Five months after a massive blaze destroyed Bass Bay Brewhouse in Muskego, owner Ryan Oschmann is still grieving the loss of the family business, but he’s ready to move forward with plans to fully rebuild while opening a beer garden on the site in the interim.
The Dec. 12 fire destroyed the popular lakeside property – which operated as a supper club and restaurant for decades – and an adjacent family home in residential Muskego.
Oschmann fought back tears at times late last week as he watched crews demolish what remained after the devastating fire, which left the property a total loss. “I’m just happy to see it get cleaned up,” Oschmann said.
He and family members and some employees gathered at the site one last time before demolition began. “We were saying our goodbyes. It’s been super emotional, but it’s part of the healing process and getting some closure,” Oschmann said. “Everybody at this point is excited to move forward to the next step.”
Demolition could be completed by the end of this week.
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Mayor Rick Petfalski is happy the Oschmanns decided to rebuild. “I’m fully supportive of finding a path for them to continue on. It’s a Muskego institution,” he said. “We want to work with them to make sure they are successful and able to rebuild and keep that legacy going.”
Investigators were unable to determine the cause of the fire, labeling it inconclusive.
“We were hoping to get a reason,” Oschmann said. “Was it something we did or just some freak thing? But to get no answer really doesn’t make you feel any better.”
The brewpub-style spot was popular for private parties and weddings on its extensive lakeside patio on Bass Bay, which funnels into Big Muskego Lake.
New Life at the Site
After considerable thought and with insurance matters being resolved, Oschmann said it was decided that the business would be rebuilt, a process that could take up to a year. In the interim will be Bass Bay Beer Garden, which is expected to open in June with two full bars serving beer and cocktails, live music, pontoon rides, kayak rentals. The parking lot will host a variety of food trucks including Bass Bay sister business Milk Can.
The city has granted approval for Bass Bay Beer Garden to operate through the end of October. The business will operate Wednesday through Sunday, with live music on Fridays and Saturdays until 10:30 p.m. Bar service may run until 10 p.m. on weeknights and 11:30 p.m. on weekends, Oschmann said.
The interim beer garden and its programming should balance the needs of the business and the residential neighborhood that has grown up around the site.
“It’s a way to make sure they’re viable. Keeping and maintaining staff is a challenge at any service industry right now. If they can find a way to keep those people employed and tied to the business, that’s good,” Petfalski said. “We’ve got a commitment from the Plan Commission and Ryan that whatever goes on out there this summer respects that balance and respects people’s homes while allowing the business to carry forward and keep an income stream and allow the location to remain relevant. I don’t see it being an issue. Ryan is a very good corporate citizen.”
Plans for a new building are expected to be presented in June meeting to the Muskego Plan Commission. Bass Bay has hired Duffek Construction of Waukesha as the contractor for the project while another Waukesha firm, Thrive Architects, is handling the design.
If plans are approved, considerable site work and cleanup would be conducted throughout early summer with footings and foundation for the new building being completed in August. The entire project could be finished by early summer 2027, Oschmann said.
“The bar and restaurant and banquet hall will all be coming back, and there will be a residence again, but all with a slightly smaller footprint,” Oschmann said.
The new structures will cover about 16,500 square feet, compared with 20,000 square feet for the old property, he said. “The new building won’t be a hodgepodge with things like an inset bar that was cool in the ’70s that maybe doesn’t make sense now, and other wasted square footage,” Oschmann said.
The new banquet hall’s capacity will be 275, compared with 225 to 250 in the past.
The banquet hall and restaurant will flip spaces under the new plans, with the banquet hall being downstairs and the restaurant on the upper level and featuring an open-air rooftop patio. That layout will provide more privacy for weddings and private events, which have been a major part of the business, Oschmann said.
‘A Legacy for Our Family’
Located in residential Muskego at S79 W15851 Aud Mar Dr., the property has been operated on-and-off by the Oschmann family since the 1950s. The Aud-Mar Supper Club, which closed in 2007, previously operated on the site.
In 2014, Ryan Oschmann, along with his mother, Laurie, and other partners, decided to return to the restaurant business and opened Bass Bay Brewhouse, which despite the name didn’t include a brewery, the following year.
Strong ties to the community came into play in the decision to rebuild, Oschmann said.
“Yes, we lost a lot of tangible things, but we’ve always looked at this as kind of a legacy for our family, and seeing that possibly go away was tough,” he said. “But it’s more than the tangible things – it’s the memories. It didn’t take long for us to all be in agreement that there’s really no other way for us to go. The outpouring of support from the community was the icing on the cake. The number of people who reached out was amazing, including from people who have been coming here for years, who got married here or whose kids’ parties were here.”
One GoFundMe effort has raised nearly $80,000 for Bass Bay Brewhouse staff – the business had about 90 employees – and their families. Oschmann said he’s been in touch with some former employees about returning to work at the beer garden.
Another GoFundMe initiative raised more than $35,000 for family members who had lived in the residence on the site.
The planned opening of Bass Bay Beer Garden, which will have a view of the fenced construction area, will go a long way toward healing from the fire, Oschmann said. “We’re really excited to be able to see everybody again,” he said. “They’ll be able to spend their time here like they did in the past and watch the progress as it happens.”
