The Lake Country DockHounds are in search of a new naming rights partner after announcing that its partnership with Verona-based Wisconsin Brewing Co. and Lake Louie Brewing has ended after four years.
The DockHounds’ 3,600-seat home ballpark in Oconomowoc, just off I-94, had been known as Wisconsin Brewing Company Park since it opened in 2022 for the team’s initial season of play in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an independent league that also counts the Milwaukee Milkmen, a franchise based in Franklin, as one of its members.
The large overhead sign displaying Wisconsin Brewing’s name that had greeted fans at the entrance to the ballpark has been removed, and the small brewery inside the stadium is closed.
“As we continue to grow and evolve, we have taken time to listen closely to feedback from our fans,” Bryan Giese, DockHounds director of marketing and communications, said in a statement. “One of the consistent themes we’ve heard is a desire for a broader selection of domestic beer offerings during games. With that in mind, we have made the decision to shift our direction as it relates to ballpark partnerships and concessions.”
Representatives of Wisconsin Brewing could not be reached for comment.
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The DockHounds have hired W Partners, a Chicago-based sales and sports marketing firm, to help secure a new naming rights deal.
Until a new agreement is finalized, the stadium at 1011 Blue Ribbon Circle will be known as DockHounds Ballpark.
In addition to the naming rights sponsorship, Wisconsin Brewing also launched a five-barrel pilot brewery, known as Lake Louie DockHaus, at the DockHounds ballpark in 2022. That same year, Wisconsin Brewing’s portfolio consolidated under the Lake Louie brand, which became part of WBC in 2019.
Experimental brews produced at Lake Louie DockHaus, which is now shuttered and references removed from the team’s website, included a lager aged with baseball bats.
The DockHounds’ owners are led by Tom and Lisa Kelenic, parents of Jarred Kelenic, the sixth overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft who currently plays in the Chicago White Sox organization. The ownership group also includes Sonny Bando, son of former Milwaukee Brewers general manager Sal Bando, along with 25 to 30 other minority investors.
The major changes at the ballpark come on the cusp of a new season, with the DockHounds set to open their 2026 campaign at home against the Gary-Southshore Railcats on May 15. The DockHounds are coming off a successful 2025 season during which the team captured its first East Division regular season title.
Despite the changes, something that will remain is the popular beer can race held in the middle of the sixth inning of each home game, the winner of which determines which brew will be available for $4 per pour for the remainder of the game, Giese said.
The Milwaukee Milkmen had a ballpark naming rights issue of their own to deal with when they began play in the American Association in 2019. The franchise’s 4,000-seat stadium, located within Franklin’s Ballpark Commons mixed-use development, often referred to as The Rock, took on the name Routine Field as part of a purported deal with local apparel company Routine Baseball.
Routine sued ROC Ventures, which owns the Milkmen, over the naming rights, claiming the parties never agreed to a final contract even though signage had been installed at the ballpark. ROC Ventures countersued and a settlement was reached, leading to an eventual rebranding of the ballpark to Franklin Field in 2020 under a new partnership with the Franklin Tourism Commission.
