an option, and while pricey, can be purchased used in Louisville. The Hofbrauhaus in Newport, Kentucky, deploys them to marvelous effect.
Note that if we could afford a first-class buildout like the Hofbrahaus's exemplary Bavarian-style beer garden, I'd likely be living in Munich already.
Thinking outside "classic" boxes, non-traditional materials might conceivably be used, as with hints provided by these benches built from wooden pallets.
However, in an era of enlarged beer drinkers much like myself, I have recurring worries about durability.
Readers, what do you know about sources and pricing for standard, one-piece picnic tables in the American sense? I can be reached through the usual channels, such as roger(at)newalbanian(dot)com, and I’d appreciate whatever feedback you have to offer.
