Seven Boston parks will get an infusion of local beer, food, music, and art this summer in a mobile beer garden series starting in South Boston this week.
Hyde Park’s Roundhead Brewing Co. is partnering with Fresh Food Generation, a farm-to-plate Caribbean American restaurant and food truck in Dorchester, on the beer gardens. It’s a series they’re calling “Alianza,” or alliance, speaking to Roundhead cofounder Craig Panzer’s desire to unite folks from different Boston neighborhoods. As BIPOC business owners in the city, Panzer and Fresh Food Generation CEO Cassandria Campbell do more than talk about representing all Bostonians.
“Roundhead is all about building community, and we are darn proud of our place and neighborhood in Hyde Park,” says Panzer. “The mobile beer garden is the perfect opportunity for us to continue doing what we’re doing.”
The rotating beer gardens are structured as follows: At each location, Alianza will operate from Wednesday to Sunday for two consecutive weeks, before traveling to the next neighborhood park. The South Boston beer garden opened June 19 and operates Wednesday and Thursday from 4 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from noon to 9 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.
Fresh Food Generation’s Campbell says that “every two weeks, not only will the location change, but we will be featuring a new menu item in honor of each neighborhood.” The company’s typical dishes combine New England ingredients with Caribbean flavors for mains like jerk chicken and sides like Haitian beet salad. Campbell says that in addition to food and beer, each beer garden will reserve space for local artists and musicians.
Those unfamiliar with Roundhead’s beer offerings should expect brews inspired by the founders’ Peruvian heritage, including a cherry rosemary saison and a Peruvian red ale brewed with purple corn.
“Roundhead is designed as the smallest brewery in Boston for a reason — so we can constantly rotate in fresh batches, and new recipes,” says Panzer.
Introducing craft beer to groups who might not have been familiar with it before has been rewarding, says Panzer.
“People who come to Roundhead in Hyde Park are curious,” he says. “That’s what happens when you intentionally bring different cultures to the customer’s brewery experience.”
The seven beer garden locations were chosen by the city. Future beer garden neighborhood locations, in order, are in the Fenway, East Boston, Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Dorchester, and Brighton. For more details, go to roundheadbrewing.com/alianza-park-series.
Gary Dzen can be reached at gary.dzen@globe.com.Follow him @garydzen.
