Berkeley’s longstanding Westbrae Biergarten closed this winter but was snapped up by Headlands Brewing, a Lafayette-based operation that celebrates Northern California’s rugged landscape with beers such as the Point Bonita Pilsner and Diablo Double IPA, and makes limited releases with the Golden Gate National Park Conservancy. It seemed a perfect fit for environmentally obsessed Berkeley, but how’s it actually playing out?

Judging by crowd size, pretty well. The all-outdoor space is usually thronged with parents, kids and dogs — and kids having formative face-to-face moments with other peoples’ dogs.

There are tweaks in food and design, and you get the feeling some customers have driven in from the suburbs to experience Headlands’ expanding brand. (This fall, the brewery plans to open a third location in Walnut Creek.)

But the essential attraction remains — a verdant garden in Berkeley, under elevated BART tracks with fun, whooshing trains, where you can drink from comically sized beer mugs and get your tan on under the beaming sun.

The beer garden >> It’s located in the bustling Gilman district, where you pass by plants at a neighboring nursery and cyclists whizzing along the Ohlone Greenway. Order drinks at the counter from quite a selection — a Party Wave Light Lager or POG Solar Sour, maybe, plus local wine, cider, specialty tipples like hard-peach kombucha and zero-proof options like housemade strawberry lemonade. There are also guest taps from the likes of Faction, Berryessa and Brix Factory. Then it’s off to find a seat, perhaps in an artificial-turf field with lawn chairs and umbrellas or around a burbling water grotto. Parents might want to know that the kids’ play area has been upgraded since the Westbrae days, and that the gravelly floor throughout the beer garden is now smooth brick.

The dish >> The popular Pedro’s Brazil Cafe food truck is gone; in its place is a kitchen serving smashburgers, salads, churros and chicken tendies. The Deluxe Smashburger is notable for its creamy, spicy Sriracha dressing and whole-leaf greens ($12) — pair it with a side of seasoned fries ($3.50). And while it seems pricey at $10.50, the soft pretzel does justice to Germany with its girthy, butter-glazed knots and dipping sauces of beer cheese or IPA mustard.

Oktoberfest plans >> The beer garden will celebrate during the first weekend of October with pint-and-pretzel specials and live music from local bands. Lederhosen and dirndl dresses are encouraged.

Details >> Opens at noon Tuesday-Friday and 11 a.m. on weekends at 1280 Gilman St., Berkeley; headlandsbrewing.com.