European-Style Beer Garden Opens In Detroit's West Village
DETROIT (WWJ) - A scrubby patch of vacant land in Detroit's old West Village is being transformed by a group of local artists, foodies, designers and writers into the Tashmoo Biergarten for the next five Sundays, beginning Sunday, Sept. 25.
The family-friendly event plays on local history while providing a new venue for Detroiters to enjoy a cold brew, and come together as a community.
Tashmoo Biergarten, located on three lots at 1416 Van Dyke, lent to the project by Land Inc., will pop-up once a week and feature a rotating selection of beer by Michigan brewers, local food vendors, a corn hole court and ample board games to keep patrons entertained throughout its run.
Suzanne Vier, co-founder of the event, said the idea was inspired by traditional European-style beer gardens.
"I love how traditional eastern European beer gardens are open outdoor spaces within an urban landscape that have a communal feel," Vier said in a release. "They're a great place for people within a community to come together while drinking a beer, having a bite to eat, or playing a game of chess outdoors with their neighbors."
The beer garden's name was chosen because of the location's ties to local history. Tashmoo - a Native American word understood to mean "meeting place" - was once the namesake of an amusement park on Harsen's Island at the northern edge of Lake St. Clare. It was also the name of a side-wheeler steamboat known as one of the fastest ships to sail the Great Lakes.
The beer garden's location itself is also the site of a home that was occupied for generations by the family of one of the Tashmoo's crew. The house was demolished in August 2011.
Hours of operation are from noon to 9 p.m. each Sunday, from Sept. 25 through Oct. 23. Find out more at tashmoodetroit.com.
