A century-old West Allis beer garden has become one of the hottest tickets in town this October — except there's no ticket at all. Kegel's Inn is showing every Milwaukee Brewers World Series game for free on a giant outdoor screen, drawing fans just a mile from American Family Field for bratwurst, cheese curds and cold beer instead of stadium prices.
Free Admission, No Ticket Required
Admission to the watch parties is free and open to the public, with no ticket needed, according to Kegel's Inn. Food and beverages are available for purchase, with the beer garden serving select German fare including bratwurst, pretzels, Wisconsin cheese curds and other beer garden favorites alongside German and domestic beers, per the same listing. The inn is located about one mile from American Family Field, putting fans close to the ballpark energy without needing a seat inside it.
Kegel's Inn announced the plan on October 18, saying it would show every game of the Brewers' World Series run free on a giant outdoor screen in its historic beer garden, as reported by Urban Milwaukee. The first watch party kicked off with Game 1 last Friday at 7 p.m. Central Time, the outlet noted. The schedule continues with Game 4 on Tuesday, Game 5 if necessary on Wednesday, Game 6 if necessary on Friday, and Game 7 if necessary on Saturday, all starting at 7 p.m. Central Time, according to Kegel's Inn's posted schedule.
A Century of Bringing People Together
Kegel's Inn traces its roots to 1924, when John T. Kegel and his wife Anna founded it as a Prohibition-era soft drink parlor, according to OnMilwaukee. The business, located at 5901 W. National Ave., has operated continuously since, and Urban Milwaukee's release describes it as founded that same year as a Prohibition-era speakeasy. The inn says it has spent more than 100 years bringing people together over good food and cold beer, a point the Kegel family has leaned into as it opens its beer garden to Brewers fans across the region.
FOX6 News Milwaukee reported from West Allis on how Kegel's Inn is offering fans a unique place to watch the World Series, featuring a giant screen and street party atmosphere as the Kegel's Inn family brings people together, according to FOX6 News Milwaukee. That coverage highlighted more than a century of history behind the inn's German food and hospitality, now extended to a city hungry for a pennant.
A City Full of Watch Parties
Kegel's Inn isn't the only spot drawing crowds. Numerous World Series watch parties have been held throughout the Milwaukee area, with many drawing big crowds of fans, according to BizTimes. Other notable gatherings have taken place at Catalano Square in the Historic Third Ward, The Bavarian Bierhaus in Glendale and Bayshore in Glendale, the outlet reported. The Brewers also hosted their own watch parties at American Family Field for Games 3 and 4, though those tickets — priced at $15 with a 31,000-person capacity — sold out quickly, per BizTimes.
The stakes are sky-high for a reason: the Brewers took a 2-0 series lead after a 3-2 win in Game 1 and a 5-4 win in Game 2, BizTimes reported, marking the team's first World Series appearance in 44 years. For former Milwaukee County Stadium porters who reunited at Kegel's Inn to watch Game One, the moment carried its own history, as TMJ4 reported. Whether the series runs all the way to Game 7 on Saturday, Kegel's Inn's beer garden is set to stay full of fans, pretzels and cheer until the final out.
