Since Roundhead Brewing Company first opened in the Boston neighborhood of Hyde Park nearly two years ago, community connections have made everything possible for the "best of Boston”-worthy beer maker, says cofounder Craig Panzer. Now, a series of fortuitous relationships between Roundhead and other locals is bringing the first traveling beer garden to City of Boston parks.
The Alianza Park Series is underway, beginning its second week in South Boston’s A Street Park. Operating Wednesday-Sunday through September 22, find the Roundhead beer garden and Fresh Food Generation food truck in Southie this week, before it travels to Forsyth Park in the Back Bay Fens (one of the best parks in Boston), East Boston, Roxbury and more local neighborhoods. Check out the full lineup of Alianza Park Series locations, dates and hours below.
Alianza, the Spanish word for alliance, represents the “arm-in-arm” collaboration between Boston’s first Latin-owned brewery and one of the city’s favorite food trucks. “Both Fresh Food Generation and Roundhead are excited to make this successful for the city, for our neighborhoods, for our communities,” Panzer says. “This is us saying, we want this vibrancy where we live.”
Panzer resides in Jamaica Plain and met his Roundhead business partner and head brewer, Luis Espinoza, in the neighborhood when their kids played soccer together. Through the JP-based mobile bar company Hive Events, which Roundhead collaborated with in the brewery's pre-taproom days, Panzer had the opportunity to purchase two Airstream-style beer trailers—before he even knew about this summer’s opportunity.
“We just knew that we wanted to be able to go on the road a little bit to expand upon our reach,” Panzer says. “That's kind of the extension of hospitality, right? Like, we'll come to you.” Earlier this year, when the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department put out a request for proposals for a traveling beer garden across different neighborhoods of Boston, Panzer says, “that really aligned for us.”
During the Alianza Park Series, Roundhead is serving up four draft beers as well as non-alcoholic options like Peruvian chicha morada, made from purple corn and various fruit flavorings. “You can expect a sour, IPA and a lager at each location. We always try to make sure that people will find something that's interesting to them,” Panzer says.
Fresh Food Generation, which also has a restaurant at 185 Talbot Ave. in Dorchester, is serving its signature combination of Caribbean and modern American cuisine, like jerk chicken with herbed fries, a grass-fed burger with sweet plantains and Haitian pikliz, and breaded jerked tofu with coconut rice and kale salad. Cassandria Campbell, who co-founded the food truck with Jackson Renshaw and runs it with general manager Victor Medina, adds, "Neighborhood-specific menu plates will be crafted and influenced by the distinct culture, people, history and events of the neighborhood." So, get ready for a “jazz and art” fried chicken sandwich on the menu at Forsyth Park, inspired by the Art and Jazz gallery at the MFA, she says.
Hyde Park’s own Ron’s Ice Cream is also popping up at Alianza on the weekends, Panzer adds. Live music is in the plans, too. The beer garden will be open 3-9pm Wednesdays-Thursdays, noon-9pm Fridays-Saturdays and noon-8pm Sundays. Follow @alianzaboston on Instagram for updates.
At Roundhead, “community connections have propelled us from the beginning,” Panzer says, and the Alianza Park Series is just the latest way to bring people together. “Our hope is that it's not just reaching out to one neighborhood who wants to come and hang in their neck of the woods,” Panzer says, “but that it actually can encourage people to go out and experience other neighborhoods.”
Where and when to find the Alianza beer garden in Boston city parks
A Street Park, South Boston
June 19-June 30, 2024
Forsyth Park, Fenway
July 3-July 14
Lopresti Park, East Boston
July 17-July 28
Marcella Playground, Roxbury
July 31-August 4
Pinebank, Jamaica Plain
August 14-August 25
Franklin Park (Giraffe Entrance), Dorchester
August 28-September 8
Brighton Common, Allston-Brighton
September 11-September 22