Just in time for summer, a beachy new brewery has joined Waterbury’s beer scene. On Friday, May 17, the Tropic Brewing opened its taproom at 40 Foundry Street for full pours, bar snacks and 12-ounce to-go cans of its sessionable lower-alcohol beers.

Brothers Matt and Zack Gordon brainstormed the biz while on a trip to Puerto Rico, Matt said. “I love Vermont’s four seasons, but there’s something so fun about that part of the world.”

The name also nods to the etymology of trópos — Greek for “a turn or change.” Running the Tropic is a career change for brewer Matt, 41, who has lived in Waterbury since 2012 and previously worked for agricultural industry groups, including the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers’ Association.

Matt has been homebrewing since age 21, when he purchased a copy of Greg Noonan’s New Brewing Lager Beer: The Most Comprehensive Book for Home- and Microbrewers and considered the hobby a creative outlet, he said. He picked it back up in earnest a few years ago, focusing on lagers and sessionable beers, which were harder to find at the time.

Those styles make up the bulk of his brews on the Tropic’s four-barrel system. Early favorites include the Dorado Mexican-style lager and Oceania cold IPA; most of the lineup contains 5 percent alcohol or less.

“They don’t crush you the next day, but they retain a lot of flavor and a lot of interest,” Matt said.

The Gordons opted to sell their beer in 12-ounce cans to differentiate the Tropic further from breweries that use the more common 16-ounce tallboys. The brothers prefer the smaller format, Matt said, “because you can finish a beer before it gets warm.”

The bright 21-seat tasting room serves full and half pours to pair with bar snacks such as plantain chips, chips and salsa, and tinned fish. It’s currently open Friday and Saturday from 3 to 7 p.m.

SHELDON — Vermont State Police are looking into a theft from a motor vehicle that occurred on May 20 at about 8:03 p.m. at the Rail Trail parking lot near Kane Road and Vt Route 105.

According to authorities, the involved suspect vehicle is a grey 2018 Subaru Crosstrek with the Vermont registration HYT863.

Law enforcement officials have not yet identified any suspects in the case.

The public is urged to come forward with any relevant information about the incident or the whereabouts of the vehicle in question.

Those who can assist are asked to contact the St. Albans Barracks at 802-524-5993.

Trooper Jared Blair is actively investigating the case.

The Vermont State Police are committed to ensuring the safety and security of the community and appreciate any assistance the public can provide.

For further inquiries or to provide tips, please reach out to Trooper Blair at the St. Albans Barracks.

Page to Stage

Friday 24-Sunday 26

The Parish Players present Deaf Republic, a one-weekend-only staged reading of Ilya Kaminsky’s acclaimed poem cycle of the same name, at Thetford’s Eclipse Grange Theatre. Featuring puppetry and set work by Ria Blaas and a cast packed with local talent, the production tells the allegorical story of a town under a brutal occupation, where all the villagers lose their hearing after soldiers kill a deaf boy.

The Umpire Strikes Back

Saturday 25-Monday 27

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• File: Jordan Barry ©️ Seven Days
• Vermont Lake Monsters game

The Vermont Lake Monsters are back for another season of balls, bats and boogying with Champ. Spectators at Burlington’s Centennial Field buy some peanuts and Cracker Jack to watch the Green Mountain State’s own Futures Collegiate Baseball League team face off against the Brockton Rox in three Memorial Day weekend games.

New Kid on the Flock

Saturday 25 & Sunday 26

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• Courtesy
• Family Sheep and Wool Weekend

People and sheep alike shed their winter coats at Family Sheep and Wool Weekend, a lamb-themed jamboree at Woodstock’s Billings Farm & Museum. The springtime fun includes weaving and spinning demonstrations, woolly fiber crafts, and an up-close look at the workaday lives of the herding border collies.

Don’t Rain on My Parade

Monday 27

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• Courtesy Of Joanna Rae Photography
• Vergennes Memorial Day Parade

Party people of all ages take a break from flipping burgers and eating hot dogs to line the streets for the annual Vergennes Memorial Day Parade. Kicking off the festivities at Vergennes Union Middle & High School, American Legion Post 14 hosts a patriotic march through downtown to honor Vermonters who have served in the armed forces, followed by a chicken barbecue.

American Ukrainian

Tuesday 28

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• Courtesy Of Kostiantyn Strilets
• Larissa Babij

Larissa Babij discusses her new, straight-from-the-headlines memoir, A Kind of Refugee: The Story of an American Who Refused to Leave Ukraine, with University of Vermont professor Adrian Ivakhiv at Richmond Free Library. Collected partially from Babij’s ongoing Substack dispatches, the book tells the story of the terrifying first days of war from the perspective of the Ukrainian American writer and translator.

Earth Day

Wednesday 29

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• Courtesy
• Still from Feeling the Apocalypse

Both cinephiles and environmentalists find something to love at SunCommon’s Climate Action Film Festival at the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center Film House in Burlington. The annual screening soirée features stories of activism and resilience from around the world, and proceeds benefit 350Vermont.

Seasons of Love

Ongoing

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• ‘Reflection’ by Anna Yakubovskaya

Russian-born, Vermont-based artist Anna Yakubovskaya‘s newest solo show at Burlington’s Frog Hollow Vermont Craft Gallery, “Embracing the Ephemeral,” celebrates the Vermont seasons in all their beauty and brevity. Painted on paper and silk, her watercolors capture sunrises over the mountains, mist over lakes and the moment the leaves begin to change.