Bass Bay Brewhouse Plans Beer Garden Comeback After Fire Damage

Bass Bay Brewhouse is coming back the way a lot of smart beer businesses do after a disaster: by opening the piece that can work first. In Muskego, that means a beer garden on the grounds that Ryan Oschmann says are still “100 percent intact,” including the gazebo and outside bar area, with an early June opening now targeted and room for as many as 500 people.

The move is both practical and emotional. The family-owned business has been in the Oschmann family since the 1950s, and the fire that hit in December destroyed Bass Bay Brewhouse, Aud Mar Banquet Hall and the family home. Oschmann said the idea for a beer garden made sense only after demolition finally started and it became clear a full rebuild would not be finished in 2026. Rather than leave the property dark while plans move through the long construction process, the brewery-adjacent restaurant is trying to restore activity, pour beer again and pull regulars back into the orbit of the place.

Muskego had recently approved the liquor license and beer garden plan, clearing the way for Bass Bay to start rebuilding its business one stage at a time. The first phase is designed around the outdoor setup the property already has, a faster route to revenue than waiting for the main building to rise again. The restaurant rebuild plans are expected to be submitted later in the summer, which gives the beer garden the role of a bridge, not just a stopgap.

The need for that bridge has been stark. Nearly 70 employees lost their jobs just before the holidays after the fire, and community fundraisers brought in close to $75,000 for the owners, staff and another family displaced by the blaze. The Wisconsin State Fire Marshal’s Office is still investigating the cause. Bass Bay’s website says the business will reopen and will honor gift cards once its doors are open again, a small promise that carries weight for customers who have watched the place anchor family milestones for decades.

That history is part of why the recovery feels bigger than one property line on Aud Mar Drive. Bass Bay and Aud Mar Banquets date back more than 60 years in the restaurant business, with roots going to 1958 and Ryan Oschmann’s grandparents running the earlier Aud Mar supper club until 1985. Weddings, birthdays and holiday gatherings have filled those rooms for generations. Now the comeback begins outside, with beer in hand and the long rebuild still ahead.